News on Suppliers to the Packaging Printing Industry from packagePRINTING March 2012

Labeling a Fine Wine

There is really only one fail-safe method of conveying the quality, heritage, and style of a wine once it has entered its wine bottle packaging—and that is the label. For Marcello Lunelli, vice president of Ferrari Spumanti, Italy's leading producers of sparkling wines, the label is undoubtedly "a key identifier and an invaluable marketing device."

The Ferrari Spumanti brand has been synonymous with excellence since Giulio Ferrari first created his wine in 1902. "The company is more than a hundred years old, and continues to win awards for its product," says Lunelli. While the temptation might be to change the image with the changing generations, he is convinced that, for wines at least, this is not the desirable course.

Nevertheless, that visual identity needs to keep pace with contemporary consumer sentiment, as well as the ever-increasing capabilities of modern packaging technology. Leading Italian brand and strategic design advisor RobilantAssociati was chosen to conduct a delicate redesign of the labels—a project that has brought added definition and 21st century touches to the brand.

Because the labelled bottle represents such a valuable selling tool, says Lunelli, "our company has always valued 'the way we dress our bottles' highly. Our logo and associated heraldry never change and the shade of red we use is a special identifier for our brand."

GuidottiCentroStampa, part of the global Multi-Color Global Label Solutions group, has printed the labels for Ferrari Spumanti for many years. For the Ferrari Maximum brand, a 120-micron white PE film is used with a glassine release liner and wine label adhesive that resists moisture ingress and enables the label to stay on the bottle even after extended time in the ice bucket.

Says GuidottiCentroStampa's Filippo Guidotti: "The film labels for Ferrari Maximum are printed offset on a combination reel-to-reel press, with additional in-line embellishments—hot foil blocking in gold and copper, and embossing—to create the traditional look of a sparkling wine label. They're finished off with a gloss screen varnish and an anti-scuff varnish before kiss diecutting to their familiar shape."

For the Ferrari Perlé bottles, GuidottiCentroStampa uses a traditional gold metallized paper facestock, combined with an adhesive suitable for storage conditions of a wine cellar and ice bucket presentation. The dedicated self-adhesive wine labelstock is used for both the primary labels and the neck seals. "We print both these labels in a combination of reel-to-reel offset and flexo, hot foiled in gold and embossed. They are finished with a protective coating and embellished with high-gloss screen varnish prior to kiss diecutting," says Guidotti.

UV Special Effect Inks

MILFORD, OH—RH Solutions LLC offers a wide range of UV special-effects inks, including RHUV gloss, matte, crystal, refractive, icy snow, light to strong abrasives (gold and silver), and many more. RHUV special effect inks, which are applied only by screen-printing onto any previously printed material, are specifically designed to provide a visually enhanced effect that allows graphic and commercial printers to maximize profit margin on each printing job.

RHUV special-effect products can yield unique finishing characteristics regardless of the screen-printing or UV curing equipment used. The products are currently available in 18 distinct finishes, with each one providing an authentic sense of touch, three-dimensional appearance, and a unique surface that appeals to several senses simultaneously. The visual enhancements are easy to produce, and combined with normal substrate types, can be placed in selective areas to create multiple effects regardless of the printing process that was originally used.

Renewable, Compostable Stand-Up Pouches

Innovia Films's renewable, compostable cellulose-based material, NatureFlex™, was selected by Ganong Bros Limited's to pack its range of Easter confectionery in stand-up pouches. Ganong is Canada's oldest candy company, founded in 1873 and remains family owned and operated.

Bruce Rafuse, vice president of marketing at Ganong explains, "We had two primary objectives in selecting the package: first and foremost was to improve sales and distribution and second, to differentiate us from the competition. We considered several alternatives, but based upon feedback from consumers and retailers, decided upon NatureFlex due to it being compostable and the distinct competitive advantage this gives us. Our ultimate goal is to move all our products into compostable pouches."

The stand-up pouch pack is converted by Canadian-based Genpak using compostable NatureFlex NKR laminated to a biopolymer sealant layer. "NatureFlex provides excellent barriers to oxygen and moisture, which ensure the product maintains its quality. The film also printed and performed well on our machines," said Bill Reilly, development manager for Genpak.

Spinnaker Coating Is Employee Owned

TROY, OH—Spinnaker Coating, LLC announced that the company has become an S Corporation ESOP, effective February 1, 2012. In the transaction, prior investors sold 100 percent of their ownership interest to a newly created Employee Stock Ownership Trust, allowing current and future employees to gain a beneficial ownership interest in the company without any personal investment.

Effectively, the ESOP is a qualified retirement plan which, based on company performance, could generate significant retirement benefits for Spinnaker's approximately 250 employee owners.

Commenting on the announcement, Louis A. Guzzetti, Jr., chairman and CEO of Spinnaker, said, "This transaction will give our employees a financial interest in the success of the business, making the positive bonds between Spinnaker teammates even stronger than they are today. It represents a very tangible way to reward those who have played the critical role in Spinnaker's success since we purchased the assets of our predecessor company out of bankruptcy in 2002. Today, we are a robust competitor in the pressure-sensitive industry, based primarily on our customer-driven culture that places service at the top of our priority list. Delivering unparalleled service requires great employees who are focused and dedicated to the business at hand. That clearly describes our team."

ACTEGA WIT  Joins FLAG

AMHERST, NH—Flexo Label Advantage Group (FLAG), in partnership with its Strategic Alliance Partner, Independent Printers Worldwide, announced that ACTEGA WIT, Inc. has joined the group as its newest Vendor Partner. Already a supplier to many FLAG members, ACTEGA WIT will be providing new products and programs to help the group's members continue to grow and be profitable.

"FLAG is very excited with this new association and we look forward to having ACTEGA WIT work with our members as we move forward with the new technologies that we need to be successful in the future," comments John McKay, FLAG president and CEO. FLAG is a network of independent label converters and industry suppliers that promotes and supports its members in flexo label converting.

Safety Milestone for Avery Dennison

MENTOR, OH—Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials (LPM) announced that its 2011 worldwide recordable incident rate was 0.46 injuries or illnesses for every 100 employees. This included its best-ever safety performances in Europe, South America, and North America. The Asia Pacific region saw an incident rate just shy of beating its 2010 performance.

In comparison, the average U.S. manufacturing company had a recordable incident rate of 4.4 injuries per 100 workers in 2010, according to the most recent data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "This shows that safety is a top priority for the company, our leaders, and our employees," said Don Nolan, LPM group vice president. "It takes a teamwork mentality to make this happen, and we've fostered that environment by empowering all employees to make contributions towards a safer and healthier workplace."

PC Industries,  FiberMark Join TLMI

GLOUCESTER, MA—TLMI welcomed two new supplier members—PC Industries and FiberMark. PC Industries designs and manufactures automatic inspection, quality improvement, and process control solutions. FiberMark provides value-added solutions with advances in fiber technology serving the luxury packaging, graphic design, and paper crafting industries.

PEOPLE

MADISON, WI —AccuWeb announced the appointment of Shurtz Entreprises as its Western territory representative, covering the states of California, Arizona, and Nevada. Shurtz has 20-plus years of industrial and converting experience in the Western states.

CHARLOTTE, NC—KURZ Transfer Products announced the retirement of Sam McElree, who provided more than 37 years of service to the industry. The company also announced the promotion of Scott Tacosik to product manager, graphics, Colorit® and Light Line® products, and the appointment of Gregory Ott as sales representative for graphics, Colorit® and Light Line® products covering the Midwest region.

ELMWOOD PARK, NJ—Agfa Graphics North America announced that Jim Sause has been promoted to executive VP of sales and marketing. He was previously executive VP of business development and marketing.

CHARLOTTE, NC—Harper Corp. announced that Alexander James has been promoted to director of Harper GraphicSolutions, responsible for the strategic and technical direction of the division.

ROSEVILLE, CA—Harris & Bruno has named Leandra Wilson as director of strategic operations and human resources. She will focus on supporting inside sales, recruiting, and helping make the company more efficient.

TUEGINGEN, Germany—GMG announced that Michael Farkas has joined the company in the new role of marketing director. pP