Supplier News - September 2013

Luminer Adds Inkjet Press

LONG BEACH, CALIF.—Luminer Converting Group has purchased and installed an Epson SurePress L-4033AW inkjet press, which will be used to print high-quality labels for diverse markets, including health and beauty, chemical, and pharmaceutical.

"We were looking for ways to alleviate the issues we were experiencing with our short-run flexographic printing; it was a time consuming process, not only when plate mounting and inking up the press, but most of all when color matching difficult or custom colors," said John Borrelli, partner and COO, Luminer Converting Group Inc. "We were frustrated with rejects and the reworks from jobs that didn't initially match the colors designers were requesting.

"Transferring to the Epson SurePress has allowed us to work more efficiently and we immediately saw time-saving benefits compared to flexographic printing," shared Borrelli. "Additionally, having the ability to print on a variety of substrates, including metallic, film, paper, or gloss, along with the wide range of colors and white ink, allows us to exactly match logos with demanding graphics and complex vignettes."

Second Large-Format Press

DALLAS—Walter G. Anderson, Inc., an independent supplier of folding cartons, has installed its second Rapida 145 57-inch press at its facility in Newton, Iowa, joining a twin Rapida press installed nearly two years ago.

"Ever since we opened our facility in Iowa in 2011, our first KBA Rapida 145 press has become the workhorse producing folding carton work," says Marc Anderson, president and CEO of Walter G. Anderson, Inc. "Today, that press is running round-the-clock with three shifts. The growth in our company, the requirements of our valued customers, and overall market demands precipitated a second press. We needed to increase our capacity and flexibility.

"Our customers are sending us jobs with more color and shorter run lengths, which precipitates on our part quicker changeovers," continues Anderson. "We're investing in new equipment to provide a solution to their needs. Speed is paramount. We're listening to our customers and planning for the future. Our goal is to help our customers succeed."

Harper Raises Funds for Education

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Harper Corporation of America recently held its ninth annual Midwest Converters Golf Outing to raise funds for the Phoenix Challenge Foundation, which provides educational programs geared toward student placement in the flexographic printing industry.

Co-founded by employees of Harper Corp. and All Printing Resources, this event has grown throughout the years, allowing professionals to network on a national level while raising funds to support flexographic education. This year's outing was sponsored by 21 co-suppliers, including ink companies, press OEMs, plate suppliers, and print sleeve suppliers. The event was held at Royal St. Patrick's Golf Course in Wrightstown, Wisc. where over 130 golfers teed off for this event.

Boutwell Owens Adds Folder/Gluer

FITCHBURG, MASS.—As part of a significant growth in both capability and capacity, Boutwell, Owens & Co. Inc. has recently added a new BOBST MASTERFOLD 110 A2 with a Speedwave GT and Handypack GT semi-automatic collecting table. This will compliment its existing BOBST Alpina 75 high-speed straight-line folder/gluer with Cartonpack, giving the company extensive technologies for both straight line and auto-bottom finishing.

"After traveling to the factory to see firsthand the makeready and speed improvements of as much as 75 percent, selecting the MASTERFOLD was an easy choice," according to Boutwell Owens VP of Operations Bill Lorenz. "The addition of the first in the United States fully motorized 'GT' version of the Speedwave enhancement enables us to run crash-lock boxes without the need for hooks, thereby greatly reducing set-up times, increasing run speeds, as well as improving the quality of the product."

Heidelberg Expands Use of Tech Center

KENNESAW, GA.—Heidelberg's Atlanta-based North American Printing and Packaging Technology Center (NAPPTC) is a central part of Heidelberg's newly revised marketing strategy.

In recent months, Heidelberg has provided customers and prospects with convenient access to its expertise in a variety of settings. Regional, application-specific road shows and themed quarterly open house events are among the ways in which Heidelberg has created additional opportunities for 1:1 engagement. For customers that are contemplating the purchase of new equipment, however, live demonstrations are a key component of the search for the right machine.

"It's clear to us that the Atlanta Tech Center is much more than a sales showroom. It's also, and maybe primarily, a learning center," said Harry Jones, president of Jones Printing in Chesapeake, Va. "Demos give Heidelberg an opportunity to teach customers about the technologies and solutions that will work best for their businesses, rather than to just sell hardware."

Several new pieces of equipment will be in place by the end of August. Besides four offset presses, three of them brand new installations, a Stitchmaster ST 500 saddlestitcher, Diana folder/gluer, Easygluer, and Varimatrix diecutter, the demo center will house three drupa-generation folders, a POLAR PACE cutting system, a POLAR 66 cutter, the Linoprint C751 and Linoprint C901 sheetfed digital presses, two VUTEk wide-format inkjet printers, two Suprasetter CtP systems, as well as fully integrated workflow from Web-to-print through press reporting.

Altana Acquires Coatings Business

WESEL, GERMANY—The specialty chemicals group Altana has acquired the specialty coatings business of Henkel. The products are sold under the brand names MiraFoil and Miracure and are mainly supplied to the packaging industry in North America. Within the Altana group the business will be integrated into Actega Kelstar Inc. in the U.S. and into Actega Terra GmbH in Germany, both belonging to the Actega Coatings & Sealants division.

"By acquiring the specialty coatings business of Henkel we are continuing to execute our North American growth strategy consistently and focus on innovative specialty chemicals," said Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber, CEO of Altana AG.

The technologies are acquired by way of an asset deal and include effect and overprint coatings for both UV and electron beam curing. "With the specialty coatings business of Henkel, we are expanding our product portfolio by two highly innovative and sustainable product families," said Dr. Roland Peter, president of Actega Coatings & Sealants division. "Hence, we will be able to offer our customers even better solutions that are tailor-made to their needs."

Gallus Takes Over CSAT America Brand

PHILADELPHIA—In a new agreement with Heidelberg, Gallus, Inc. has been appointed to handle sales and customer support of Heidelberg's CSAT digital printing line in North America. Purchased by Heidelberg in 2011, CSAT products include digital equipment for printing on pharmaceutical blister packages and other materials, and more recently, the Heidelberg Linoprint® L, a full-color inkjet printer for labels and flexible packaging materials. The agreement extends throughout Gallus' entire North American territory.

"The agreement is a win-win-win for Heidelberg/CSAT, Gallus, and especially our customers," said Natalie Gilbert, managing director of CSAT America. "Our pharmaceutical customers rely on us for superior support and fast inventory shipment, and with more staff and space at Gallus, we are set to improve on an already great service record."

"Plus," added Brian Bishop, president of Gallus, "adding the Linoprint L inkjet printer to our flexo product line gives our consumer label printing customers everything they need to meet short-run, long-run, and variable imaging labeling capabilities from one reliable source."

DuPont Targets Brand Managers

WILMINGTON, DEL.—DuPont Packaging Graphics is taking a new approach to reach a broader audience in its efforts to raise awareness about its new DuPont™ Cyrel® Performance Plates for flexible package printing. The new plates are specifically designed to deliver stronger shelf impact, vibrant colors, and global brand consistency to benefit brand managers representing consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies worldwide.

Creating strong visual impact for a brand can have significant influence on its acceptance. Industry experts suggest that consumers consider a product's packaging almost as important as the brand itself.

"Powerful packaging means stronger sales for consumer brands," said John Chrosniak, global business director, DuPont Packaging Graphics. "Flexographic printing, enabled by today's superior new plate technology, is capable of outstanding print quality that delivers the kinds of colors consumers can't resist. DuPont is reaching out beyond its direct customer base of printing trade shops and converters to help CPGs see the difference for themselves and to date, the campaign has been very well received."

The Provident Group Acquires Custom Flex

BRYAN, OHIO—The Provident Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anderson & Vreeland, Inc., has acquired Custom Flex, a manufacturer of innovative solutions for the printing industry. The acquisition is part of The Provident Group's on-going effort to provide continuous improvement in its product offering of doctor blades, end seals, and technical support for its customers.

"Custom Flex's technical expertise and patented innovation in the doctor blade and end seal field is a natural fit for The Provident Group and allows us to better serve customers throughout North America," noted Drew Elisius, VP of operations for Anderson & Vreeland. "Our customers will benefit from the cumulative knowledge and industry innovation created by Custom Flex and The Provident Group."

The Provident Group will use Custom Flex's Appleton, Wisc. manufacturing and sales warehouse, in addition to its manufacturing and sales/warehouse facility in Englewood, Colorado.

Absolute Joins Pamarco

ATLANTA—Pamarco Technologies LLC has acquired the business of UK-based Absolute Engineering Ltd. and its American subsidiary, Absolute Print Engineering, located in Hiram, Georgia. Terry Ford, president/CEO of Pamarco Technologies LLC stated, "We are delighted to bring Absolute into the Pamarco family. It is our second acquisition in 12 months and under Antony's leadership and with Pamarco's capital investment program we see tremendous growth opportunity. Absolute is a perfect fit for Pamarco, and we see both companies benefiting from the deal."

Antony Whiteside, managing director of Absolute, commented, "This acquisition allows Absolute to invest significantly in new production capacity, allowing us to meet the demands of our rapidly expanding customer base. It allows us to exploit the synergy created by combining the expertise and technology of the fastest growing blade systems company with one of the most technically advanced suppliers to the printing industry."

PEOPLE

Pamarco Global Graphics announced that John Rastetter has joined the company as VP of sales and marketing in the Americas. His primary responsibilities will be to manage sales, set strategies, and execute plans for sales in North America, Canada, Central, South, and Latin America.

acpo ltd., welcomed Mike Bower to its staff as technical director. In this role, he will identify unmet market needs and develop appropriate product solutions, while also overseeing all quality and product compliance initiatives.

Harper Corp. of America has named Stephen Reinhardt as products specialist in the HarperScientific division. In this role, he will assist clients with product application and technical support.

Advanced Vision Technology (AVT) has named Amir Dekel as president of the company's U.S.-based subsidiary. Dekel will manage all activities in North and Latin America including sales, marketing, and customer support.

Jeff Van Grinsven has been appointed plant manager for Inometa Flexo Systems, LLC. He will supervise production and quality control, and implement continuous improvement processes at Inometa's Appleton, Wisc. facility.

Enfocus announced the appointment of Jeffrey Phillips to senior product specialist, responsible for education, training, and support of Enfocus products for North American customers.

Tapio Kolunsarka has been appointed executive VP of UPM Raflatac and a new member of the UPM Group Executive Team. He will transfer to the new position from his current post as senior VP of UPM Raflatac EMEA.

Bobst North America Inc. has announced organization changes. Steve Creasey will assume a new management role as zone business director in Greater China. In preparation for Creasey's move, the company has named Doug Herr as director of sales, folding carton for North America and Latin America North; Brian Kentopp is director of sales, corrugated board for North America; and Tom Phillips is director, product line flexo folder-gluers and rotary diecutters for North America.