YPS has invited Mimaki distributor Hybrid Services and packaging software supplier FFEI on to its stand for the show in Harrogate from 14 to 16 May, said the former’s managing director Garry Brown. “Our plan is to combine our experience in the commercial print market with our expertise in wide-format digital inkjet,” he said. “We will show a full packaging prototyping workflow and versatile digital proofing process, plus routes into lucrative new market areas such as signage and promotional items.” A Mimaki UJF-6042 A2 digital flat-bed printer and CF2-1218 cutter will execute complex packaging prototypes. Designs can be visualised on the FFEI RealVue 3D packager application, simulating all aspects of the intended printed design. “This simplification of the prototype creation process engenders significant time and cost savings while belying impressive power for the refinement of artwork data,” he explained. Package designs will be transferred to the Mimaki FineCut suite, which aids precise offline cutting before printing. The UJF-6042’s flexible UV-curable ink set ensures complex folds and creases without leaving cracks on the print “We will create packaging using 3D software in a demo that involves printing and cutting right through to the finished thing,” said Brown, adding the “real eye opener” at the show would be the software. “People can be naïve on technology and how it features in their market. Conventional packaging printers tend to be up on software but they are not that up to speed on how easy and accessible the digital technology is to them.” Printers looking to refine their packaging proofing workflows will see the Mimaki CJV30-60 integrated print-and-cut engine, producing four-colour print plus metallic and white onto a diverse array of substrates, including metallic foil. Also on the stand will be the Mimaki JV33-130 1.3m wide-format machine. Hybrid Services national sales manager John de la Roche said: “YPS has made a great impact and we’re delighted they’ll be flying the Mimaki and Hybrid Services flag so visibly at North Print and Pack this year. “What we hope to deliver to the market our true commercial propositions for printers looking to refine, reinvent or expand their business.”...

YPS has invited Mimaki distributor Hybrid Services and packaging software supplier FFEI on to its stand for the show in Harrogate from 14 to 16 May, said the former’s managing director Garry Brown. “Our plan is to combine our experience in the commercial print market with our expertise in wide-format digital inkjet,” he said. “We will show a full packaging prototyping workflow and versatile digital proofing process, plus routes into lucrative new market areas such as signage and promotional items.” A Mimaki UJF-6042 A2 digital flat-bed printer and CF2-1218 cutter will execute complex packaging prototypes. Designs can be visualised on the FFEI RealVue 3D packager application, simulating all aspects of the intended printed design. “This simplification of the prototype creation process engenders significant time and cost savings while belying impressive power for the refinement of artwork data,” he explained. Package designs will be transferred to the Mimaki FineCut suite, which aids precise offline cutting before printing. The UJF-6042’s flexible UV-curable ink set ensures complex folds and creases without leaving cracks on the print “We will create packaging using 3D software in a demo that involves printing and cutting right through to the finished thing,” said Brown, adding the “real eye opener” at the show would be the software. “People can be naïve on technology and how it features in their market. Conventional packaging printers tend to be up on software but they are not that up to speed on how easy and accessible the digital technology is to them.” Printers looking to refine their packaging proofing workflows will see the Mimaki CJV30-60 integrated print-and-cut engine, producing four-colour print plus metallic and white onto a diverse array of substrates, including metallic foil. Also on the stand will be the Mimaki JV33-130 1.3m wide-format machine. Hybrid Services national sales manager John de la Roche said: “YPS has made a great impact and we’re delighted they’ll be flying the Mimaki and Hybrid Services flag so visibly at North Print and Pack this year. “What we hope to deliver to the market our true commercial propositions for printers looking to refine, reinvent or expand their business.”...

Unveiled in 2009, the EFG is a loan guarantee scheme whereby the government pledged at the time it was launched to lend £1.3bn of guarantees to banks lending to companies with a turnover of up to £25m and that were unable to obtain loans through traditional means. Since its launch the scheme has been criticised for being ineffective and not getting through to those companies that need it. In response, over the last 12 months the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), which administers the scheme, has changed the eligibility criteria to try to improve its performance. Adjustments include increasing company turnover to £41m, replacing the £1m per business lifetime scheme limit with a rolling £1m outstanding limit and raising the level from 13% to 20% of the lenders’ annual lending portfolio to which the government guarantee applies. Additionally business minister Michael Fallon wrote to all subscribed lenders, of which there are more than 40, urging them to improve lending levels and publicly named those that were failing to make full use of the scheme. According to new figures the combined lending of all those participating in the scheme rose from £71.6m in Q3 2012/13 to £91.7m in Q4, the highest level since September 2011. The total number of loans offered increased from 767 in Q3 to 885 in Q4. However a year-on-year comparison showed that lending was up just £7.2m on Q4 2011/2012 with 92 more offers. Bank of Scotland (BoS) and Santander, which were among the worst performers last year, reported “significant increases” in lending through EFG, offering 20 and 31 loans respectively in Q4 2012/13 compared to just seven and one in the same period last year. This still compares poorly however to the likes of HSBC, Lloyds and Barclays whose loan offers during those periods were in the hundreds. Fallon said the increase in lending through the EFG that banks were reporting must remain steady: “This is an important step towards increasing the finance small firms can access. Some banks are working harder, and they should be recognised for that. “It’s important this isn’t a one-off. Banks must continue to improve their use of EFG. Access to finance is a crucial issue to SMEs and economic growth will depend on businesses having the certainty that banks are lending. “This increase needs to be maintained to improve business confidence and demonstrate that responsible lending can still take place.” Since its launch total EFG lending stands at £2.14bn with 20,903 SMEs having been offered loans....

The warning was prompted by last week’s announcement the supermarket was relaunching some of its ranges of prepared meals, snacks and sandwiches as part of a new “Waitrose Way Commitments” corporate social responsibility initiative. A Waitrose spokeswoman said: “The relaunch of ranges of prepared meals and snacks was a great opportunity to relaunch the packaging. Our in-house graphic design team and internal packaging team will have worked very closely with suppliers.” The supermarket is to reduce sleeve sizes, increase plastic window sizes and remove trays in a bid to cut packing by 100 tonnes every year. But previous attempts by others to reduce packaging have backfired, experts warn. Chesapeake head of marketing Bob Houghton said: “This is very ambitious but will it work? People have tried reducing packing before, such as toothpaste cartons, only to find the product didn’t display very well and have to revert back quickly. “Packaging is there for a reason, such as protection and display of information required by law. It also adds gift value, so if you take it away you take away some of the value, which sounds odd for Waitrose, which sells high-value items.” He added: “Impact on the industry is hard to say; inevitably there will be lower volumes for the sector. It could prompt innovation from packagers, but I’m concerned this is a green initiative that makes good headlines but might not deliver.” BPIF Cartons general manager Neal Whipp said: “Waitrose is likely to increase food waste in preparation by reducing packaging. It’s always possible to cut packaging but there will be consequences: packaging is not waste, it’s part of the product. Reductions in packaging weight have already been carried out by most manufacturers.” The Menu from Waitrose has been relaunched with new packaging for all 49 products in the range. Width of sleeves has been decreased to cut 33 tonnes of packaging per year, equivalent to a 20% overall weight saving. “It is also the first time that a retailer has introduced aluminium trays, lacquered both internally and externally, for ready meals, allowing customers to cook and serve meals in the same tray and are still able to recycle it after use,” said the retailer’s spokeswoman. The Good to Go range of 190 snacks meanwhile was re-launched to cut packaging by 25 tonnes per year. Changes include increasing the size of clear windows to allow better visibility of the product, cutting 11 tonnes of packaging per year. Pre-printed bags for fruit portions were also changed, saving 60% of the weight by taking off the label. Flow wrap has been rolled out for all meat including lamb and pork. Removing the tray saves 38 tonnes of packaging per year –...

The preliminary figures for the year to 31 March 2013 were described as a “key milestone” on the route back to sustainable profitability by chief executive Gerold Linzbach. Sales at the group rose 5% to €2.7bn (£2.3bn), while operating profit prior to special items jumped from €3m to €28m. Costs of €65m associated with its Focus 2012 restructuring programme, together with other as-yet-unspecified charges, put the manufacturer’s preliminary loss for the year at €110m. In the prior year Heidelberg lost more than double that, at €230m. The group’s fourth quarter results for the three months to the end of March also showed a marked improvement, with sales rising 5.7% to €830m and operating profits prior to exceptionals increasing from €22m to €60m. Linzbach said that in meeting its forecast for the year, Heidelberg had reached “a key milestone on our way to profitability”. “Focus 2012 lays the foundation for us to start making a profit again from financial year 2013/2014 onwards,” he stated. During the period Heidelberg “intensified” a number of Focus 2012 measures to secure its profitability targets. Spokesman Thomas Fichtl explained that this included additional actions such as rationalising the sales and service operation in its home market. “In the process of executing the programme we saw other opportunities. For example, in Germany the number of sales regions has gone from five to three, making it more efficient and flexible,” he said. Year-on-year Heidelberg reduced its workforce by a further 1,200 positions, to 14,215. Heidelberg’s share price had risen to a 52-week high of €2.22 in February (low: €0.94). The shares have subsequently slipped back, and were at €1.80 at the time of writing. Heidelberg will publish its full results on 13 June....