20 vol-20 Issue- 12 December 2020
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Vol.20 Issue 12, 2020
Meccanotecnica for Fedrigoni 365 .............04 virtual.drupa has a global reach...................08 IKEA closes 70yr old chapter..........................10 Tai Nizawa interview.........................................12 Kodak software solutions................................15
A monthly Publication from PRESSIdeas Publishing Pvt. Ltd.
Bhalchandra Nikumb interview...................16 Cybersecurity predictions for 2021.............18 Innovation and Value Engineering..............22
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Contents FROM THE EDITORS’ DESK.............................................................................................................................................................................................................3 Meccanotecnica book finishing solutions for famous Fedrigoni 365 calendars.......................................................................................................4 3rd drupa preview day: focus on global trends ..................................................................................................................................................................6 1st Indian to head the WPCF........................................................................................................................................................................................................7 Intergraf Webinar: Shaping the Future of Books 2021........................................................................................................................................................7 virtual.drupa as a platform has global reach .........................................................................................................................................................................8 PAMEX continues promotional activities for edition 2022................................................................................................................................................9 Applications open for Intergraf’s 2021 Young Talent Award............................................................................................................................................9 IKEA Catalog closes its 70 year old chapter......................................................................................................................................................................... 10 manroland Goss Group acquires THALLO packaging business.................................................................................................................................... 11 Beating Pandemic by going Digital ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Bahubali Digiglam invests in second MGI Jetvarnish ..................................................................................................................................................... 14 Kodak expands collaboration with Microsoft .................................................................................................................................................................... 15 KODAK: Post pandemic, businesses rethink how they deliver value......................................................................................................................... 16 Cyber‐attacks set to become more targeted in 2021....................................................................................................................................................... 18 Beiersdorf walks the talk to tackle the global plastic problem..................................................................................................................................... 20 ‘Innovation and Value Engineering’ focused Alliance Printech.................................................................................................................................... 22 Rotomail expands with Contiweb non-stop winding systems re-order................................................................................................................... 23 Success for Labelexpo’s Shenzhen launch........................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Digital Transformation Of Your Company............................................................................................................................................................................. 25 After Toluene-free it’s now Mineral Oil-free Inks by Siegwerk India........................................................................................................................... 26 DKSH extends partnership with Popli Graphics................................................................................................................................................................. 27 EPL’s Platina tube achieves First in the World title!............................................................................................................................................................ 27 Dr. Akshay Joshi conduct live industry project at Nilpeter............................................................................................................................................ 28 Madhura Mahajan at the ECG Project at Temple Packaging, Hyderabad................................................................................................................. 28 Over 300 participants attend OMET virtual event ............................................................................................................................................................ 29 YesGo Mumbai students get training at Nilpeter Chennai............................................................................................................................................ 29 M&S FOOD expands plastic-free grocery refill concept to third store....................................................................................................................... 30 Testing a new normal for packaging...................................................................................................................................................................................... 31 Reinvent recyclability in packaging........................................................................................................................................................................................ 32 Baldwin Vision Systems unveils “Defender”......................................................................................................................................................................... 33 Sudharshan launches new Screen Printing & UV curing machines............................................................................................................................ 34 PolySense 550 release by Scodix ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 35 Celebrating 25 years of Bobst India ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 35 GTI & SPI events’ 2021 editions to have a ‘hybrid’ avatar................................................................................................................................................. 36 FESPA Spain recognizes Sistrade with the VI RAMÓN SAYANS AWARD..................................................................................................................... 37 Country’s first 3D Printed building by L&T Construction ............................................................................................................................................... 37 Shirtworks Adopts Kornit Digital DTG................................................................................................................................................................................... 38 FESPA 2021 gets postponed .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Jasmeet D. Editor & Publisher (jasmeet@pressideas.com) Vineet K G. Associate Editor (vineetkg@pressideas.com) Jasvinder S. Sub-Editor (jasvinder@pressideas.com) Jacob George Marketing and Sales (jacob@pressideas.com) M.S. Mukundan Advertising and Sales Southern and Western India (aims@pressideas.com) Graphic Designer Anil Kumar
Networking/ Hardware Consultant Sukhdeep Singh USA Correspondents Tensi M., Preeti European Correspondent Rimi, Yadhu Morphine Production Thomas K Alex
PRESSIdeas December 2020 Vol. 20, Issue 12 Printed by Jacob George and published by Jasmeet Singh on behalf of PRESSIdeas Publishing Pvt Ltd. Printed in India at Hues and Colors 363, Industrial Focal Point, Phase-IX Mohali, and published at PRESSIdeas, 437-A 1st Floor, Industrial Area, Phase-2 Chandigarh-160002 (India) Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. All material supplied is compiled from sources believed to be reliable or solely an opinion of the authors. PRESSIdeas is not responsible for any steps taken based on the information provided herewith.
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FROM THE EDITORS’ DESK Dear Readers, Post pandemic, businesses rethink how they deliver value. The pandemic months had a great impact on our industry. There were decrease in installations during lockdown, there were pressure to keep employees safe and to serve customers, there were pressure to carefully manage costs and cash. Newer digital and virtual means of communication and connect emerged to adapt to changing demands and environs. The market threw enormous challenges and a few opportunities too. Many leading players introduced new offerings to serve customers better in their changing needs and enable them to smoothly adapt to the new world order. Numerous remote applications came up and even existing ones were used in a more aggressive way reestablishing the potential of digitalization through digital tools and IT infrastructure. Two of our key interviews focus on this aspect of doing business and serving customers. Mr. Tai Nizawa, MD, Konica Minolta Business Solutions India and Mr. Bhalchandra Nikumb, MD - India & West Asia Cluster at Eastman Kodak Company, speak in detail about the changes and innovative strategies they adopted to answer the changing demands of the post pandemic industry. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, drupa 2021, the world’s leading trade fair too invites to a web event from April 20 -23, 2021. In an interview, Dr. Markus Heering, managing director of the VDMA German Printing and Paper Technology Association, explains the decision in favour of virtual. drupa, the timetable up to drupa 2024 in Düsseldorf and his association’s position on the cancellation of regular drupa due to the pandemic. KODAK has collaborated with leading software providers including Microsoft, PrintVis and VPress to create one of the first and only comprehensive software solutions for all applications and printers of any size. PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions combine full-featured Office, CRM, ERP and MIS functionality with collaboration solutions, web-to-print and the PRINERGY On Demand production workflow in a single fully integrated cloud-based solutions platform. The cutting-edge software is hosted on Microsoft Azure, which provides security and the highest levels of availability. According to HP Inc., Cybersecurity predictions for 2021 show the ripple effect of COVID-19 is likely to continue, leading to a rise in thread hijacking, whaling and human-operated ransomware. “The scale at which we operate from home increases the incentive for attackers to go after consumer IoT devices and pivot to business devices on the same networks. And as we know, if attackers are successful with destructive attacks on home devices, remote workers won’t get the luxury of having someone from IT turning up at their door to help remediate the problem,” says Boris Balacheff, Chief Technologist for Security Research and Innovation at HP Labs. HP’s predictions warn how Cyber-attacks are set to become more targeted in 2021. Find all this in this December issue of PRESSIdeas along with our regular takes on installations, launches, events and technology from the colourful world of printing, packaging, signage and graphic arts. We wish all our friends from the industry A Very Happy & Prosperous New Year 2021!
- Jasvinder Singh, Sub-editor
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Meccanotecnica book finishing solutions for famous Fedrigoni 365 calendars Digital print finishing at its best for the Fedrigoni 365 calendars; almost every element of each book is variable to create unique editions. Meccanotecnica has partnered with Ricoh and Fedrigoni to produce the 2021 edition of the famous Fedrigoni 365 calendars, an annual publication by Fedrigoni UK in collaboration with TM Studio, featuring the designs of UK-based creatives. The main goal of this project was to exploit digital printing capabilities, variable data technology, and state-ofthe-art finishing at their limits.
UNIVERSE is the automatic book folding and sewing machine used to bind the Fedrigoni 365 books, while the back gluer INLINE and the automatic three-knife trimmer TRIMMING have completed the finishing.
Key Notes : > Produces 2021 edition of Fedrigoni 365 in collaboration with Ricoh. > Explores digital printing capabilities, variable data technology and stateof-the-art finishing. > Each calendar composed algorithmically, with hundreds of separate designers’ images pulled at random and assign to a date.
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Participants were asked to contribute a design for a randomly assigned number. Each calendar was then composed algorithmically, with hundreds of separate designers’ images pulled at random and assign to a date. Every book is consequently produced with its combination and sequence of designs and in ten different colorways, matched to its unique cover also produced from a random placement of color gradients. The result is 4000 unique calendars. Ricoh’s data management solution used algorithms to ensure that no design was used twice within any single calendar and that each design appeared an equal number of times throughout the entire run. Digital printing has enabled Print-On-Demand (POD) and Variable-Data-Printing (VDP) generating a new range of books and allowed opportunities unthinkable only a few years ago. Meccanotecnica offers printers and binders a complete range of book finishing solutions to exploit digital technology, allowing them to cost-effectively produce high-quality books in short runs. UNIVERSE is the automatic book folding and sewing machine used to bind the Fedrigoni 365 books, while
the back gluer INLINE and the automatic three-knife trimmer TRIMMING have completed the finishing.
Variable Data Printing Each calendar was composed algorithmically, with hundreds of separate designers’ images pulled at random and assign to a date. Almost every element of each book is different to create unique editions from the content to the personalized covers and their dust jackets.
Thread Sewing This book has been thread sewn, a premium bookbinding technique known for its resistance and lay-flat property. It is a purely mechanical process not affected by inks, papers, or environmental conditions.
UNIVERSE, book sewer for digital printing UNIVERSE, automatic book folding, and sewing machine has bound the Fedrigoni’s 2021 calendars. UNIVERSE book sewer is known for cost-effective
pressideas/ commercial printing
short-run production of high-quality books printed in digital. It offers performance and automation together with a wide flexibility in the choice of papers.
Gigalynx camera system A highly reliable control system was essential for the production of the Fedrigoni 365 calendars. GigaLynx control camera verifies the sequence integrity by reading barcodes or images, avoiding errors well before the section is sewn and therefore allowing to save the book. Moreover, thanks to the auto-programming feature, the book-sewing machine has run different jobs on-the-fly.
INLINE, back gluer for short-runs The back gluer, INLINE, integrates several book finishing processes, automates the production of hardcover and softcover books, and reduces manpower. The binding of the 2021 calendars was performed by nipping the spine of the sewn book blocks, gluing the back and the sides, and applying
the gauze and the cover. Every book block had to be matched with its unique cover. Also this time the GigaLynx control cameras, positioned at the in-feed of the back gluer and at the cover feeder, played an essential role. The Fedrigoni 365 calendars were lay-flat bound by the INLINE back gluer. This binding technique applies to the book block both the
gauze and the cover. This technique makes the spine less rigid, improving the lay-flat property of the paperback book. Trimming completed the finishing process with the three-side cutting of the books. This three-knife trimmer can perform fully variable changeovers without operator intervention and manage runs down to one book, even with flaps.
3rd drupa preview day: focus on global trends Overall, 4.301 registered participants took advantage of the new platform. The last edition of drupa preview in 2020 once again provided an opportunity for intensive knowledge transfer in the print community. Presentations and live web sessions by industry experts and partner associations focused on the future and current global trends and challenges. But also applications and uses in the field of additive manufacturing processes and packaging printing were addressed. A panel discussion and videos in the conference area were dedicated to the growing importance of sustainability. The speakers in this edition were Tom Krause from igus, Beatrice Klose from Intergraf, Horst Huber from Priint Group/Werk II and Charles Jarrold from BPIF. The two panel discussions with James Nelson from EFI, Sebastian Hardung from Priint Group/Werk II, Jan de Roeck from Esko and Strategic Supervisor Kristin Kain as well as Elaine Campling, founder of Chemical Compliance Advisory Services, Ken Hanulec from EFI, David Zamith from Ruy de Lacerda and Thomas Poetz from 3T Inkjet Consulting invited participants to interact.
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“The third drupa preview day once again underscored the industry’s need for networking and orientation, and at the same time demonstrated the essential added value of high-quality content that industry experts have highlighted. The format also enables interaction and business development of the participants and the so important generation of new customer contacts via the matchmaking tool. Since the first preview day we have seen a continuous increase in registrations. This is further confirmation that we have developed the right solutions
for the print community under the current conditions,� says Sabine Geldermann, Project Director Print Technologies. Over 4.300 participants registered for the previous drupa preview days. The proportion of international participants was 82 percent. The third edition of drupa preview attracted around 14.400 page impressions with 1,383 exhibitors from 49 countries. The fourth edition of the drupa preview day is scheduled for February 2021.
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1st Indian to head the WPCF Prof. Kamal Chopra becomes the first Indian to Head the World Print & Communication Forum (WPCF). In a special first for the country, Prof. Kamal Mohan Chopra has been appointed as the Chairman of the World Print & Communication Forum (WPCF). On December 8, 2020 he took over the reins from the past president, Mr Michael Mikken (USA). It is a proud moment for the nation and its printing industry, as for the first time an Indian will run this international organisation. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the WPCF is a collaborative platform for the world’s major transnational and national printing associations to work together, promote the development and prosperity of the global printing industry. Having chaired All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP) India’s highest printing federation twice, Prof Kamal (72) is ready for the new test: “It is a proud moment for me and altogether a new challenge as well,” he said. He further added that: “It’s a huge honour that can be bestowed upon an individual, having experienced
chairing at AIFMP has given me some valuable experience. I hope it will prove to be beneficial for me in WPCF as well.” The owner of one of the top printing presses Foil Printers in Ludhiana, Kamal Chopra has been a jack of all trades in the printing industry. He is an inspirational figure for everyone not only in the printing industry, but in general as well. He has been an honorary professor in three international universities and Governor’s nominee in the board of a national university. His life has been penned down in his biographies, namely “Life in Print” and releasing shortly “Imprint of a Printer.” These books detail his journey from humble beginnings to rare honours like ‘President of India Award’ and ‘Hon. Professor at world’s leading printing institute in China.’ “The feeling of being the first Indian to reach this level is unmatchable. I hope this will bring more opportunities for Indians in this
industry at this level. I will try my best to be a good representative for the nation and work sincerely towards the responsibility assigned to me,” concluded Prof Chopra.
Intergraf Webinar: Shaping the Future of Books 2021 - to take a deep dive into the workings of this important market and the latest industry data. Books promote progress and learning; they entertain, inform and stimulate; they improve focus, analytical skills, vocabulary, mental health and memory. The book industry is indispensable, but it has not been spared by the impacts of COVID-19. How far has the pandemic affected book printing? The Webinar by Intergraf, Shaping the Future of Books, will take a deep dive into the workings of this important market and the latest industry data. The event will give attendees new insights into how the book market has fared in 2020 and what kind of challenges printers and publishers had to face. We will also look at how the experts see future developments in this market. The 2021 edition of Shaping the Future of Print event is special because it constitutes not one but two events. Chapter 1 is a virtual event, held on 11 February 2021 at 11:00 CET.
Book printing expert Håvard Grjotheim will moderate the event and discuss the latest market developments with a book printer and publisher (names to be confirmed very soon). Additionally, renowned industry research institute Smithers will give attendees a taster of their newest book market report, which will be presented in full at Chapter 2 of the event, taking place during the Frankfurt Book Fair 2021. Håvard Grjotheim has been CEO of several major printing and media companies in the Nordic region over the last 30 years.
He has also worked in book printing and e-book production, both as a supplier and as a publisher. He will use this expertise to moderate Shaping the Future of Books Chapter 1. Intergraf is the trade association promoting and protecting the interests of the graphic industry at European level. It represents 21 member federations from 20 countries in Europe.
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virtual.drupa as a platform has global reach Interview with Dr. Markus Heering, Managing Director of VDMA Printing and Paper Technology Association. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, drupa 2021 cannot be held as a face-to-face event. Therefore, the world’s leading trade fair invites to a web event from April 20 -23, 2021. In an interview, Dr. Markus Heering, managing director of the VDMA German Printing and Paper Technology Association, explains the decision in favour of virtual. drupa, the timetable up to drupa 2024 in Düsseldorf and his association’s position on the cancellation of regular drupa due to the pandemic.
After the postponement and shortening of drupa 2021, the decision was made to hold it as virtual.drupa.
overcome by then. We therefore welcome the fact that Messe Düsseldorf is playing it safe.
Drupa 2021 was to be the signal for a new beginning, for a return to normal business. Can this signal also come from the online event? Dr. Markus Heering: Of course we
Dr. Markus Heering: The pandemic is creating conditions in Germany, Europe and around the world under which a worldleading trade fair with tens of thousands of international visitors and exhibitors does not appear feasible. Hence the early commitment to a virtual trade fair so that companies have planning security.
What is your association’s view on this decision? Dr. Markus Heering: We fully support them. Unfortunately there is no viable alternative. We also believe that the timing is right, so that the exhibitors do not even begin to invest time and money in the trade fair planning, which they will not get back in if they cancel at short notice.
Every four years drupa is the showcase and marketplace for innovations in printing and paper technology. Is it enough to wait until 2024 to stage the next regular drupa with visitors and exhibitors? Dr. Markus Heering: Drupa 2024 is a set date in the international trade fair calendar. When scheduling the event, international and regional industry trade fairs must be taken into account, as well as the other events organised by Messe Düsseldorf. A date in 2023 is not possible if 2024 is firmly scheduled. And a further postponement to 2022 carries the risk that Corona will not be
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hope so. Recently, so many companies and organisers have been inviting people to online events that the overview has been lost - and the response is dwindling. Often there are barely two dozen participants. But that’s not worth the effort. This speaks for a platform with global reach, which as a brand stands for serious information and a direct line to relevant players in the market. This requirement profile is met by virtual.drupa. We also want to show that our industry is alive and well. Many of our machines and products are particularly important in the Corona crisis because they are needed for the production of food and medicine packaging or help to spread important information.And drupa is also alive and well. After months of social distancing, web meetings and home office, there is a great need for encounters, real conversations and people-to-people contacts. Right now we must make the best of the situation. But it is clear to everyone that these are emergency solutions and that we want to return to the world we know. I am sure that visiting trade fairs will continue to be part of the world in the future.
Do you have any insight into how far your member companies are from “normality” in the pandemic year 2020? Dr. Markus Heering: Who would currently speak of “normality”? COVID-19
shapes everyday life and market events. This is reflected in incoming orders, in production, in short-time work and recently, unfortunately, also partly in redundancies. Our member companies try with all means to keep their employees and their know-how. After all, they need their staff - at the latest when the markets pick up again. But there are still few rays of hope, including rising demand from China. But travel restrictions, hygiene regulations and home office remain omnipresent and affect all areas, whether administration, design, production or service. It is now proving to be a huge advantage that our industry has focused on digitization and networking so early on. Remote services make it possible to keep customers’ machines running. And where service technicians are prevented from travelling, it is in many cases possible to provide digital instructions to customers’ technicians for repairs. For users of print and paper processing technology who consistently automate and network their machines, this investment pays off in the crisis: They are less affected by quarantine-related personnel losses and they benefit from reduced downtime. We look forward to meeting many representatives of the international printing industry in virtual space at virtuel.drupa in April 2021. The VDMA Printing and Paper Technology Association is the mouthpiece of manufacturers of plant and systems for printing and print finishing, paper production and processing, and auxiliary equipment and devices. Together with the Forschungsgesellschaft Druckmaschinen e.V. (FGD) and PrintPromotion GmbH, the association offers its members services, for example on topics such as trade fairs, public relations, technology and research.
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PAMEX continues promotional activities for edition 2022 PAMEX booths at PrintInnovation 2020 table-top exhibition at Vadodara and Vapi.
The exhibition industry is slowly making a comeback with real-time experiences and PAMEX was a participant in the tentative beginning at PrintInnovation 2020. The tabletop exhibition was held on 3 & 4 December at Vadodara and Vapi, Gujarat, respectively. The event was organized jointly by ScreenTex and Screen Printers Association of India. The event followed the Covid-19 specific guidelines to ensure safety of the exhibitors
and the visitors. At both the venues, the PAMEX 2022 booth was visited by 75+ visitors from the printing and label segments of the industry. The Show in total recorded a footfall of 150+ visitors at Vadodara and 135+ visitors at Vapi. “It is important for the industry to start organizing and attending exhibitions with necessary precautions. People are willing to get back to normal. The promotional activities
for PAMEX 2022 have started and we have 150+ exhibitors already signed up for the exhibition. In edition 2022, we have also dedicated a separate hall to Label Converting and Printing,” said Kamal Chopra, President, All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP) and Chairman, PAMEX. PAMEX 2022 is scheduled from 23-26 March 2022 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai.
Applications open for Intergraf’s 2021 Young Talent Award Since 2017, Intergraf has celebrated the work of young people in the European printing industry, rewarding the best ideas and providing a platform for the next generation of print professionals to share their views. We are now accepting entries for the 2021 Young Talent Award! Entries will be judged by a panel of experts, with the winner awarded a euro 3,000 grant.
Application criteria •
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Entrants must be a young student, apprentice or worker in print (maximum age 25) from one of Intergraf’s member countries. All entries should be written in English and be 2-5 pages in length. The applicant can supply any other visual support she/he deems necessary to present her/his idea.
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Applicants to also include a short CV (maximum 2 pages). Availability to present your entry at one of Intergraf’s events in 2021 is desirable, but not essential to win the Award. Entries are to be sent to Beatrice Klose, Secretary General of Intergraf, by email or post before the submission deadline of 15 February 2021.
In order to recruit and retain the best talent for the future of the European printing industry, it is important to ask for – and listen to – young people’s views. Our Young Talent Award provides a platform to do just that. The winning entry will be shared with representatives from printing associations, printing companies and suppliers of the industry. Candidates for Intergraf’s 2021 Young Talent Award are requested to submit their ideas on the following two questions: How will print develop in the future? What kind of working environment are you looking for? How could a printing company provide this?
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IKEA Catalog closes its 70 year old chapter After 70 successful years, IKEA is turning the page on the Catalog.
The IKEA Catalog has a phenomenal 70-year legacy. Over the years it has become an iconic and beloved publication, and it has been an important success factor for IKEA to reach and inspire the many people across the world, with home furnishing solutions and products. But times are changing. IKEA has become more digital and accessible while embracing new ways to connect with more people. Customer behavior and media consumption has changed, and the IKEA Catalog has been less used. Inter IKEA Systems B.V., the worldwide IKEA franchisor, has therefore taken the emotional but rational decision to respectfully end the successful career of the IKEA Catalog, both the print and digital versions - and look to the future with excitement.
While it is time to say goodbye to the catalog, IKEA looks to the future with excitement as this chapter closes, another one begins.
Key Notes : > An iconic publication that inspired many people across the world. > Customer behavior and media consumption changed to decline the use of IKEA Catalog. > IKEA Systems B.V. takes the emotional and rational decision to respectfully end the successful career of the catalog.
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“For both customers and co-workers, the IKEA Catalog is a publication that brings a lot of emotions, memories and joy. For 70 years it has been one of our most unique and iconic products, which has inspired billions of people across the world. Turning the page with our beloved catalog is in fact a natural process since media consumption and customer behaviors have changed. In order to reach and interact with the many people, we will keep inspiring with our home furnishing solutions in new ways,” says Konrad Grüss, Managing Director, Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Life at home has never been more important.
During the last few years IKEA has tested new formats and ways to distribute the content of the IKEA Catalog. A wealth of knowledge and insights, from both customers and the IKEA retailers, have been collected and it is clear that IKEA can help people to plan their needs and dreams at home, with existing and new exciting tools. While it is time to say goodbye to the catalog, IKEA looks to the future with excitement as this chapter closes, another one begins. “We are not starting from scratch. We have been transforming many aspects of how to reach and interact with our customers, and the work continues to find new ways to amplify unique IKEA home furnishing knowledge, products and solutions in the best possible way - to inspire the many people through new ways, channels and formats,” says Konrad Grüss. The decision to say goodbye to the IKEA Catalog goes hand-in-hand with the ongoing transformation of IKEA, being more digital and accessible. A transformation that IKEA is deep into already. Last year IKEA online retail sales increased by 45% worldwide, IKEA.com welcomed more than four billion visits - and at the same time IKEA has improved our digital services and launched new apps for a better IKEA experience – wherever our customers meet us.
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IKEA will honour and celebrate the fantastic history of the IKEA Catalog. As a tribute, during the fall of 2021, IKEA will make a book available, filled with great home furnishing inspiration and knowledge. With that said, the beloved IKEA Catalog as we know it today will not continue.
5 facts about the IKEA catalog: 1951: Ingvar Kamprad himself put together the first IKEA Catalog, and the very first catalog cover featured the MK wing chair in brown upholstery. 285,000 copies were printed and distributed in southern Sweden, 68 pages. In Swedish. 1998: First catalog “IKEA at office” available on internet, which was a special edition only showing furniture for business/offices. The ambition this year was to present the whole catalog online, but due to the complexity with IT-systems the launch was postponed. 2000: Launch of both a printed and digital version of the IKEA Catalog 2001: E-commerce is launched for the first time in the IKEA history in Sweden and Denmark. 2016: At its peak year, 200 million copies of the IKEA Catalog were distributed in 69
different versions, 32 languages and to more than 50 markets. IKEA offers well-designed, functional and affordable, high-quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. Today, 12 different groups of companies own and operate IKEA sales channels under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V. There are several companies with different owners, working under the IKEA brand, all sharing the same vision: to create a better everyday life for the many people. IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943. Inter IKEA Group includes Inter IKEA Systems
B.V., IKEA of Sweden AB, IKEA Supply AG, IKEA Industry AB and related businesses. Inter IKEA Holding B.V. is the holding company for the Inter IKEA Group. The IKEA retail business is operated through a franchise system with franchisees that are authorised to a market and to sell the IKEA product range within specified geographical territories. Inter IKEA Systems B.V. is the owner of the IKEA Concept and worldwide IKEA franchisor, who also assigns different IKEA companies to develop the range, supply products and deliver communication solutions.
manroland Goss Group acquires THALLO packaging business “Next to the fully automated and highly flexible VARIOMAN packaging solution, the Thallo press will strengthen our footprint in the packaging growth market.” - CEO Franz Kriechbaum.
On December 17, 2020, the manroland Goss Group, Augsburg, and Contiweb B.V., Boxmeer, The Netherlands, signed a purchase agreement on the sale of the Thallo web-offset packaging business including all Intellectual Property Rights. manroland Goss, by this strategic investment, complements its product portfolio for the growing web-offset packaging market. Thallo customers, existing and new ones, will benefit from decades of web-offset expertise and the global sales and service organization of manroland Goss. Contiweb, at the same time, continues on its core business supplying auxiliary systems to the web-offset and digital printing industry.
“The acquisition of the Thallo packaging technology and business allows manroland Goss to expand its product portfolio,” says CEO Franz Kriechbaum. “Next to the fully automated and highly flexible VARIOMAN packaging solution, the Thallo press will strengthen our footprint in the packaging growth market.” New presses, spare and wear parts, hotline assistance, and all other aftermarket services will become available at just one touch point: manroland Goss. Rutger Janssen, CEO of Contiweb, and Sander Koster, Investment Director at H2 Equity Partners, welcome the sale of the Thallo business to manroland Goss. “We believe that manroland Goss represents the type of ‘best owner’ for the product we were looking for: solid, global, and well positioned in the web-offset market.” At the same time, Contiweb will focus its own business
activities on the supply of auxiliary systems, such as splicers and dryers, to the printing industry. manroland Goss, at the same time, entered into an Letter of Intent with DG press ServiceS B.V., Hall, The Netherlands, providing the basis for a business collaboration with regard to the Thallo packaging press. DG press ServiceS will play an important role in the manufacturing and project execution of the Thallo presses, contributing its long-lasting product and market expertise in the offset packaging segment. Franz Kriechbaum and Remko Koolbergen, Director at DG press ServiceS, agree that “the intended team play will create attractive offset solutions for all kind of packaging printers around the world.”
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digital printing
Beating Pandemic by going Digital Mr. Tai Nizawa, Managing Director, Konica Minolta Business Solutions India in an exclusive talk with PRESSIdeas.
“Learning and managing over the months, we have successfully transformed our existing business models and are quite bullish about the market’s revival. Right now, we are also actively looking at new market opportunities and introduce new offerings to serve customers better than ever before. Following this approach, we are sure to meet our customers’ changing needs and smoothly adapt to the new world order.” - Tai Nizawa
Key Notes : > Konica Minolta helps businesses by showing them the potential of digitalization. > Helps them in excelling in their respective domains with right strategies & robust IT infrastructure. > Ensures smooth and transparent communication with in-house remote applications like CSRC, CSRA & iTraining, etc.
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COVID-19 has affected numerous businesses across the globe. For Konica Minolta too, the pandemic acted as a shockwave, causing slowdown in operations and sales, both across Indian and global businesses. “The pandemic has shown everyone the potential of digitalization and how businesses can excel in their respective domains with the right strategies and a robust IT infrastructure,” says Mr. Tai Nizawa, Managing Director, Konica Minolta Business Solutions India. “One of the biggest solutions that we adopted to tackle this crisis was going digital in almost every aspect. Thankfully, the bond between our brand and customers helped us in sustaining the leadership position. At Konica Minolta, we have been fortunate enough to tackle the unique challenges presented by COVID-19. Although we did face a drop in our sales figures when lockdowns started as we had to cease our operations temporarily, we revived well in the later months with government relaxations. And today, we foresee the situation improving with the increase in the normal business activities,” he adds.
After lockdown and other restrictions got eased
During the COVID-19 pandemic period KMI enabled their service engineers to serve customers while working from home by giving them proper training on better usage of digital tools and addressing customer problems remotely. “To ensure that there is no communication gap between teams and customers or partners. We also used third-party tools such as Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp video call feature. All these steps helped both our sales and service teams seamlessly perform their jobs and interact with customers using digital tools during the lockdown phase,” informs Mr. Tai Nizawa.
Changed industry events’ format and Konica Minolta
Moreover, they have been conducting limited physical meetings for the last few months with existing customers to continue supporting them on their current business growth. They have also organized multiple webinars during lockdowns with customers & partners to spread awareness around their key offerings and address queries regarding their products. “To keep communication smooth and transparent, we have been using other in-house remote applications such as CSRC (Customer Service Remote Care), CSRA (Customer Service Remote Analysis), iTraining, etc. A combination of these services surely helped our sales & marketing team to reach out customers smoothly,” continues Nizawa.
To serve their clients seamlessly during the lockdowns, Konica Minolta switched to conducting virtual meetings. However, with the advent of government relaxations, they also started to meet customers directly by ensuring compliance with all the safety and social distancing guidelines. “In short, we are leveraging the best of both worlds at present, that is, virtual and physical when it comes to providing customer support and assistance,” says Nizawa. “Moreover, we have recently launched, AccurioPress C14000/12000 presses that automate processes like calibration, setup time & media auto detection, enabling the printer to be more agile. This strengthens our product portfolio and brings more innovation-driven technologies to our customers for their current needs, while ensuring quick return on investment to them,” he adds.
Print shows have been postponed, majorly to ensure everyone’s safety during this pandemic period. However, to address that, even international shows like Drupa 2021 followed by domestic events are going to be hosted virtually. Konica Minolta is looking forward to actively participating in each of these
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shows. According to Nizawa, “Undoubtedly, attending these shows offline cannot be replaced by its virtual forms. Virtual shows are like a temporary solution until things normalize. Eventually, events in their physical forms will return. So, as of now, this transition has only pushed people to adopt virtual technologies to continue operations and strive to maximize sales by giving their best.”
Future ready in the ‘new normal’ “We have always followed the approach of ‘future ready’ which is visible in our product offerings and our business strategy,” comments Nizawa, while speaking on the changed scenario of business and interaction due to the pandemic. “With this mindset we always had the latest technologies in place to tackle the situation without affecting business continuity. Learning and managing over the months, we have successfully transformed our existing business models and are quite bullish about the market’s revival. Right now, we are also actively looking at new market opportunities and introduce new offerings to serve customers better than ever before. Following this approach, we are sure to meet our customers’ changing needs and smoothly adapt to the new world order,” he asserts. Konica Minolta realized that at a time like this, innovation along with an agile mindset should be at the core of all their operations. On top of that, health and wellbeing of their employees, partners and customers has remained their highest priority at every point possible. They ensured to be in sync with all the government guidelines and safety protocols at their offices and educated their employees for the same. “We will continue to follow this approach, while leveraging both online and offline channels to serve customers seamlessly, even after the economy normalizes in the coming months,” he declares. It is truly said that a problem often pushes you to think harder and come out with smarter solutions in the process. COVID-19 did the same thing to various businesses, and Print industry was no exception. During this time, we observed companies investing in digital technologies and shifting to digital models to ensure additional efficiency in their services. Sustainability was another key trend that we noticed during the lockdowns, where printing businesses were keen to adopt
sustainable practices to minimize waste and ensure cost-effectiveness. Last but not the least, we saw players actively considering product expansions in digital space and introducing new solutions to customers, with an aim to ensure better offerings.
Sales & marketing post lockdown Serving customers has always been on top for Konica Minolta. They kept serving their customers during the lockdown remotely from homes, using digital tools as well as third party apps. “However, as the market slowly unlocked, we partially began to provide offline assistance and support to customers and addressing their queries at their place. Going forward, we will continue to follow a similar approach of, using both online and offline mediums as per the emerging needs of our customers,” says Nizawa. He asserts that the growth strategy of Konica Minolta would remain on the same line – to reach out to more and more customers to promote Digital Printing and introduce more products & Solutions with higher Automation to help customers be more productive. “COVID-19 has taught us many things, including the role of innovation, expansion, and the significance of an agile and upbeat attitude at all time. Besides these factors, we will strongly focus on other key aspects such as customer satisfaction, sustainability, digital transformation, and automation, among others, while manufacturing the best-in-class products for Indian consumers. In the wake of pandemic, we have also realized that a generic marketing strategy won’t work in the post-COVID era. Hence, our focus will be more on introducing customizable products and solutions for our customers, thus offering them more flexibility at every point possible. In short, we will reshape our overall selling and servicing functions as we advance and adjust to the new world order,” says Nizawa.
The year 2020 has been a challenging year for all. Konica Minolta’s focus this year has been to sustain and provide the support to the customers and maintaining the required infrastructure. “We understand that it is a crisis and the wellbeing of all the customers & employees is more important. As the situation improves, we shall be reaching out to all the possible companies for expansion of Digital Printing,” says Nizawa.
Innovative solutions to serve customer needs As the crisis pushed everyone to look at it as an opportunity, to bring innovation and drive growth, wherever possible, Konica Minolta too brought innovative solutions to better cater to their customers’ needs. At the time of lockdowns, they hosted numerous webinars for educating both their partners and customers, while spreading awareness around their products and the value it will add to their lives. Moreover, they conducted regional webinars where they gave virtual demo of their products, and also participated in several online exhibitions to gain better understanding of the market and the emerging changes. When asked about his expectations about normalizing of industry and market conditions, Nizawa says it is hard to make calculative predictions right now, as the market has not stabilized properly. “We can strive to give our best to cater to the needs of our customers, educate them on digital transitions, and create solutions that simplify their lives. But looking at the current business landscape, the only thing we can do is wait, watch and work towards providing the best of the support to all our customers,” says Nizawa. “Finally, I would like to thank our customers for their support and trust which they have always shown in our products and offerings and made us the leaders in the digital production printing space in India,” he concludes.
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Bahubali Digiglam invests in second MGI Jetvarnish The second machine installed by Konica Minolta at Bahubali Digiglam is a JV3D One. Also installed is an AccurioShine 101 offline foiling solution. Following a successful installation of MGI JV3DS at Bahubali Digiglam Delhi in 2018, Konica Minolta Business Solutions has installed another MGI JETvarnish 3D One at the same place. It is a simple, compact, and affordable digital embellishment press that provides sensory print applications for every size printer. Owing to the amplifying production demand, Bahubali Digiglam has also installed AccurioShine 101, a multipurpose offline foiling solution at its premises. The need for both these installations is attributed to the growing production demand faced by Bahubali Digiglam in categories like specialty printing, packaging, and labeling. It also demonstrates Bahubali’s strong faith in India’s growing digital embellishment market, on the back of high satisfaction levels from Konica Minolta machines and support. So far, Konica Minolta has sold 20 MGI machines in India, which further exhibits its growing importance among consumers. Bahubali is a leading manufacturer of invitation and wedding cards with a pan-India distribution network. The two new additions have further augmented its existing printing solutions and services, enabling it to cater to the increasing customer demands and serve them more seamlessly, even during a pandemic. Konica Minolta aims to create an opportunity for printers to increase and diversify their revenue streams. The brand believes that growth in the decorative embellishment area will be a real differentiator for many commercial printers
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who will be able to charge a high margin for the service. Manish Gupta, General Manager, PP and IP marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions India said, “We are delighted by the confidence which Bahubali Digilam has with KM. The new install has further strengthened the bond between the two organisations. Bahubali’s decision to go ahead with another big-ticket investment like this is a testimony to our portfolio of unmatched printing, packaging, and labelling solutions. We are delighted to witness high satisfaction levels from our client and hope this association will last much longer. Their long-standing faith in us further boosts our confidence in serving customers better and deliver them products that are aligned with their evolving needs and changing market dynamics. The demand in speciality printing, packaging and labelling is improving and is slated to grow further higher than the Pre-Covid levels. In line with this positive market results, we will continue to invest, innovate and launch more new products that are powered by cutting-edge technologies and are reliable and efficient enough to meet client requirements.” Akshat Jain, Director of Bahubali Digiglam said, “A crisis like COVID-19 definitely presents challenges. But with that, it also brings opportunities to learn, embrace, innovate and adapt. The pandemic has made us realize the potential of digital solutions like never before. We are happy to install MGI’s latest tech-driven machine as it not only boosts our productivity but
also helps us smoothly adopt the muchneeded digital transition. It provides us the ability to generate more high-impact printed communications and profitable decorative embellishments on all commercial and in-plant applications including booklets, brochures, business cards, invitation cards, book covers, sheet-fed labels, small folding cartons, retail display signs and posters. On top of that, we would also like to appreciate the constant unmatched efforts provided by team Konica Minolta.” The MGI JETvarnish 3D One digital print embellishment press represents a significant new advancement in bringing digital special effects to the mainstream commercial printing, finishing, and packaging industries. This new press utilizes critical components of the InterTech Award-winning JETvarnish technology – including the intelligent and adaptive AIS SmartScanner registration system – and is designed for a compact, cost-effective, entry-level solution for all printers. The small operational footprint of the JETvarnish 3D One allows printers, finishers, and converters to have a full in-house production and prototyping print embellishment system without screens, dies, or plates. The all-purpose patented varnish formula allows both flat 2D Spot UV highlighting and sculptured 3D raised special effects on a wide range of substrate stocks up to 450gsm, from the offset and digital inks to lamination films and aqueous coatings.
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Kodak expands collaboration with Microsoft - To provide advanced business solutions for the printing industry; the first fully integrated and managed, end-to-end business software solutions for printers of any application and size. Kodak has collaborated with leading software providers including Microsoft, PrintVis and VPress to create one of the first and only comprehensive software solutions for all applications and printers of any size. Kodak has also announced the launch of its PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions. Kodak’s PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions provide scalable, automated, end-to-end solutions that cover requirements from order to cash and procurement to pay. These new solutions help printers manage their entire business processes conveniently, smoothly and efficiently, eliminating the complexity and costs of integrating, updating and maintaining numerous standalone software products from different suppliers. PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions combine full-featured Office, CRM, ERP and MIS functionality with collaboration solutions, web-to-print and the PRINERGY On Demand production workflow in a single fully integrated cloud-based solutions platform. The cutting-edge software is hosted on Microsoft Azure, which provides security and the highest levels of availability. Kodak has enhanced the software with industryspecific analytics and AI capabilities, and takes care of integration, IT administration and ongoing maintenance through realtime Managed Services. The print-specific ERP / MIS component based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central came from PrintVis while VPress contributed advanced web-to-print, e-commerce storefront and VDP authoring functionality. “Kodak’s PRINERGY On Demand Business
Solutions bring the convenience and cost effectiveness of fully-integrated, subscriptionbased software solutions to the printing industry,” commented Todd Bigger, Vice President, Print, Kodak. “Printers get the peace of mind of seamless, automated, printspecific solutions without the finger-pointing, complexity and hidden costs of having to integrate products from different vendors.” “Delivering operational flexibility, actionable insights, and streamlined workflows, Microsoft Dynamics Business Central helps Kodak provide solutions that allow customers to focus more on their own customers and less on managing software and servers’,” said Cecilia Flombaum, Ecosystem Lead for Microsoft Business Applications at Microsoft. “We are excited to work with Kodak as a new PrintVis Partner. PrintVis’ overall market presence will be strengthened with Kodak’s strong reputation and expertise in the print industry,” said Kasper Tomshøj, Chief Executive Officer, PrintVis. “Together we are able to deliver a full array of print-specific software for customers on a global scale.” KODAK PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions are available in the USA, Canada and Western Europefrom the 1 January 2021.
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Key features of PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions •
Combines full-featured Office, CRM, ERP and MIS functionality with collaboration solutions, e-commerce, web-to-print and the PRINERGY On Demand production workflow in a fully integrated cloud-based model hosted
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on Microsoft’s Azure Advanced end-to-end (SaaS) offering with full integration, management and ongoing support from Kodak Real-time analytics and AI for just-intime decision making Ironclad security with redundant backup on Microsoft Azure platform Customer benefits Provides full visibility of business processes from sales to invoicing with integrated solutions so printers have accurate information to drive profitable decision making Entire system from estimating to invoicing is unified, managed and supported by Kodak Faster implementation and less disruption with Kodak’s packaged, best practice deployments Eliminates need for capital outlay and the ongoing cost and hassle to maintain and monitor the software infrastructure Protects against cyber-attacks through secure, redundant and real-time security monitoring for peace of mind and uninterrupted operation All PRINERGY On Demand Cloud Services are sold as a subscription and scalable to ever-changing needs, so customers can pay for only what they need
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KODAK: Post pandemic, businesses rethink how they deliver value Bhalchandra Nikumb, Managing Director - India & West Asia Cluster at Eastman Kodak Company, in an exclusive interview with PRESSIdeas.
Kodak continues to invest heavily in innovative technology, especially in digital. The global technology provider will increase its focus on developing sustainable solutions for print and helping customers navigate the transition from analogue to digital – not only in commercial printing but also in packaging.
The global industry suffered tough times due to COVID-19 situation. The past few months during the pandemic had a great impact on our Industry both domestically as well as globally. Kodak saw a decrease in installations during the lockdown (March, April, May & June) but now sees a good recovery in new installations. Speaking on how things changed for Kodak, Mr. Bhalchandra Nikumb, Managing Director – India & West Asia Cluster at Eastman Kodak Company, says, “Kodak stayed focused on keeping our employees safe and serving customers while carefully managing our costs and cash.” Their sales and service teams were in regular touch with all their customers either virtually or face to face once restrictions were eased. Commenting on the recovery of various segments, he says, “In the current market, the newspaper segment was badly affected initially due to the decrease in circulation and pagination but is now in recovery. The commercial and book segment has suffered due to market pressures, but we expect to see a slow recovery in coming months. As for the carton packaging industry, the consumption saw a moderate- good run which is expected to continue.”
Alternative ways to engage with customers The pandemic has vitally changed the world as we know it. People are living differently and, in many
Key Notes : > Sees decrease in installations during lockdown; a good recovery in new installations recently. > A moderate- good run for consumption in the carton packaging industry, which is expected to continue. > Webinars, virtual showcases and individual remote demo sessions prove to be acceptable and effective tools for sales and marketing.
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ways, thinking differently. Consumers across the globe are looking at products and brands through a new optic. Post pandemic, businesses will rethink how they deliver value to customers through digital processes. Printers are more likely to opt for sustainable solutions at the request of their customers. Developing touchless technology are also some of the trends observed lately. With major shows postponed, the printing industry and its people have been adversely affected. The cancellation and long-term postponement of trade shows around the world has been challenging. The industry has had to find alternative ways to engage with customers, prospects and the global print community. “Through virtual product launches, webinars, and other communication methods, we have continued to stay connected to serve our
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customers,” says Nikumb. “Kodak delivered improved revenue compared with the second quarter of the year while improving its financial position. We will continue to innovate and bring new products to market,” he continues.
The ‘new normal’ – the challenges of the pandemic Kodak has adapted to a new working model since the pandemic. “Our sales model has changed quite a bit – we are keeping in touch with our customers and partners mostly through virtual conversations,” says Nikumb. Concerning Service & Support, they were ready to deal with the challenges of the pandemic. Their Remote Support Service helps customers solve problems, even in regions where they can’t go on site immediately and the spare parts supply chain of Kodak is optimized to ensure customers get the parts they need. “For cases which require on-site assignments of service engineers, we implemented strict guidelines to be followed prior to, during and after a visit to a customer site in order to ensure that our customers’ expectations are met,” asserts Nikumb. Webinars, virtual showcases and individual remote demo sessions have proven to be acceptable and effective tools for sales and marketing. “We will for sure continue to utilize these flexible and cost-effective tools in the post-pandemic era. In addition, we are looking forward to meeting customers and prospects in person again at industry events as soon as circumstances permit,” reveals Nikumb. Kodak continues to invest heavily in innovative technology, especially in digital. The global technology provider will increase its focus on developing sustainable solutions for print and helping customers navigate the transition from analogue to digital – not only in commercial printing but also in packaging. The KODAK SONORA Process Free plates and water-based inkjet printing inks are just two examples of Kodak products that minimize the environmental impact of print. Innovative developments like their PROSPER Ultra 520 Press and the Sapphire EVO Packaging Presses are game changers in their respective segments that enable customers – and Kodak – to grow sustainably and profitably. “We will continue to keep in touch with our
customers and partners mostly through virtual conversations. We will continue with this model throughout 2021, ensuring the safety of our employees, customers and partners at all times. We will continue to innovate and bring new products to market that enable printers to increase profitability, capitalize on growth opportunities such as packaging and to successfully manage the transition from conventional analogue to digital processes,” shares Nikumb.
improving its financial position. In the third quarter, Kodak improved its revenue compared to the previous quarter and substantially increased its cash balance. During the same period, Kodak converted $100 million of Secured Convertible Notes into common stock, which satisfied the company’s obligations under the converted notes and effectively eliminated that debt. Kodak is now stronger financially than it has been in many years.
New launches including SONORA Xtra
“We have had to find alternative ways to engage with customers and prospects. Through virtual product launches, webinars, and other communication methods, we have continued to stay connected to serve our customers. The pandemic is one of the biggest challenges that our industry has faced. At this point, it is difficult to predict the time it will take to normalize, but we are hopeful that we can see some return to normalcy in the second half of 2021,” concludes Nikumb with this recommendation:
Kodak announced several new products at the June press conference. The latest products include a new process free plate, KODAK SONORA Xtra which is available now, the fastest CTP platesetters on the market, Prinergy on Demand workflow solutions including the recently announced Business Solutions and innovative digital presses for commercial and packaging printers. “In addition, our successful partnership with the Uteco Group has borne further fruit. The new Sapphire EVO W Press is the first flexible packaging press using Kodak’s superior ULTRASTREAM Continuous Inkjet Technology. The wide format of this press allows packaging printers to leverage digital in their traditional flexographic print formats. This way we will continue to innovate and bring new products to market,” emphasizes Nikumb.
Meeting sales and growth targets during the pandemic
“We would recommend that printers make smart investments in technology that enables them to keep up with emerging trends such as smaller print runs, personalization, and offering their customers a more responsive as well as more flexible service – without compromising quality. Kodak Solutions provide printers with leading-edge solutions and support for increased profitability and success.”
Despite the difficulties of the year 2020, Kodak has made important strides with
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Cyber‐attacks set to become more targeted in 2021 Cybersecurity predictions for 2021 show the ripple effect of COVID-19 is likely to continue, leading to a rise in thread hijacking, whaling and human-operated ransomware, , according to HP Inc. HP recently released its 2021 predictions on how security threats – such as human-operated ransomware, thread hijacking, unintentional insider threats, business email compromise and whaling attacks – are set to increase in the next 12 months.
“The scale at which we operate from home increases the incentive for attackers to go after consumer IoT devices and pivot to business devices on the same networks. And as we know, if attackers are successful with destructive attacks on home devices, remote workers won’t get the luxury of having someone from IT turning up at their door to help remediate the problem.” - Boris Balacheff
HP’s cybersecurity experts including – Julia Voo, Global Lead Cybersecurity and Tech Policy; Joanna Burkey, CISO; Boris Balacheff, Chief Technologist for Security Research and Innovation at HP Labs; Dr. Ian Pratt, Global Head of Security for Personal Systems; and Alex Holland, Senior Malware Analyst – and experts from HP’s Security Advisory Board – Justine Bone, CEO at MedSec; and Robert Masse, Partner at Deloitte – all gave their predictions for the year ahead.
Weakened organizational security will lead to more unintentional insider threats The dramatic changes to how we work in 2020 and the shift to remote working will continue to create challenges, says Julia Voo: “COVID-19 has weakened organizational security. Remote access inefficiencies, VPN vulnerabilities and a shortage of staff that can help the business adapt means data is now less secure.” From a cybercriminal’s perspective, the attack surface is widening, creating more opportunities, as Joanna Burkey explains: “We can expect to see hackers identifying and taking advantage of any holes in processes that were created, and still exist, after everyone left the office.”
Key Notes : > The dramatic changes to how we work in 2020 and the shift to remote working will continue to create challenges. > COVID-19 has weakened organizational security. > Remote access inefficiencies, VPN vulnerabilities and a shortage of staff that can help the business adapt means data is now less secure.
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Boris Balacheff points out that this also means that home devices will be under increased pressure: “We have to expect home infrastructure will be increasingly targeted. The scale at which we operate
from home increases the incentive for attackers to go after consumer IoT devices and pivot to business devices on the same networks. And as we know, if attackers are successful with destructive attacks on home devices, remote workers won’t get the luxury of having someone from IT turning up at their door to help remediate the problem.” Burkey also believes there will be more unintentional insider threats: “With employees working remotely, the lines between work and personal equipment are blurred, and innocent actions – such as reading personal email on a company machine – can have serious consequences.” Overall, the pandemic has increased the risk of employees making errors, as Robert Masse explains: “If you view the pandemic as a war experience, then organizations will be dealing with employee burnout. This can lead to an increased risk of errors in judgement.”
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Human-operated ransomware attacks will remain an acute threat Ransomware has become the cybercriminal’s tool of choice, and this is likely to continue in the year ahead, comments Burkey: “What we’ll see is a rise in ransomware-as-service attacks where the threat is no longer the ‘kidnapping’ of data – it’s the public release of the data.” The rise of ransomware has fueled the growth of an ecosystem of criminal actors who specialize in different capabilities needed to pull off successful attacks. Malware delivered by email, such as Emotet, TrickBot and Dridex, are often a precursor to human-operated ransomware attacks. “To maximize the impact of an attack, threat actors use their access to compromised systems to deepen their foothold into a victims’ networks. Many crews use offensive security tools to gain control of a victim’s domain controllers, which are often the best point in a network to deploy ransomware,” explains Dr. Ian Pratt. This trend is of particular concern to those in the public sector, as Alex Holland explains: “The rise of ‘double extortion’ ransomware, where victim data is exfiltrated before being encrypted, will particularly hurt public sector organizations, who process all manner of personally identifiable information. Even if a ransom is paid, there is no guarantee that a threat actor won’t later monetize the stolen data.”
Greater innovation in phishing will see thread hijacking and whaling attacks In 2021, there will be more innovative phishing lures designed to trick users and make attacks harder to identify. “The most innovative mass phishing technique we see is email thread hijacking, which is used by the Emotet botnet. The technique automates the creation of spear-phishing lures by stealing email data from compromised systems. This data is then used to reply to conversations with messages containing malware, making them appear very convincing,” explains Dr. Ian Pratt. We can also expect to see more of these attacks targeting individuals working remotely, says Justine Bone: “Thanks to everything relying on strong authentication, as opposed to in-person presence, there is more opportunity for hackers to engage in social engineering to trick employees into divulging credentials.”
The prospect of continued social isolation has encouraged people to share more personal information online, which cybercriminals can weaponize. “Whaling, a form of highly targeted phishing attack aimed at senior executives, will become more prominent with cybercriminals able to take personal information shared online to build convincing lures leading to business email compromise fraud,” comments Masse. Many of these phishing emails will continue to exploit people through fear, according to Voo. “New fears will be used to drive people to open malicious emails – whether it’s COVID vaccines, financial concerns related to the lockdown and any political instability.”
come for organizations to start protecting against the unknown, which means utilizing zero trust, but in a way that is transparent to the user,” comments Pratt.
Hackers will tailor attacks to target specific verticals – in particular, critical infrastructure, pharma and healthcare, Industrial IoT and education
A new approach to security is needed
One of the most at-risk verticals in 2021 will be healthcare. “Healthcare has been a perfect target – society depends on it and these organizations are typically underresourced, change-averse and slow to innovate. Education also fits this criterion and could be another prime target,” says Bone. However, this threat extends beyond hospitals and doctor’s surgeries into more critical areas. “Due to the race to develop a new vaccine, pharmaceutical companies and research facilities will also continue to face adverse risk,” comments Masse. But the next 12 months will also see other targets come into consideration for hackers. “Car makers, particularly EV companies, will become bigger targets as they grow in prestige and profitability, and we can also expect to see critical infrastructure and the Industrial Internet of Things continue to be in hackers’ crosshairs,” explains Masse.
Zero trust is here to stay, but needs to be implemented in a way that is transparent to the user Zero trust as a concept isn’t new, but the increase in remote working means that it is now a reality that organizations need to accept. “The traditional ways of securing access to the corporate network, applications and data are no longer fit for purpose. The perimeter has become obsolete. Over the years the workforce has become more dispersed, and SaaS adoption has risen – this means critical data is being hosted outside the enterprise firewall. The time has
COVID-19 will be a key driver behind zero trust adoption and also means we’ll see greater innovation in this area. “Zero trust is the best defensive approach for enabling remote working, but for identity and access management to be seamless it needs to be easy to use. Quality authentication methods are a key enabler of zero trust, which is why technologies such as biometrics will be expected by end users in the future,” comments Bone.
“2020 demonstrated that is has become critical to manage highly distributed endpoint infrastructure,” comments Balacheff. “Organizations need to accept that the future is distributed. Everything from remote workers’ devices to industrial IoT devices have become the new frontlines of the cybersecurity battleground in our increasingly cyber-physical world. To meet this challenge, organizations need to re-think their security architectures and controls, and embrace the necessary innovation in technology and processes to help them support this new environment. For example, modern hardware technology exists that can help not only protect but also recover employees remotely and securely in the face of destructive attacks like those we have seen in the last few years.” “Organizations face a huge security challenge in the year ahead, with cybercriminals becoming savvier about how to extract the most value out of victims,” comments Pratt. “Relying on detection alone will only result in an unsatisfactory outcome for the organization, so a more architecturally robust approach to security is required; one that builds protection in from the hardware up. Hardware-enforced technologies like micro-virtualization are transparent to the end user – this means they can click on email attachments and download files as they normally would, but are safe in the knowledge that if anything is malicious, it is rendered harmless. This protection-first approach leaves hackers with nothing to steal and no way to persist, helping organizations to deal with the variety of threats 2021 and beyond will throw at them.”
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Beiersdorf walks the talk to tackle the global plastic problem - Actions towards ambitious plastic targets 2025 reach great results. Plastic not only pollutes the environment, it also amplifies climate change. If the plastic production continues unchecked by 2050, plastics alone will produce around 10 to 13 percent of the CO2 budget remaining to reach the 1.5-degree target. The fact is, the problem will continue to grow unless businesses and governments fundamentally rethink the way plastic is being produced, used and disposed of – both on a local and global scale.
Breakthrough in material-reduction: New NIVEA bottle with 50% less plastic Plastic pollution has become an escalating environmental problem: An estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic flow into the ocean each year – which is equivalent to 20,000 Airbus A380 aircrafts – and the volume is forecast to triple over the next 20 years.
Key Notes : > Breakthrough in packaging design: Innovative NIVEA bottle with 50% less plastic – launched at the “Plastic-Free World Conference”. > On the way to circularity: 90% of PET bottles in Europe made of recycled content by end of 2020. > Partnerships against plastic pollution: UN Plastic Treaty, Cooperation with Fraunhofer Institute, Werner & Mertz, German drugstore dm and others.
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Based on intensive research and packaging development, Beiersdorf now achieved a real breakthrough: the bottle and cap of the new NIVEA Naturally Good Body Lotion has been designed to use 50% less plastic than a comparable standard NIVEA body lotion packaging. It is very thin and has a uniquely shaped bottom area which can be easily squeezed and rolled up tightly – very similar to a toothpaste tube. This brings the additional benefit to consumers that the lotion can be used easily until the last drop. The bottle is fully recyclable after usage and can be integrated into the material loop in all countries with existing waste infrastructures. Last, but not least, the transportation of the product from the factory to the retailers is also more sustainable, since the new design improved pallet utilization through its thinner and lighter packaging.
Going Circular: 90% of PET bottles in Europe will be from recycled plastic by end of 2020 To minimize its environmental footprint, Beiersdorf is following a fourfold approach: the so-called “4R’s” set the company’s frame in the search of innovative ways to “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Replace” its plastic packaging across the assortment of its brands, such as NIVEA and Eucerin. The overall vision is to achieve a circular economy. One important element in this approach is the use of post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR), materials that originate from the recycling of household waste – such as materials found in the “yellow bag” in Germany. Via the use of such secondary raw materials in product packaging, natural resources are protected, and the use of fossilbased virgin plastic is avoided, hence CO2 emissions are reduced. By the end of 2020, Beiersdorf will have converted 90% of its PET bottles in Europe to include
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recycled material. This measure alone will save more than 1,200 tons of fossil-based virgin plastic per year. Also recent product launches, such as the NIVEA Shower Fresh Blends, have come to market in PET-bottles made from at least 97% recycled material (PCR), thus avoiding 150 tons of fossil-based virgin plastic. As a first country, Germany will have switched the vast majority of bottles of its NIVEA Shower & Shampoo range on market to recycled material before the end of this year, both PET and HDPE bottles will come from post-consumer-waste streams and hence, save around 2,000 tons of fossil-based virgin plastic. Other European countries will follow.
Driving the transformation: Beiersdorf takes action beyond its company boundaries “As we strongly believe the global plastic problem cannot be solved in silos, but a broader collaboration and joined forces are needed, we are taking action beyond our own business. We are teaming up with our suppliers, trade partners, NGOs, scientific institutions and also with other players in our industry,” explains Jean-Francois Pascal, Vice President Corporate Sustainability at Beiersdorf. “We want to really drive the topic forward and contribute to the change we need within a broader context.” Not just words, Beiersdorf takes action and was one among 29 other companies to sign the business call for a UN treaty on plastic pollution initiated by the WWF, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG.). In a joint approach, the call is to push governments to negotiate and agree on a UN treaty on plastic pollution. In the area of “Reuse” for example, the first in-store shower gel refill stations were launched in cooperation with one major German retailer, the drugstore chain dm, in selected stores. With the aim to drive reusability and to reduce single use plastic, the customized refill machine was designed to provide the highest hygiene standards, intuitive handling and innovativeness – and it won two awards: design MUSE award and Sustainability Readers Award 2020 Packaging Europe. Beiersdorf also partners with Terracycle in the Zero Waste Initiative Loop. With this approach, used-up product packaging is
collected at consumers’ homes, cleaned and refilled in order to allow multiple usage-loops for consumers. Beiersdorf is taking part in the testing phase of this approach with two NIVEA MEN After Shave products. In the context of “Recycle”, Beiersdorf has joined the HOLYGRAIL 2.0 initiative by the European Brand Association AIM to collaborate with more than 80 other companies to trial run the viability of digital watermarking technologies for a more accurate waste sorting and leverage it to a larger scale. This year also, in a collaborative approach with Werner & Mertz and the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV), Beiersdorf has developed a first industry-standard for cosmetic grade recycled plastic. It aims to increase the quality of recycled plastic content made available by recycling companies and push the use of mechanical post-consumer plastic across all industry players. This industry-standard will be available to the public within this year.
New Sustainability Agenda CARE BEYOND SKIN with ambitious targets Following the company’s commitment and purpose to “Care Beyond Skin”, Beiersdorf
had defined a new Sustainability Agenda at the beginning of this year: for consumers, for society and for the environment. Stefan De Loecker, Chief Executive Officer of Beiersdorf AG: “We care beyond skin at Beiersdorf and so we have chosen this motto also for our Sustainability Agenda: CARE BEYOND SKIN. It is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN (SDGs) and strives above all to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. To reduce our carbon footprint significantly, we must improve our products and fuel a circular approach. In this context, our action on product packaging, especially on plastic, plays a key role. We are not only setting ambitious targets; we are intensively working on them to deliver with concrete actions”. Within the Sustainability Agenda CARE BEYOND SKIN one focus field is dedicated to “Fully Circular Resources”. Three concrete targets have been set for 2025 in the context of plastic and sustainable packaging: Beiersdorf wants to reduce the use of fossilbased virgin plastic by 50% within the next five years, increase the share of recycled material for plastic packaging to 30% and make 100% of all product packaging either reusable, refillable or recyclable.
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‘Innovation and Value Engineering’ focused Alliance Printech Jatinder Kumar Julka, Founder Director, Alliance Printech speaks about the latest solutions, company’s present and future plans in an exclusive interview with PRESSIdeas. Alliance Printech manufactures a wide range of printing & converting machinery. The company with focus on Innovation and Value Engineering has gained its reputation for developing many trend setting machines for Labels & Thermal Paper Products through continuous research & developments. Alliance’s design capabilities translated into a wide range of products ranging from printing, coating, slitting and sheeting. Alliance has sold more than 300 equipment worldwide and fast expanding its global footprint. “Our approach in continuously innovating new products and processes that will benefit our customers, has made us renowned company in printing and converting industry,” says Jatinder Kumar Julka, Alliance Printech. The latest products and solutions on offering from the Alliance Printech stable mainly concentrate on Flexo Label Presses, Thermal Paper Printing & Converting Machines. New launches include Web Transport System for Digital Press.
Demo centers are the next step, Alliance Printech is contemplating upon. Mr. Jatinder Julka plans to make such facility and looks for right printer partners to showcase products in live environment.
Key Notes : > Develops trendsetting machines for labels and thermal paper products. > Fast expanding global footprint with over 300 installations worldwide. > To focus improving management practices and strengthening “Team Alliance”.
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Jatinder, observes the latest changes in the printing industry as the future growth areas. “Label Presses have evolved as Multi-Substrate Printing Equipment. Whereas, Offset printers, Gravure printers are attracted to the narrow web Flexo presses. To tap these growth areas, we need to upskill our engineering capabilities to serve the growing demand of printing industry,” he believes. An honest approach to serve the customer is Alliance Printech’s key strength. “In every project we partner with the buyer to choose right configuration Press. We are the only Indian Press manufacturing company using world class branded parts on our presses and offer best after sales support,” says Jatinder. A team of 50 people, Alliance Printech is headed by founder director Jatinder Julka and supported by colleagues in Design & Manufacturing. Their products and solutions are mainly promoted through trade exhibitions which they use for creating a sales funnel. “Of course we have our Channel partners who help us growing company business out of country,” adds Jatinder. They have installations in 20+ countries including the USA, Italy and Hungary. With a qualified installation team that generally handles the training at customer site, their machines are also equipped with
Remote Access Modem for technical drive support. According to Jatinder, an engineering set up like theirs always needs upgradation with new technology & equipment. Alliance Printech has a complete setup for design & advance CNC manufacturing. Demo centers are the next step, Jatinder is contemplating upon. He is planning to make such facility and looking for right printer partners to showcase products in live environment before customers make purchase decisions. Speaking on the current Corona pandemic, he comments, “Of course, we all are passing through a period of uncertainty, but we all have learnt and continuously learning to survive the turmoil of CORONA pandemic. Delayed commitments are common from buyers, suppliers & bankers. I think, we will have to remain prepared to sail through these tough times.” Jatinder, however hasn’t experienced much postponement of decisions apart from unusual delays from banks for releasing the funds to customers. He terms the ‘Delays & Costing Increment’ as the ‘New Normal’. “I think we are now used to it,” he states adding that he is keeping his fingers crossed as to the time it would take for things to normalize. “We have good prospects in hand and our main focus area will be to improve management practices and strengthening “Team Alliance”. We are learning & preparing to build a Winning Team to meet growth targets,” continues Jatinder. “As our prime minister said, we all need to be “Vocal for Local” to develop Indian Printing industry,” he concludes.
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Rotomail expands with Contiweb non-stop winding systems re-order Italian digital transactional, direct mail and book printer cites increased efficiency, speed and time-savings since using Contiweb solutions. Contiweb, a specialist in state-of-the-art technologies for printing, advanced drying and web-handling, has recently announced that Italian print service provider, Rotomail, has invested in a second round of Contiweb non-stop winding solutions. The latest purchase joins existing CD unwinder and CR rewinder solutions as well as a Contiweb Digital Fluid Applicator at Rotomail’s Milan facility. Contiweb non-stop winding solutions, comprising the CD and CR series, help to increase productivity and print capacity by drastically reducing the time taken to change reels. Adding the ability to splice paper reels of different weight, web width or coating on digital inkjet presses, without stopping production, also means less reel changes are necessary. Giovanni Antonuzzo, CEO, Rotomail states, “We initially opted for Contiweb largely due to the partnership the company has with HP and first installed Contiweb’s non-stop winding solutions in 2016 alongside a new HP PageWide Web Press. We were immediately impressed by the results. The realisation that we would not have to manually change a reel every hour or so has boosted the uptime and productivity of our press significantly. The Contiweb systems are also extremely modern and reliable, so much so, that as part of a retrofit, we decided to invest in the technology on another of our HP Web presses. Installed last month, in October, Contiweb CD and CR systems have replaced existing non-stop splicers and rewinders so we now have two HP presses with the same winding capability and high productivity.”
combined across our entire output makes a large difference to lead-times and overall efficiency. If the printer runs two eight-hour shifts, five days a week, that’s at least 20 hours more printing we can achieve every week; more if we scale up to three shifts in busy times.” Rotomail uses Contiweb winding solutions in combination with the Contiweb Digital Fluid Applicator (DFA). The DFA is a Plug’N’Play standalone remoistening applicator for digital web presses, developed to significantly improve the quality of digitally printed products. At Rotomail the DFA has taken away the waviness of the paper in signatures,
which generated growth in books. Thanks to the DFA, the books are now completely flat. Working together, the Contiweb equipment saves time, cost and improves the quality of the end products generated. Davide Pomati, Area Sales Manager at Contiweb says, “Rotomail’s investment in our technology on three separate occasions is a signifier of our solutions’ increasing value to production-efficiency. The company is a pioneer of digital inkjet printing, quickly seeing the value it would deliver to the market and the forward-thinking ethos of Rotomail is extremely impressive. We’re proud to support such a business with our technology!”
Key to the decision for further investment lies in the increased productivity and efficiency of the printing process. On average, manual unwinder loading can take up to fifteen minutes, combined with rewinder unloading and loading a new core taking another ten minutes. Antonuzzo explains, “The difference on paper may not sound like a lot, but if you change a reel every hour, your productivity will suffer. We save fifteen minutes for each roll using Contiweb solutions, which,
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Success for Labelexpo’s Shenzhen launch Organizer Tarsus reports a successful inaugural edition of Shenzhen event. Tarsus Group, the organizers of Labelexpo Global Series of international trade shows, has reported a successful inaugural edition of Labelexpo South China in Shenzhen, with a total of 8,778 visitors passing through its doors between 8 - 10 December 2020. Taking place at the world’s largest purpose-built event space, Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, and occupying 11,000 sqm of floor space, the show offered a platform for 130 exhibitors showcasing the latest label and package printing machinery, smart technology, materials and components. Chinese companies included: Fangda Packaging Co., HanGlobal, Shenzhen Caisheng Printing Machinery Co., Soonmax, plus Hongsheng, Pulisi, Reborn, Runtianzhi and Shanghai Haixi, who also confirmed sales. Overseas exhibitors included: 3M China, BST Eltromat, and Epson/Konica Minolta Ritrama, with confirmed sales made by companies including HP and Luster. Technology launches in the region included: Durst Tau 330RSC, HP’s new generation of Indigo 6K and Indigo 25K, and Konica Minolta’s MK 360R cutting machine, while the Luster LabelMan-2020 T saw its world debut. Other technology on show included: Shenzhen Huada Huahui Machinery’s DJKDM full rotary offset printer, Shenzhen Reborn Precision Machinery’s die cutting and hot stamping machinery, Guangzhou Pulisi Technology’s inspection machines PAIM-350S / PAIM-350PRS / AIMI-350C,
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Guangdong Qianrun Machinery’s letterpress and sticker printing machines RS340 INCH / XQ-L210C, and Shenzhen Caisheng Printing Machinery’s letter press printers CS-300 / CS-220. Kevin Liu, event director for Labelexpo South China 2020, said: “We are delighted with the success of our first Labelexpo show in Shenzhen, the region’s key printing and technology hub. With a fantastic footfall of almost eight thousand eight hundred visitors, a rebook rate of thirty five per cent, and extremely positive feedback from exhibitors and event partners alike, the show is resounding proof that it’s possible to launch and run a successful, high-quality event safely in these challenging times.” The main show feature, the Print Automation 4.0 Hub proved especially popular, with live demonstrations of the entire label production process taking place over days
one and two. At this “smart factory”, Beijing Value Technology and Luster displayed the SmartFAB printing factory’s whole management process, while Hybrid Software demonstrated rapid electronic proofing. Rhyguan showcased its PLUS-330 digital converting and finishing machine, while Luster also displayed the LabelMaster-F series offline label quality inspection system. Show visitors also attended sold-out Label Academy hosted educational programs tackling the industry’s hottest topics. The Shrink Sleeve Technology workshop included design and origination requirements; shrinkable films; the different printing processes, technologies and specialized applications; and sleeve performance, quality and troubleshooting. The speaker line-up included: Simon Wang, sales and service manager - Greater China, Hybrid Software; Jerry Xu, sales director – Asia, Klöckner Pentaplast; Will Jiang, technology manager,
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Flint Group; and Dawei You, product manager, Luster. The Digital Label and Package Printing Masterclass featured: an in-depth comparison of the different technologies; inkjet technology in digital label printing; pre-press systems, strategies and workflow automation; substrate selection; and digital print finishing. Speakers included: Sheldon Wang, account manager – China, HP; Zhigang Ding, supervisor of Label Division, Konica Minolta; Jimmy Zhan, China sales director, Domino; Danny Hu, regional director of China, Meteor Inkjet Ltd; Qiang Wu, software sales support, ESKO; Steve Deng, China sales manager, CERM; Calvin Xu, product solutions manager, Avery Dennison; and Ramon Li, general manager, Brotech. Eve Cai, marketing manager, HP Indigo
Greater China, said: “Under the severe situation of Covid-19, it is not easy for Labelexpo South China 2020 to be held successfully as scheduled. We see the digitization process of the label industry has accelerated under the new normal and those ideals proposed by HP Indigo more than ten years ago, are slowly unfolding themselves. The very first Indigo 6K digital printing machine in China was signed up on-site. Thanks again to the organizer for building such a professional platform, connecting suppliers and printers, to drive the industry forward.” Yan Jianhai, general manager, Shanghai Haoxi Technology, added: “As the sister show of Labelexpo Asia, Labelexpo South China is the only show in the label industry after the epidemic, and has received undiminished enthusiasm from the industry professionals.
Each and every visitor to our booth showed great interest in the Durst Tau 330 RSC digital label printing machine. This is the second public appearance since the Durst Tau RSC series first entered the Chinese market at Labelexpo Asia 2019 last year. The show has given us a valuable opportunity to deepen our communication with the label printers in South China. We expect to achieve more at Labelexpo Asia 2021!” Liu added: “Trade shows are vital for economic growth, so it’s incredibly encouraging to see the region flourishing. Labelexpo South China is an important part of that jigsaw, and, crucially, will act as a vital catalyst for the recovery of the label and package printing industry in the region into 2021 and beyond.”
Digital Transformation Of Your Company Sistrade – enabling increased operational machine time and production efficiency through IoT and with hardly any human intervention. The digital transformation is unquestionably an urgent issue for printing and packaging industry companies today. In the current context many companies were compelled to make a sudden jump in terms of technology in order to meet the market demands as well as the general trend for digital transformation which has made it a must rather than a choice. The path to digital transformation is rather challenging, however, the choice of right partners with an extensive experience in the area to divide and guide through different transformation process stages as well as to define the crucial areas that have to undergo the transformation is key to success. The advantages of the digital transformation are many and among the important aspects that can be beneficial to the company’s day to day operations are better decision-making process, improved operational efficiency, optimization in organizational processes which results increase of client loyalty and market expansion. Benefits of the digital transformation and the boost that they can give any company are very clear, the key solution and the first step towards the transformation process is the correctness and the instantaneity
of data and information. For this, Sistrade through IoT (Internet of Things) with the huge amounts of data collected throughout the company: from sensors, other systems or software leads the companies, through learning, to the autonomous or nearautonomous production processes resulting in highly automated production and material handling, warehousing operation with hardly any human intervention thus increasing operational machine time and production efficiency. The real-time connectivity and communication across different departments, as well as real time communication with customers and suppliers shortens the response and delivery time while realtime metrics on dynamic dashboards support quick decision making. To create transparency in Job Order tracking during the entire production process from estimate, order, to job order in the production and shipping Sistrade is able to provide all the details in a digital job order.
information from different areas within the company. The efficient data management is the foundation to ensure the flow of information across the different areas and departments of the company and key to success in the digital transformation process. It results in quick decision making and thus a faster detection of bottlenecks and increase in equipment availability, less waste, assisted calculation of industrial costs, overall improvement of industrial productivity and in itself – an improved customer service.
The Big data and the need for its analysis almost instantly is increasing in the companies day by day. Real-time monitoring of all the operation areas allows reducing costs on account of shorter production time and having more accurate and reliable
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After Toluene-free it’s now Mineral Oil-free Inks by Siegwerk India The launch of Mineral Oil Free Inks is in line with Siegwerk’s commitment to offering safe inks; MOAH pose serious health issues including a cancer risk for humans. Siegwerk, one of the leading global suppliers of printing inks for packaging applications and labels headquartered in Germany, has announced their decision to launch Mineral Oil free inks in India for packaging purposes. The inks supplied by Siegwerk from its plant at Bhiwadi (Rajasthan) will not contain mineral oils as an intentionally added substance, that comprises of two fractions – Mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and Mineral Oil Aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH). Over the last 3 years, Siegwerk had taken up the pioneering initiative to remove the usage of another harmful substance – Toluene – from its manufacturing process.
Effect of Mineral Oil based Inks on health Mineral oils are not a chemically well-defined substance, but a highly complex group of various hydrocarbons which are mainly derived from crude oil. Packaging inks are a mixture of various ingredients and some of these chemicals are able to migrate through the packaging material into the foodstuff. Mineral oil comprises two fractions known as Mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH)
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and Mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH). Both MOSH and MOAH may have a harmful effect on human health if the foodstuff is contaminated with these during the production process or through the packaging material. The most critical fraction is represented by PAH with 3-7 rings and no or little alkylation. These substances are genotoxic carcinogens, whereas some highly alkylated MOAH can act as tumor promoters but are not carcinogens themselves. Nevertheless, MOAH can accumulate in the human body and therefore migration of MOAH into food should not be detectable. In humans exposed to MOSH, microgranulomas have been observed in different organs for substances with a range between C16-C35, whereas no adverse effect was observed for MOSH between C10-C13. While announcing the launch of the mineral oil free ink, Mr. Ashish Pradhan, President – Siegwerk India and Greater China said, “Although the extent of impact on foodstuff is undetermined by the migration of mineral oil from the packaging, research states that
Mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and Mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) chemicals are likely to be easily absorbed by different tissues in human organs. Siegwerk champions the cause of Toluene free inks in India and now, Siegwerk intends to offer mineral oil free inks, thereby raising the bar on packaging safety and offering further advancements in terms of consumer safety. We understand the importance of safe packaging and are committed to providing safe inks for all kind of applications and hence our decision on a Mineral oil -free operation in India. Our commitment will not only further improve the end-consumer’s safety, but also environmental safety, as we will not contribute anymore to the presence of mineral oils in the recycled stream”. The most crucial purpose of food packaging is to keep the contents and consumers safe. Worldwide several food manufacturers are promoting safer packaging options by prohibiting / restricting the use of mineral oils as an intentionally added substance in the packaging inks.
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DKSH extends partnership with Popli Graphics - signs exclusive agreement with Popli Graphics to promote key products by the client in North India. and allied products from SOMA Engineering and TEG Technologies, besides a host of other complementary products.
Market Expansion Services provider DKSH Business Unit Technology has partnered with Popli Graphics to provide marketing and sales, distribution and logistics as well as after-sales services to promote key products by Popli for the Printing Packaging & Converting business in the North Indian region, including the Union Territories. This partnership will include solutions for flexographic printing for flexible packaging
Sanjeev Popli, Managing Director, Popli Graphics, stated: “In India, the flexible packaging industry is poised to grow in double digits in the next five years. To be a part of this growth, we wanted to partner with a company that shares our values and has technological solutions to support our growth vision. We are excited to participate in this high-growth packaging segment with DKSH. Together, we are an excellent choice for our customers.”
customers in the North Indian region. This partnership will provide improved customer response rates, technical support with high service capability and access to DKSH’s technologies and solutions,” commented Suhas Kulkarni, General Manager, Business Development, Asia Pacific, DKSH India.
“We look forward to working with Popli Graphics to extend our services to our
EPL’s Platina tube achieves First in the World title! First fully sustainable and completely recyclable tube and cap combination. EPL has announced that its Platina tube with an HDPE closure has been recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) as the first fully sustainable and completely recyclable tube and cap combination in the world.
source reduction and recyclability without the loss of any barrier properties. This allows for sustained product stability and durable shelf life of the packed content. Platina is especially suited for oral, toiletries, and food brands.
The Platina packaging has gone through a rigorous qualification process conducted by the APR in achieving this one-of-a-kind designation.
“By decreasing Platina’s weight, EPL has
once again demonstrated our commitment to ‘leading the pack’ through the conscious reduction of our carbon footprint. Platina is the eco-friendly tube of choice, supporting brand’s go-green and sustainability goals,” says Srihari K Rao, Global Head- Printing Technology, EPL.
Platina is an eco-friendly laminated tube designed in line with “Recycle” – one of EPL’s key sustainability themes. Platina 250 tubes are produced with less than 5% barrier resin and have received recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), USA, as consistently meeting or exceeding the most stringent APR HDPE Critical Guidance criteria. Often a key challenge when developing recyclable tubes is the compromise in terms of a tube’s barrier properties, leading to a reduction in shelf-life of the tube’s contents. The Platina range of HDPE tubes does not face this issue as it is designed to deliver
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Dr. Akshay Joshi conduct live industry project at Nilpeter Live industry project on “Evaluation of Spot Color Reproduction by Expanded Gamut Printing on a Narrow Web Flexo Press” takes place at Chennai. Dr. Akshay Joshi, Professor, Department of Printing Engineering, P. V. G’s College of Engineering and Technology, Pune, undertook a live industry project on “Evaluation of Spot Color Reproduction by Expanded Gamut Printing on a Narrow Web Flexo Press” at Nilpeter, Chennai. Dr. Akshay undertook the project along with the final year students group from Printing Engineering of the college. Nilpeter India provided flexo machine for the work. “This project shall be one of the solution to the challenges faced with Pantone colour reproduction and reduce wastage of resources,” says Dr. Akshay. “The continuous support from Mr. Panthala Selvan.K, MD, Pressman – Centre for Print Excellence/ paper/ Idealliance SA with guidance throughout the entire journey has led to successful completion of project,” he adds. Bodoni Systems, Techkon USA and CGS ORIS provided resource, remote assistance and product access for the
project. Miraclon Corporation and Repro Plate Process provided their support throughout project implementation. The knowledge gained by the printing students shall help them to be a better
product for the industry. Working with such live problem solving projects shall build a strong bond between industry and institute for the betterment of printing and packaging community.
Madhura Mahajan at the ECG Project at Temple Packaging, Hyderabad Madhura Mahajan – Head, Department of Printing Engineering, PVG’s College of Engineering & Technology, Pune. Interestingly, the colour wheel was invented by artists centuries back, who worked with 3 primary colours red, blue, and yellow, based on the colours available in nature. Further chemists worked by mixed rock powder to create additional colours by mixing primaries and then physicists established the primary colours of light as red, green, and blue. Combining primary colours of light like red, blue, and green create secondary colours: yellow, cyan, and magenta. The print world worked with the 3 secondaries, and interestingly now moved ahead with 3 more inks creating an expanded colour gamut with Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Orange, Green, Violet along with Black. Obviously, this is a new area of exploration for the Printing Industry, especially in India. The Printing Department at PVG’s College of Engineering & Technology, Pune got the opportunity to work in 2 areas of the ECG this year: offset
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- packaging, commercial, and flexography. I am extremely happy to work on the ECG project at Temple Packaging, Hyderabad. It was an enriching experience to gain
hands-on experience in colour and colour management; Equinox operations for the students for 6 days.
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Over 300 participants attend OMET virtual event Success for the first OMET streaming event – showcasing excellent printing and quick job change on VaryFlex V4 Offset. Over 300 participants from all over the world attended the virtual event organized by OMET on 3 December 2020: the demo aroused very much interest, showing excellent printing and quick job change on the new VaryFlex V4 Offset. On December, 3rd 2020 OMET presented the new VaryFlex V4 during the “Packaging Revolution” open house in live streaming: the new machine is dedicated to flexible packaging printing and converting, and allows significant cost savings thanks to innovative solutions that enhance quality, sustainability and flexibility, and combining different kinds of printing and drying: offset, rotogravure and flexo, UV or EB. The event took place in two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, to
allow the connection of participants from all over the world, respecting the different time zones. In the morning there was a strong turnout from Southeast Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Europe, while in the afternoon the participants mainly came from the United States and South America. The registered accesses were over 300, well above forecasts. The central moment of the event was the printing demonstration of the VaryFlex V4, configured with 6 offset printing units and 2 in-line gravure units for printing on PET material. The quick job change to a completely different image took less than five minutes, including the transformation of an offset printing unit into a flexo printing unit. “For several years – said the President
Antonio Bartesaghi – OMET has been offering high-tech printing solutions for the packaging sector, with excellent results both in terms of machines sold and installed, and of collaborations with international customers. The market is constantly evolving and looking for adequate and efficient solutions as regards flexibility, quality and safety. The machine we are presenting today guarantees massive advantages for its ease of printing and for the speed in job change.”
YesGo Mumbai students get training at Nilpeter Chennai YesGo Mumbai students completed their training at Nilpeter on 11th December 2020. Training at Nilpeter for YesGo Students kicked off from the month of November 2020 which is scheduled to be provided every month specifically for YesGo Students. The 2 days consecutive Practical Training of YesGo Mumbai students at Nilpeter started from 10th December 2020. The training was facilitated as a part of YesGo Practical Training Programme. Training at Nilpeter is being facilitated to provide professional training with Flexo machines and an exposure to Flexo Prepress to help the students gain and enhance
technical expertise in Flexo within a working environment. At present HP, Tetra Pak, Avery Dennison, Essel Propak, Nilpeter, VeePee Art Studios, PRPL & all the other top packaging companies in India are facilitating Industry visits and practical training for YesGo students in Gravure, Offset, Digital, Flexo and others. Industry visits and practical training at the industries are essential part of YesGo Training Curriculum to provide complete
practical exposure to the students in a working environment to help them hone their skills and get exposed to the vital and practical nuances of pre-media prepress, press and post press. It helps them learn vital skills required to perform seamlessly and professionally in an organization and empower them with expertise to become assets for the industry. It also aims to provide them opportunities to gain in-depth knowledge of their area of interest as well as meet and develop network with industry experts. Spending days within an organization makes one familiar with the companies working environment.
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M&S FOOD expands plastic-free grocery refill concept to third store Fill Your Own concept – supporting customers to reduce and reuse with over 50 lines of refillable grocery essentials and frozen fruit. M&S Food’s brand-new test and learn renewal store in Staines, Two Rivers Shopping Centre, has become the third to feature the retailer’s popular Fill Your Own concept, supporting customers to reduce and reuse with over 50 lines of refillable grocery essentials and frozen fruit. Customer demand for Fill Your Own has remained strong since it was first introduced to M&S Hedge End last December and Manchester in March this year. The extensive grocery range spans pasta, rice, cereal and confectionery and customers in Staines can also shop refillable frozen fruit such as mango, pineapple and raspberries. As M&S continues to adapt the initiative based on learnings and feedback, the latest launch will see bolder and brighter messaging to highlight the quality and value customers trust – from Eat Well to Remarksable Value lines. The Fill Your Own initiative supports M&S Food’s plan to reduce, reuse and recycle
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packaging together with its customers and has the potential to prevent thousands of units of plastic from being used. Paul Willgoss, M&S Food’s Director of Food Technology, commented: “As we continue testing and learning from Fill Your Own, it’s clear that demand for refillables remains strong. We know families particularly enjoy shopping the concept as a fun activity, so our new store in the popular Staines shopping centre is the ideal next location for Fill Your Own. But most importantly, our customers care about the issue of plastic and this initiative is just one part of our plan to help them reduce, reuse and recycle – because we know our actions today will help to protect the planet tomorrow.” The current best-selling cupboard essentials include four berry muesli, basmati rice, chocolate raisins and whole porridge oats and this week, M&S has added firm family favourites to Fill Your Own including corn flakes, rice pops and tri-coloured pasta.
Fill Your Own has continued to prove popular amongst customers and despite shifting consumer behaviour during the pandemic, over 40% of the lines are currently outselling the packaged alternatives. To help customers to shop with confidence, M&S has introduced additional hygiene measures for Fill Your Own including increased cleaning and hand sanitiser, with colleagues on-hand to help customers fill, weigh and pay with ease. Customers can bring in or purchase reusable containers, or alternatively free, recyclable paper bags are on offer for those who wish to use them. As M&S continues developing its renewal programme, the retailer plans to further expand its Fill Your Own concept as a key feature of the new format stores. Since 2018, M&S Food has removed over 2,000 tonnes of plastic and has stopped using black plastic as part of its target to make 100% of its packaging recyclable by 2022.
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Testing a new normal for packaging H&M Group introduces new multi-brand reusable and recyclable Paper Packaging System. With online shopping increasing worldwide and with that plastic waste, there is an increased need to find new solutions for more sustainable packaging. H&M Group has introduced a new multi-brand paper packaging system that is reusable and recyclable. With Black Week just behind us and holidays around the corner, online shopping has reached its peak. And due to the pandemic taking over this year, it is safe to say that e-commerce has changed forever. But while online orders increasing as a general global trend, so is the packaging waste. Most of it being plastic that ends up in landfills or in the ocean, having an extremely negative impact on our planet. In the fashion industry, plastic is one of the biggest challenges. It is not only used in synthetic materials such as polyester, but also in hangers, hang tags, single use shopping bags and polybags. When it comes to packaging, plastic is partly used to protect some products and prevent waste, which makes it even more challenging to replace. The question is: How can we prevent packaging from becoming waste itself and at the same time deliver top-quality products? “We are introducing packaging that is better for both the customer and the environment,” says Hanna Lumikero, Service owner and responsible for the new packaging system at H&M Group. At their distribution centres in the Netherlands, UK, Sweden, China, Russia and Australia, millions of packages have been sent to customers as part of a test for more sustainable packaging solutions. Motivated by the packaging strategy and to become a fully circular organisation, H&M Group has developed a multibrand packaging system with bags made of certified paper. Once opened, the bags are recyclable. Most materials apart from the products that are delivered become waste when they reach the customer. The aim of this new
solution is to reduce the risk of creating that waste. On top of that, the branding labels now allow our brands to be more relevant with messaging, while the bags have a cleaner and nicer look. This in turn prevents packages having outdated messages on them, preventing another waste risk. “We are introducing a type of packaging that is better for both the customer and the environment. It is yet to be improved since we need to continue working on replacing the use of plastic throughout our logistics supply chain. But by introducing this new multi-brand packaging we are creating a huge impact by replacing the outer plastic with a paper solution. This is a small step on a long journey,” says Hanna Lumikero. So far, the new packaging solution has been introduced to customers at COS, ARKET, Monki and Weekday. The H&M brand has started to implement it in selected markets, and this will only increase during the upcoming months and with that, reach an even bigger group of customers all around the world. In the beginning of 2021, the brand & Other Stories will join their journey and ship their online orders in recyclable paper-packaging. “We use valuable input from our customers to improve and we know that they are happy about receiving their orders in more sustainable packaging. At the same time, we are committed to reducing plastic throughout our business and value chain. That is why we will implement this packaging solution in all of our brands,” says Hanna Lumikero. The packaging solution will help H&M Groups towards reaching the goals of its circular strategy for packaging, including reducing packaging by 25% and designing reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025 at latest.
The goals are aligned with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, as well as the Fashion Pact and Canopy’s initiative Pack4Good, and have led to H&M Group removing most of their plastic shopping bags in the brands stores, substituting with a certified paper option. Together with other actions, this has contributed to a 4,7% reduction in plastic packaging during 2019, which is over 1 000 tons of plastic. By implementing the new packaging pilot, H&M group moves closer to reaching these goals.
Plastic is needed but only sometimes Plastic is not always a must to secure protection in packages, which has long been a common belief. H&M Groups’ new packaging system shows that paper can be as good at providing protection as plastic does. In some cases, plastic is necessary, such as for fragile products or materials that need to be stored together during transportation. One of the biggest challenges of plastic for online shopping and transport is that it is still commonly used throughout the long logistics supply chain. This is a ongoing effort by H&M Group to solve as soon as possible. they are not quite there yet, but swapping out plastic for paper is an exciting milestone in their journey of becoming circular and climate positive.
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Reinvent recyclability in packaging New range of ACTGreen Barrier Coatings from ACTEGA provide an effective, sustainable alternative to traditional plastic PE laminates. ACTEGA, manufacturer of specialty coatings, inks, adhesives and sealing compounds with a focus on the packaging and printing industry, has announced the launch of its latest offering, ACTGreen Barrier Coatings – a range of advanced water-based barrier coatings and next generation thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) dispersions – representing a huge step forward in packaging sustainability. With both fill products and packaging needing to be mutually protected from the effects of oils, fats, water and external substances, plastic polyethylene (PE) laminates have traditionally been adopted across the packaging industry – despite the complex, costly and increasingly scrutinized recycling process, which involves using specialist technologies to separate the plastic from the cardboard substrate. ACTEGA’s new ACTGreen Barrier Coatings range, however, comprises barrier coatings and TPE dispersions (YUNICO) for coating and binding which are all water-based, enabling substrates to be widely and easily recycled utilizing standard practices. Facilitating time and cost efficiencies throughout the production line, and offering extreme versatility through a series of possible secondary features, ranging from heat sealability to heat resistance, the ACTGreen Barrier Coatings provide an effective, economical and truly sustainable solution for conscientious printers and packaging converters looking to answer the ever-increasing call for reduced plastic use. Designed around an expressed commitment to making a decisive contribution to sustainability, but also with ACTEGA’s characteristic packaging expertise and innovation at its core, the company’s ACTGreen Barrier Coatings deliver a host of additional customer benefits alongside their superior performance and environmental credentials. By eliminating the need for PE laminated materials, ACTEGA’s ACTGreen Barrier Coatings not only streamline the production process and deliver invaluable cost savings throughout the entire production process but also, critically, enable converters to transform their business model from
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one which is restricted by the lengthy delivery times or bulk storage costs of PE laminated board, to an efficient just-in-time production system which is able to thrive in the increasingly competitive and demanding packaging sector. Compatible across sheetfed offset, flexo and gravure printing – and with the possibility for processing via different coaters from roller to air knife – the versatile barrier coatings reflect ACTEGA’s committed approach to both reducing plastic use and removing barriers to sustainable practices. “Throughout our ten operative companies, we have always championed our high customer orientation, and with production facilities across the globe, we are extremely well-placed to listen and respond to our customers in each market. What we are hearing universally is that the call for sustainability is, understandably, louder than ever,” explains Markus Locher, Global Barrier Manager at ACTEGA Paper and Board. “We’ve worked extremely hard to ensure that our ACTGreen Barrier Coatings provide a robust and viable alternative to non-recyclable PE linings that will allow packaging manufacturers to not only respond to the increasing pressures that they’re feeling from brand owners regarding environmental issues, but to optimize their own operations and production processes too. The unavoidable need to shift away from plastics and find workable, profitable and environmentally sound alternatives is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges
facing the packaging industry today, and we are proud to be taking firm steps in the right direction with this latest offering.” Depending on the product, barrier coatings from ACTEGA are able to provide effective protection from water vapour, water, oil and fat, with additional barrier effects against alcohol, alkaline and acidic liquids and dairy products. Further to this, its novel aqueous TPE dispersions with YUNICO technology make it possible to combine these different properties within a single dispersion – for example, specific barrier properties; tactile effects (e.g. smooth, soft, silky, rough); heat sealability in high and low temperature ranges; and certified recyclability. By compounding TPE components, ACTEGA is able to adjust variable properties and create tailored solutions which are unique to each client’s needs and compatible with various substrates from paper to aluminium. “As a worldwide market leader, we feel a real responsibility to utilize our knowledge, expertise and passion to continually innovate for solutions which benefit not only our customers but also the wider world,” continues Markus Locher. “Our entire ACTGreen Barrier Coating portfolio is designed with that at its core; pushing one step further from just formulating our products sustainably to actually developing smart, game-changing solutions that enable the production of more sustainable end products.”
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Baldwin Vision Systems unveils “Defender” Comprehensive inspection and defect tracking solution delivers ease of use, self-learning algorithms, and higher resolution to detect low-contrast defects. Baldwin Vision Systems has unveiled a new “Defender” suite of data-connected technologies to identify, track, and remove print defects. Specifically designed for wide web packaging substrates, Defender 100% Inspection is the foundation for the comprehensive defect tracking solution. Defender Data Central and Defender Waste Manager combine to function as a seamless defect detection and tracking workflow. The combination of technologies enables printers to easily deliver defect-free, perfect print quality to brand owners and print customers. Empowered with valuable production data and detailed print quality reports, printers can improve their processes and put more work through the press— reducing the need for additional presses or press time. John Cusack, Business Development Specialist for Baldwin Vision Systems, comments: “Print buyers are increasingly requiring 100% print inspection along with detailed print quality reports. The Defender technologies enable printers and converters to monitor and enhance their processes and directly improve their bottom lines. On top of that, knowing where defects are and having the tools to easily remove them greatly reduces the risk of returns, litigation, lost business, and a damaged reputation. The Defender workflow gives printers the ability to meet brand owners’ expectations, retain current customers, pursue new markets and win new business with a clear competitive advantage.”
types and different substrates. Modern, high efficiency, fan-cooled LED lighting delivers high intensity with greater image detail and low image noise. Defender Data Central offers more intelligent print inspection by using the visual maps of each inspected roll. Quality control operators can analyze for defect distribution, count, and type. Out-of-tolerance areas are identified for removal, and job-based quality reports can be generated. Defender Waste Manager can interface with rewinding, slitting, and sheeting equipment to automatically control when they stop/ reject—allowing for fast and easy removal of defective material. Defect location data speeds up the converting process by allowing operators to fast-forward to the
exact location of the defect within a roll. For all of the Defender components, powerful yet easy-to-use multi-touch interfaces require very little training to operate. New users can be trained on the app-style system in a few minutes, and print operations can be less reliant on highly skilled operators. “Our advanced, data-connected workflow gives you the ability to make strategic decisions based on facts,” said Mr. Cusack. “With the tracking workflow, it’s possible to eliminate all defects from outgoing product, providing perfect quality to brand owners. It is also possible to make tactical decisions about which defects do and do not need to be removed, based on your customers’ specifications. This ensures maximum yield and maximum profitability—job after job.”
Components of the Defender workflow include: Defender 100% Inspection utilizes the industry’s most advanced defect detection algorithms to quickly classify each defect, driving better print quality decisions. Unique self-learning algorithms monitor the capabilities of the press and automatically apply optimum inspection tolerances to each job. Job settings can be quickly modified and saved. Manual fine-tuning makes it possible to reduce false or nuisance alarms by simply adjusting sensitivity levels for multiple defect
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Sudharshan launches new Screen Printing & UV curing machines Sudharshan Machinery has completed expansion of its Chennai production facility and has introduced new semi-automatic screen printing & UV curing machines.
Sudharshan Machinery, Chennai has announced the launch of their newly designed screen printing machines, UV curing and screen making equipment. After lockdown, the company undertook a major expansion of its production facilities (1500 sq.m) in Chennai to meet the future production demands. Commenting on the launch of their new range of screen printing machinery, K Sundar Raman, Managing Director of Sudharshan Machinery said: “As an innovative company in the screen printing industry, during the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of worrying about the future, I rather spent a lot of time in redesigning our range of screen printing machines and allied equipment with added features and benefits to end-users and get ready to offer the best screen printing solutions.” The company has launched a new semiautomatic screen printing machine (18 x 22-inch print area). Branded as “Max Print,” the screen printing machine does not require a compressor and runs with a single-phase
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power supply. This model also comes in the size of 15 inches x20 inch. The Max Print 18x22 (weighing 180 kg) can accommodate the frame size of 30x 32 inch with a Bed size 23.5 x 27.5 inch. The machine runs at a speed of 900 cycle/hour. Sudharshan Machinery has also launched a new UV curing machine series, with new design and elegant look. It is offered in 12 inch / 18 inch / 20 inch / 24 inch and 30 inch configuration. Just now the company has released the 20-inch configuration UV curing machine. The semi-automatic screen printing machine and the UV curing machines are jointly required for SPOT UV and UV varnish application on offset printed commercial jobs/packaging jobs, wedding cards or even in the industrial screen printing application. The printing machine is also being used in various types of shopping bag printing. Sundar Raman, adds: “Over the years based on our customers’ feedback we have been upgrading all our machines. We redesigned all our models and in the coming months, we are going to release this new range of machines, one by one. We are pleased to
present the 18x22 inch Max Print semiautomatic screen printing machine and 20 inch UV curing machine with a new look and improved performance.” In the next coming days, the company is also planning to launch their newly designed screen exposing equipment and a new large-format exposing equipment (55 x 60 inch). Also, plans are ready to launch a 15 ft long IR dryer. Finally, Sudharshan Machinery is also set to launch their 30 inches x40 inch large format Vertical type (2 post pillar) semi-automatic screen printing machine for industrial and graphics screen printing applications such as auto decals, signage, display boards, etc. Established in 2003, Sudharshan Machinery has installed over 600 machines all over India and abroad. The company is a vendor for many renowned OEMs such as Yamaha, Royal Enfield, Whirlpool, TAFE, Henkel, Amaron, CUMINS, National Aerospace Laboratory, Shankar Sealing. In addition to its regular products, the company also offers special purpose machines for various industrial segments and applications.
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PolySense 550 release by Scodix - makes food packaging enhancement more accessible than ever with the new release. Scodix has recently announced the release of PolySense 550, a new polymer for digital enhancement developed for the food packaging industry. Compatible with the entire Scodix Ultra portfolio, the polymer is already being used by Italian Folding Carton producer, Packly, to great effect. Guy Alon, VP of R&D at Scodix, states, “Scodix enhancements create great visual impact for the brands who use them, and food packaging is no exception. The new Scodix PolySense 550 polymer broadens the Scodix portfolio while presenting customers with the ability to further differentiate themselves from the competition – which is crucial on the packed supermarket shelves. The value of adding digital enhancements to food packaging with the assurance that the printing procedure is safe for consumers according to food packaging standards is a big step forward for Scodix Ultra users.” Scodix PolySense 550 food packaging compliance refers to indirect contact for low migration. Scodix capitalized on its four years’ experience in manufacturing low migration Scodix PolySense for the Scodix E106 press – which works daily in the packaging industry. This development was validated by the world renowned SQTS Labs in Zurich Switzerland and was tested and approved according to Swiss Ordinance.
augments existing Scodix applications with the ability to apply it to food-grade packaging. It is a Packly company priority to guarantee 100 percent safe packaging in the food sector, as well as the other sectors we operate in. We strongly believe that producers must be ahead of the game and provide safe packaging for short runs without waiting for the customer to request the service. This is the reason why we are using this food compliant polymer.”
Giuseppe Prioriello, CEO and founder of Packly, states, “Scodix PolySense 550
Prioriello adds, “We are already experiencing an increase in business as brands are
personalizing their packaging while taking advantage of the shorter runs and faster lead times. With no set-up, no waste and the fast time-to-market, food packaging digital enhancement has just broadened the possibilities for the industry dramatically.” Scodix applications that can use Scodix PolySense 550 include Scodix Sense, Scodix Foil, Scodix VDE, Scodix Cast&Cure and Scodix Glitter. Types of substrates applicable include offset, HP Indigo ElectroInk and Lamination.
Celebrating 25 years of Bobst India While this year has been surprising and challenging in so many ways, BOBST celebrates 25 years of its presence in India. Since the company first began back in 1995 with just two people at a humble 600 sq ft set-up in Pune, Bobst India has grown in strength. Today it employs nearly 450 employees spread across the whole region and has a strong customer base with over 1500 machines installed to date.
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GTI & SPI events’ 2021 editions to have a ‘hybrid’ avatar Messe Frankfurt India & MEX Exhibitions announce first hybrid event for Gartex Texprocess India & Screen Print India. Gartex Texprocess India is all set to be launched as a ‘hybrid’ event in 2021. A significant event in the textile trade calendars, the 2021 edition will be held alongside yet another premier fair for screen, textile, sublimation and digital printing technologies – Screen Print India thus bringing the entire textile value chain together for business through their new hybrid format. In conjunction with MEX Exhibitions, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India announced that Gartex Texprocess India will be the first textile sector exhibition to take the hybrid route. Scheduled alongside Messe Frankfurt’s Screen Print India fair after a hiatus of one year due to trade and travel disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, both Mumbai and Delhi editions aim to bring the entire textile value chain together through their new co-located and hybrid formats. A year after textile and printing sectors were hit by unprecedented business challenges, the much-awaited Mumbai edition is set to bring industry players face-to-face with new opportunities from 18 to 20 March at the Bombay Exhibition Centre. However, with the on-going travel restrictions that are still in place globally, the new-age multimodal exhibition will allow screen printing and textile sector exhibitors and visitors to take full advantage of both physical interactions and virtual networking opportunities. The hybrid format for both the fairs are being specially curated by the organisers with live product demonstration features to allow exhibitors to showcase their innovations and new product range to buyers who may be unable to attend the physical fair, thus ensuring dual access to trade opportunities. A first for the Indian subsidiary, Mr Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member, Messe Frankfurt Asia Holdings shared: “We are delighted to announce our first hybrid venture for the co-located shows – Gartex Texprocess India & Screen Print India that will offer an intelligent combination of digital and physical interactions for business exchange. The textile and printing businesses
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thrives on the ‘touch-and-feel’ aspect of networking which makes the physical trade fair the number one choice for buyers. However, its virtual features will be the perfect extension to expand exhibitor visibility and networking opportunities with buyers.” Highlighting the synergic effects, Mr Gaurav Juneja, Director, MEX Exhibitions added: “The demand to meet in-person for business networking is strong and I believe the hybrid format together with its co-location with Screen Print India fair will create the perfect
business synergy for the sector. We are looking forward to welcoming the entire industry for a successful first hybrid edition and are confident it will provide multi-fold trade opportunities to the sector.”
New Delhi edition of Gartex Texprocess India & Screen print India rescheduled to August 2021 In order to keep the trade momentum going in the second half of the buying calendar, the organisers have also confirmed that the New Delhi edition of the co-located fairs
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(initially slated in December 2020) will now be rescheduled to 6 – 8 August 2021 at Pragati Maidan with its new hybrid format. Both Mumbai and Delhi editions will allow fair goers to explore a wide range of features like targeted business matchmaking, realtime video calling, scheduling meetings in advance, live knowledge sessions through the digital platform alongside the traditional physical event.
An all-inclusive show that meets end-to-end business goals As the world was gripped with the Covid
crisis, the textile industry stood as a leading force driving need-of-the-hour textile product innovations in the market. The two premier fairs scheduled alongside each other can, therefore, open a gamut of new business opportunities. While the focus segments under Gartex Texprocess India will draw attention to innovations in garmenting & apparel machinery, Screen Print India will track technological advances in digital textile and screen-printing technologies. Prominent highlights of the show include Denim Show,
Embroidery Zone, Garmenting & Apparel Machinery Zone, Digitex Show, India Laundry Show and Fabrics & Trims Show. Together, the platform will also host a series of insightful sessions aiming to keep the industry abreast with the latest developments in textile, garment machinery and screen printing.
Show Dates • •
GTI & SPI (Mumbai Editions): 18 – 20 March 2021 GTI & SPI (New Delhi Editions): 6 – 8 August 2021
FESPA Spain recognizes Sistrade with the VI RAMÓN SAYANS AWARD and generosity in sharing creativity and knowledge with other companies since the beginning of the pandemic.
Sistrade was awarded with the Special Edition 2020 Award for its effort, collaboration
The awards ceremony took place on November 13 in the webinars C! Print Days, where the association FESPA Spain organized a special edition of the Ramón Sayans Awards that recognizes in every year the best works of visual communication in the various categories, but this year honoured all companies in the sector that developed projects to adapt to the situation
that we live on 2020. SISTRADE is an international information systems engineering and consulting company, with offices and branches in various countries. During 20 years of its activity, SISTRADE has always bet on software for vertical markets, and currently has customers in more than 24 countries on 4 continents. SISTRADE is a company certified in ISO 9001 and NP 4457 standards (Quality and innovation).
Country’s first 3D Printed building by L&T Construction The company hopes to boost mass housing construction with the new technology. A 3D printed building with a built up area of 700 sq. feet has been created at L&T Construction’s Kanchipuram facility. It is country’s first building created with 3D printing technology and with reinforcement. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has 3D printed a G+1 (Ground plus one) at Kanchipuram. Though globally the use of 3D printing in concrete construction is fairly new and has just a few examples, L&T Construction, the construction arm of the $21 billion technology, engineering & construction conglomerate, Larsen & Toubro, sees it as a huge success to realize mass housing goals for the homeless. The country has set an objective of creating 60 million houses under the Housing for All by 2022 programme and the use of 3D printing in building houses for masses, says
the company, will give a huge fillip to mass housing. Giving further details, it says, “The 3D printed building has been built with a special, in-house developed concrete mix using indigenously available regular construction materials. The building was printed with both vertical reinforcement bars and horizontal distributors using welded mesh, that satisfy provisions in the Indian Codes and optimise the cost of construction. Barring the horizontal slab members, the entire building structure was 3D printed ‘Cast in Situ’ at the job site in an ‘open to sky’ environment within 106 printing hours, using a fully
automated 3D printer.” Earlier in November 2019, the team had 3D printed a 240 sq. feet, 1 BHK apartment, in line with typical EWS building layout, to explore the feasibility of this innovative technology.
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Shirtworks Adopts Kornit Digital DTG Also installs Kornit Workflow software solution to grow sustainable, on-demand fulfilment operation. Kornit Digital, a worldwide provider of digital textile printing technology, announced Oxford, United Kingdom-based Shirtworks is implementing a Kornit Digital directto-garment (DTG) production system for sustainable, on-demand fulfilment.In addition to implementing Kornit DTG technology, Shirtworks has also purchased the new Kornit Workflow software solution, a product resulting from Kornit’s recent acquisition of U.K.-based Custom Gateway. The software, which provides end-to-end management capabilities of the production process (from online store to shipping logistics), helps brands and fulfillers streamline their operations, for increased efficiency, accountability, control, and visibility—an ideal match for the speed, versatility, and retail quality demands of the e-commerce consumer market in which Shirtworks operates. Shirtworks services brands and consumers on five continents, and in addition to delivering superior quality in rapid time, prides itself on being one the first European print shop accredited “Organic” by the Soil Association for both embroidery and screen printing, using “fair trade” materials, and paying all employees the Real Living Wage rather than the national minimum living wage. They offer a wide variety of personalized apparel and workwear, including sportswear, sweatshirts, caps, jackets, children’s wear, and other pieces. “Shirtworks supplies decorated garments to all industries,” says Arron Harnden, the brand’s Managing Director. “We have a very diverse customer base, from consumers ordering one-offs to small brands and ethical-conscious B2Bs needing up to a thousand pieces or more. We are known as an ethical decorator, GOTS-approved for both screen and embroidery.” Having supplemented its screen-printing capabilities with embroidery, Shirtworks believes Kornit will enable them to produce lower volumes of garments they would traditionally screen-print,in a manner that meets their quality standards and is profitable
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in all quantities. Harnden expects the Kornit system to help reduce their wage costs, while meeting the very high quality control standards necessary to maintain strong customer service. Kornit’s DTG technology uses a proprietary single-step print process and eco-friendly pigment inks that produce no waste water, imprint a variety of fabrics at the push of a button, and deliver vibrant, photorealistic digital impressions with a durability for wash, rub, and light fastness. As the system requires virtually no setup time or labor, print costs are low and consistent, making runs profitable from the first piece, simplifying the production of samples, and making any design specifications repeatable with precision. A piece can be imprinted, dried, and ready to ship or wear in mere minutes. “We turned to Kornit because it offered a one-process solution, and its inks are GOTS-approved, which is very important to us,” says Harnden. “Being able to match Pantones is also very important to us, and key to moving our screen-print clients over to DTG. We also wanted a retail-ready product that would enable us to expand into drop shipping.” “Shirtworks was one of the first screen-print shops to establish their own website, and it’s
that spirit of looking forward and anticipating customer needs that led them to supplement their production capabilities with efficient, eco-friendly Kornit systems,” says Chris Govier, KDEU Managing Director. “Kornit prides itself on developing technology that offers speed, quality, and versatility, while answering the demand for more sustainable and responsible business practices. We’re proud to give Shirtworks the capabilities they need to grow their operation in the ondemand, e-commerce marketplace, while staying true to their mission and reputation.”
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FESPA 2021 gets postponed The FESPA Global Print Expo scheduled for October 2021 in Amsterdam gets postponed along with co-located European Sign Expo due to ongoing COVID related uncertainties. FESPA has postponed its 2021 Global Print Expo and the co-located European Sign Expo from March until October 2021, while remaining at the same venue, the RAI exhibition centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The move follows confirmation that all international exhibitions in the RAI calendar have been moved out of Q1 and rescheduled into Q2 or later. This reflects ongoing uncertainty over COVID-related travel restrictions and visitor quarantine arrangements in The Netherlands, and the risk that these could continue to affect exhibitors and visitors through early 2021. The FESPA events will now take place from 12-15 October 2021 in the same halls of the RAI, enabling FESPA to transition the current floor plan to the later date. The delay to October has strong support from the exhibitor base, who understand the clear rationale of addressing the risk that exhibitor personnel and visitors may still be unable to travel freely into Amsterdam in early March 2021. Neil Felton, FESPA CEO explains: “The
decision to push the event back by seven months doesn’t dent our exhibitors’ enthusiasm for a live FESPA exhibition as the engine for business recovery. Nor does it reflect any concerns about delivering a COVID-secure event. Rigorous health and safety protocols are in place with the RAI, and we’re confident of protecting our exhibitors and visitors to the best of our professional ability.” He continues: “However, the situation regarding cross-border travel into The Netherlands is uncertain at this point. Since our exhibitors are now at the point of having
to make detailed logistical plans and commit further costs to be at our events, we believe that the right step is to move to our October 2021 contingency dates, enabling us and our participants to plan with greater confidence.” The majority of Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo exhibitors will simply transfer their contracts to the alternative dates, and several suppliers whose company policies precluded them from participating in March 2021 have indicated that they would be keen to exhibit at an Autumn event.
Events Calendar Shaping the Future of Books 2021
Fespa Global Print Expo
China Print 2021
Date: 11 Feb 2021 at 11:00 CET Venue: Online Event (Webinar) Organised by Intergraf
Date: 09 MAR -21 to 12 MAR - 21 Venue: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Date: 23 JUN -21 to 27 JUN-21 Venue: New China International Exhibition Center, Beijing, China
Printing South China 2021
Screen Print India
Date: 04 MAR -21 to 06 MAR - 21 Venue: China Import and Export Fair Guangzhou, China
Date: 18 MAR -21 to 20 MAR - 21 Venue: Bombay Exhibition Centre Goregaon(E), Mumbai, India
Labelexpo India
Media Expo Mumbai
Virtual.drupa 2021
Date: 04 MAR -21 to 06 MAR - 21 Venue: Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre Mumbai, India
Date: 20 APR -21 to 23 APR - 21 Venue: digital event (online)
Date: 16 NOV -21 to 19 NOV-21 Venue: India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR, India
Readers are required to confirm the dates of the exhibition from the organizers. This is a reader service provided by PRESSIdeas and the company cannot be held responsible for any error or omission. If your event is not listed in the above list, kindly write to us at info@pressideas.com with subject as event and we shall gladly be including the same as above.
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