August 2005 Issue
Drent Goebel Acquires Majority Shareholding in RDP Marathon
MONTREAL, Canada- Drent Goebel has acquired Canada's RDP Marathon. Following the merger of Drent and Goebel in 2001 and the acquisition of Giebeler in 2003 this step will further strengthen Drent Goebel's position, especially in the US and Canadian markets. RDP Marathon, based in Montreal, Canada, has built a very strong reputation in the North American market with soundly built machines. RDP has a large market share especially in the commercial printing market for long runs. RDP builds the V-series blanket to steel and the P-series blanket to blanket machines for this market. These presses with web widths up to 965 mm (38-inch) will
Flexo Quick to Learn Advantages of CTP
When it comes to packaging, commercial printers could take a page from flexo's book. EXTRA! COMPUTER-TO-PLATE goes mainstream! Granted, it's not much of a headliner these days. The basic principles of computer-to-plate (CTP) are well-established in both the offset and the flexographic worlds, both technologies having come to market about a decade ago. Since then, however, their adoption curves have differed sharply. Offset CTP took off primarily in the commercial side of the business, where concerns about its viability and the expense associated with its adoption were quickly overcome. The same has not been the case in the flexographic market—until recently. According to
Frugal Foil Usage
Reducing foil waste can be simple. Experts tell you how. FOIL STAMPING AND embossing is, innately, a very wasteful process. Material waste is part of the package-enhancing technique. While foil scraps will probably never be eliminated from the process, designers, equipment suppliers, and end users are finding ways to reduce waste and save converters, printers, and their customers money. How? Stamping and embossing equipment suppliers recently chimed in to answer that question. Plan carefully Foil often graces packaging in the form of ornate designs or borders—accents to the overall design layout. This usage of foil automatically lends itself to foil waste, since only a
Information Integration
With package printers on the hot seat for nimble customer responsiveness at the lowest possible cost, accurate real-time information is a must. WHEN IT COMES to cutting costs and investing in the future, package printers have always had plenty of options on how to spend their money. The list just keeps getting longer, and the opportunities more tantalizing. In recent years, business and production software has been climbing to the top of the list and increasingly winning the fight for the limited capital resources. The reasons for this vary, but ultimately, it boils down to the growing need to run highly efficient and
No Hiding From Global Realities
The Packaging & Label Gravure Association has now broadened its scope from North America to "Global". The reason is straight forward - "reality:" * Advanced gravure printing is now available "Globally" * Competition for U.S. packaging & label application is rapidly becoming "Global". * Virtually all equipment and printing supplies are available "Globally". * Packaging technology and design is becoming "Global" in application. * Major brand owners are marketing and manufacturing their products "Globally". * Leading consumer products retailers have become "Global" in reach. * PLGA membership - converters and suppliers - is taking on a "Global" character. * Partnering and strategic alliances are
Paperboard - The Total Cost Concept
Paperboard has been an effective packaging option for many years and continues to provide eye-catching, functional appeal on the store shelf. IT CAN BE folded into many forms. It can stand-up, be flat, or it can be folded into a six-point star figure. It can enhance your customers' marketing plans, as it has potential to make merchandise just fly off the shelves with new and innovative customizations. No, it's not some magical potion from the new Harry Potter book, it's paperboard. Paperboard options Only a converter, in concert with its customers, can make such a cost/benefit decision on new substrates. However, paperboard can offer
Roll Handing - The Key to Balancing Productivity, Safety
Roll handling equipment helps maintain productivity and protect employees, but it can also make the process of mounting hard-to-handle substrates a cinch. TODAY'S POPULAR PACKAGING substrates aren't the easiest to handle. Materials like films and foils telescope and have more issues with core damage than hardier substrates like paper, which complicates the should-be-simple process of placing a roll on press. There are roll handling remedies, however, that help make these types of materials easier to deal with, while helping companies keep their employees safe from work-related injuries. From simple machine add-ons to custom-made technology, roll handling equipment manufacturers have the solutions. "The equipment
Servo Advantage
The Control Group uses SOP-driven manufacturing discipline and state-of-the-art press technology to meet the demands of the pharmaceutical market. SUPPLYING THE PACKAGING material needs of pharmaceutical customers demands the utmost from equipment, materials, systems, processes, and procedures. The Control Group knows this well—it's been serving the pharmaceutical market since its inception in 1971. The Control Group started its corporate life in offset printing, serving commercial and pharmaceutical customers with such items as packaging inserts and labels. It branched out into flexo printing in 1987 when it acquired a Propheteer press. By 1992, it had added two additional Propheteer presses and used this flexo-printing
