Mark Andy

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Two days of intense competition culminated in breathtaking victories for the Canadian competitors at the 10th Annual International Phoenix Challenge Flexo Skills Competition, when the team of Allan Tran and Tim Govey of Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, broke all records for the Challenge’s highest score with 475 points. The pair of high school seniors each received a $1,000 scholarship and the Phoenix Challenge Gold medallion, and were also presented with the prestigious Harper Flexo Cup for display at their school. It is the second time in three years that Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary School has the honor of

BASEL-REINACH, Switzerland—As part of its ongoing commitment to the developing markets of Western and Eastern Europe, Mark Andy, a leading manufacturer of narrow web flexo technology will be hosting a series of Educator Seminars at its new Advanced Technology Centre in Switzerland. The first of the European Educator Seminars, which will focus on film applications, will be held on Wednesday May 9 at Mark Andy Europe’s new facility in Basel-Reinach. The program of events will include presentations from key industry figures in the film label and film packaging markets, along with those from Mark Andy’s co-supplying partners. Topics will include market trends, new opportunities,

NEW DEHLI, India—Label Summit India 2007, which took place this month in New Delhi was a great success with 492 delegates attending the high-level conference to learn about the key factors stimulating growth in the Indian label industry both in the short and the long term. With the current retail market in India worth $300 billion and the demand for consumer products and luxury goods increasing by 15 percent every year, the Summit provided the ideal gathering for label industry professionals from India and beyond to gain in-depth insights into these developments. A panel of senior representatives from brand owner organizations such as GlaxoSmithKline,

CLEARWATER, Fla.—Printing Technology Services, Inc. (PTS), a leader in integrating variable data inkjet printing systems into existing web presses and finishing systems, announced that the company has entered into a business alliance with St. Louis, Mo.-based Mark Andy, Inc. As part of the agreement, PTS’ JetFlex inkjet printing systems can be fully integrated into any Mark Andy flexographic press. The JetFlex system incorporates digital printing products using Hewlett-Packard TIJ 2.5 thermal inkjet technology. “We’re very excited about the possibilities this relationship opens up for our customers around the world,” said Curtis Miller, president of PTS. “As a result of this partnership, flexographic printers will

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—Mark Andy officially opened its new European Advanced Technology Center in Basel, Switzerland on February 6. Using the banner headline: “Mark Andy grows BIG in Europe,” the new 3,000-square-foot facility is key to the company’s extended commitment to converters in continental Europe, and has been set up as a major hub of excellence. It also marks the further expansion of Mark Andy activities on the continent, with the creation of Mark Andy Europe. The centrally located technology center houses a 1,200-square-foot showroom/demonstration facility and a 1,000-square-foot parts department, as well as administration offices. Company CEO Paul Brauss said, “As Mark Andy puts

BRUSSELS, Berlin—Labelexpo Europe 2007, taking place on 26-29, is expected to attract more than 23,000 visitors to Brussels from all over the world. With the ongoing growth of the label industry, more companies are exhibiting this year and an additional hall will make the show even larger than in 2005. With 90 percent sold, of exhibitor space sold, six halls will be packed with international suppliers unveiling their new machinery and innovations on this special global stage. With the global label industry continuing to grow steadily at a rate of 5-7 percent each year, Labelexpo Europe provides the opportunity for manufacturers to showcase their

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The fourth annual Phoenix Challenge Fund Raising Luncheon, organized to support the 2007 Annual International Phoenix Challenge Flexo Skills Competition and the brand new PC College competition, took place at the Doubletree Hotel in Charlotte, N.C., and boasted a record attendance of more than 100 participants. Five speakers addressed the genial group of flexo industry professionals. “We are very grateful for a terrifically successful luncheon,” said Bettylyn Krafft, Phoenix Challenge Foundation (PCF) chairman, of the event. “We appreciate the generous benefactors who sponsored full tables at this luncheon, as well as the loyal backers who support us in smaller numbers.” Krafft opened the

Shorter print runs, green technology, the emergence of flexible packaging and UV inks, shorter makeready times, globalization—we’ve heard them all of late. Talk to almost any converter or print industry manufacturer and these buzz terms are likely to come up. Whether you’re a high- or low-volume converter, these issues impact the packaging industry in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most important result is that they push press manufacturers to continually evolve their products to keep up with the rapidly changing package-printing market. The challenges are the same for narrow- or wide-web press users. Shorter print runs are converters’ new realities, making shorter makeready

Shorter runs—they are the reality for many package printers today. This reality can impact your slitters/rewinders by way of greater wear and tear, more frequent tool changes, and so on, but these are not the only packaging trends that affect the slitters/rewinders market. The myriad substrates available to converters alone impacts slitter/rewinder performance and construction. Thank the emergence of flexible packaging for the increased substrate requirements. All these factors will impact your business in terms of what equipment you buy—a typical rewinder versus a turret rewinder, for example—what you will do to increase the lifespan of such equipment, as well as what other types

LINCOLNTON, N.C.—Water Ink Technologies, Inc. recently donated water-based flexo inks in support of the Printing and Graphic Arts Program at the Careerline Tech Center in Holland, Michigan. The Careerline program offers a complete course in graphic arts and printing that includes flexo. The students in the flexo program use a Mark Andy 830 press for projects and hands-on training. The Careeline students also compete annually in The Phoenix Challenge ,which is a nationwide flexo skills competition held in Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information call Dale Henderson, director of Careerline Tech Center at 616-702-8601 or Water Ink Technologies at 704-735-8282, www.waterinktech.com