Printer news in package printing

PEOPLE

CALEDONIA, N.Y.—Allen-Bailey Tag & Label, Inc. has appointed Arthur B. Novick as its director of customer service. He is taking on the role previously held by co-owner, Jennifer Chapman, who is retiring. Novick has extensive experience with printing companies in the Rochester area and holds a black belt in Lean Six Sigma. In 2011, Allen-Bailey will celebrate 100 years as a manufacturer of tags and labels.

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Berry Plastics Corp. announced the retirement of Ira G. Boots as chairman and CEO. Boots will remain with the company as a member of the board of directors and as a consultant. Replacing Boots as CEO will be Dr. Jonathan (Jon) Rich, who is coming to Berry Plastics from Momentive Performance Materials where served as president and CEO.

Zip-Pak, Printpack Develop New Wide Opening Resealable Pouch

CHICAGO—Zip-Pak, a supplier of brand-enhancing resealable packaging, introduced Zip360™ at PACK EXPO International 2010. The new flexible pouch format features a wide opening and pour-spout functionality to enhance consumer convenience across multiple applications. Zip360 also enables graphics around the entire surface area of the pouch to maximize shelf impact at the point of purchase.

The new packaging solution was developed in cooperation with Printpack, Inc., which provided the graphics and material converting, and Triangle Package Machinery Co., which developed a vertical form/fill/seal machine.

"Consumers are more outspoken than ever about their packaging," says Elizabeth Sheaffer, marketing manager at Zip-Pak. "Our goal is to enable brand owners to deliver forward-looking packaging, and Zip360 is an innovative pouch format that addresses consumer desire for convenience through functionality and resealability."

The new pouch format's wide-mouth opening allows consumers of snack mixes, frozen chicken, cookies and crackers, and pet foods and treats to easily access and scoop contents. Zip360 also enables pour-spout functionality, an ideal benefit for cereal, frozen food, and vegetable applications.

The resealable closure eliminates the need to transfer contents into a separate container, keeping marketing messages in front of the consumer from initial purchase to last use.

Compared to traditional bag-in-box formats, Zip360 reduces the amount of materials needed to manufacture a package. Zip-Pak recently commissioned a life cycle analysis, conducted by independent research firm Franklin Associates, Inc., comparing 20-oz. bag-in-box formats to 21-oz. resealable flexible pouches. The study confirmed that resealable flexible packages offer superior product-to-package ratio, lower energy footprint, lower solid waste footprint, and lower greenhouse gas emissions throughout their life-cycle.

YORK Label and Pago form Global Partnership

OMAHA, Neb. and GRABS, Switzerland—YORK Label and the Europe-based Pago group have entered into a definitive agreement to form a global partnership focusing on international customer expansion and support, innovation and technology exchange. and operational and efficiency benchmarking.

This partnership brings together two major suppliers of package decoration products, creating one of the largest global footprints in the industry. YORK Label's and Pago's joint global network offers multi-national companies the ability to achieve worldwide brand consistency and quality via standardized artwork, graphic, and printing platforms.

The partnership agreement is providing a strong basis for an intensive operational cooperation of YORK Label and Pago on an international scale. The companies remain independent with regards to ownership structure and local business activity.

"We are excited to partner with Pago and leverage each other's manufacturing capabilities, innovation pipeline, customer base, operational footprint, and supply chain efficiencies, which provides our customers a true compelling global supply solution," says Dave Klotter, YORK Label vice president, sales and marketing.

Dirk Lautenschlager, director of the Pago Business Unit Product Decoration International adds, "We are very happy to close this partnership with YORK Label, a company with similar targets and strategies as we're following. The central point is to create an extended service structure for our mutual multi-national customers. By doing so, technology exchange and joint developments will drive both of us further for the benefit of our customers."

Packaging Solutions Holdings to Build New Facility

NEW YORK—Packaging Solutions Holdings, a new packaging company formed by Wellspring Capital Management and industry veteran Harold Bevis, announced plans to build a greenfield packaging plant in the Midwest. The plant will be used for the design and manufacturing of pouch materials, along with pet food, medical, produce, and snack food packaging. It will be equipped with new multi-layer extrusion laminating equipment; quick-change, 10-color printing press; high-speed winding equipment; and laser scoring and laser perforating equipment. It will operate as a new division of Jen-Coat, a division of Packaging Solutions Holdings.

Multi-Color Corporation Continues Global Investments

CINCINNATI—Multi-Color Corporation (MCC) announce plans to invest in labeling operations in China and expand operations in South Africa.

Having received Chinese Government approvals, MCC will be locating its operations in the major southern city of Guangzhou, near many national and international consumer products brand owners. The company will bring its modern label technology and know-how to support the rapidly growing consumer demand for high-quality packaged products in China.

The new business will be run by MCC's Asia Pacific President of Consumer Products, Brenton Barrett. He will lead a largely local team with specific expatriate support.

"We look forward to being able to support our existing international customers and new customers in the Chinese market," said President and CEO, Nigel Vinecombe. "This investment underlines our commitment to the home and personal care and food and beverage market segments and to developing markets. We expect to be operational in the first quarter of calendar 2011."

In South Africa, MCC announced it has entered into a property contract to acquire larger facilities in Paarl. This $2.3 million (RSA Rand 17.5 million) property investment secures a long-term home for the current MCC Collotype Labels business in South Africa and provides significant room for expansion.

"We have enjoyed substantial growth in South Africa in the last six years and we are excited about future prospects," said Vinecombe. "This property purchase and subsequent refurbishments will be funded from current cash reserves in South Africa. We are delighted to reinvest in our business and team that have established a proven track record over many years in this developing market," he added.

The new property will be purchased in 2011 and will be ready prior to the expiration of the current lease.

MPI Label Systems Acquires Assets of ROI Printing Companies

SEBRING, Ohio—MPI Label –Systems, a supplier of specialty printed labels, RFID tags, and labeling equipment and service, announced the completion of an asset purchase of ROI Printing Companies. This latest acquisition adds another manufacturing operation, which now total nine facilities throughout the country. The new location will operate under the name MPI Labels of Baltimore, Inc.

MPI of Baltimore will provide printed unsupported film, pressure-sensitive and paper labels, as well as heat-seal pouching, thermoformable APET, and other specialty items to the packaging industry. In addition, MPI of Baltimore has prepress capabilities with a state-of-the-art digital workflow that provide plates, proofs, and creative services for its customers.

New Manufacuring  Facility for Eagle  Flexible Packaging

BATAVIA, Ill.—Eagle Flexible Packaging has made a strategic investment in a new manufacturing facility in Batavia. With two new production lines, the company will focus on operational excellence initiatives through workflow optimization made possible by the new facility.

"Investing in state-of-the-art technologies in prepress and manufacturing equipment has enabled us to improve our quality and turnaround times," says Frank Vacca, president. "There aren't many opportunities to start with a clean canvas in manufacturing; we look forward to taking advantage of this opportunity to design the workflow and plant layout with maximum efficiencies in mind."

The new facility will house Eagle's entire team—sales, marketing, operations, finance, prepress, and manufacturing.