With seven months to go before the 20-23 May 2014 event, exhibitors have already booked a combined 14,586sqm of floor space, up more than 5% on Barcelona 2012’s net exhibitor space of 13,844sqm. This represents 86% of the total 17,000sqm available at the Messe München and Fespa said it was aiming to sell the remaining 14% in full by the time the doors open on the wide format show next May. Of the exhibitors that have already signed up, 23% are newcomers to the show, while a third of repeat visitors are set to “significantly increase the size of their stand compared to Fespa Digital 2012” the organiser claimed. Managing director of Fespa Neil Felton said:”The fact that nearly a quarter of Fespa Digital 2014 floor plan is filled with companies who have never exhibited at Fespa before is brilliant news, because it means that even regular visitors to Fespa are guaranteed to pick up fresh perspectives and innovations. “With specialist brands across the full print spectrum, visitors to Munich next May will be able to immerse themselves in all aspects of the wide format production process from start to finish. Coupled with our world class educational features, Fespa Digital 2014 will be unmissable.” Fespa reported a rise in finishing specialists for the 2014 show, including Elitron, Esko, Fotoba and Zund, as well as digital textile printers, including d.gen, Kornit, MS Italy,Reggiani Machine and Stork. Other confirmed exhibitors include EFI, Flexa, KIP, Kaspar Papir, MS, Multicam, POD/MTEX, Print Equipment, Reflectiv, Shenzhen Handtop and Texo Trade Services. “The wide format community’s support for Fespa as an organisation and exhibition organiser is phenomenal,” said Felton. “Exhibitors tell us that they participate in Fespa events around the globe because they see our commitment to being consistently relevant in today’s market and they appreciate the fact that we’re never complacent about the visitor experience.”...

With seven months to go before the 20-23 May 2014 event, exhibitors have already booked a combined 14,586sqm of floor space, up more than 5% on Barcelona 2012’s net exhibitor space of 13,844sqm. This represents 86% of the total 17,000sqm available at the Messe München and Fespa said it was aiming to sell the remaining 14% in full by the time the doors open on the wide format show next May. Of the exhibitors that have already signed up, 23% are newcomers to the show, while a third of repeat visitors are set to “significantly increase the size of their stand compared to Fespa Digital 2012” the organiser claimed. Managing director of Fespa Neil Felton said:”The fact that nearly a quarter of Fespa Digital 2014 floor plan is filled with companies who have never exhibited at Fespa before is brilliant news, because it means that even regular visitors to Fespa are guaranteed to pick up fresh perspectives and innovations. “With specialist brands across the full print spectrum, visitors to Munich next May will be able to immerse themselves in all aspects of the wide format production process from start to finish. Coupled with our world class educational features, Fespa Digital 2014 will be unmissable.” Fespa reported a rise in finishing specialists for the 2014 show, including Elitron, Esko, Fotoba and Zund, as well as digital textile printers, including d.gen, Kornit, MS Italy,Reggiani Machine and Stork. Other confirmed exhibitors include EFI, Flexa, KIP, Kaspar Papir, MS, Multicam, POD/MTEX, Print Equipment, Reflectiv, Shenzhen Handtop and Texo Trade Services. “The wide format community’s support for Fespa as an organisation and exhibition organiser is phenomenal,” said Felton. “Exhibitors tell us that they participate in Fespa events around the globe because they see our commitment to being consistently relevant in today’s market and they appreciate the fact that we’re never complacent about the visitor experience.”...

SBS board prices will rise by €75/tonne effective from 15 November 2013. “We have seen a gradual continuing increase in the costs of raw materials required to manufacture our SBS board,” said Rosemarie Asquino, Sappi Europe sales and marketing director, Speciality Papers. “We understand that this may cause some difficulty for customers, who are also facing their own pricing instability. However, it is critical that we are able to continue to provide the highest quality board that will enable our customers to meet and exceed their packaging needs. “This price increase will ensure that our manufacturing dynamics are sustainable and that we can continue to deliver the exceptional quality materials and services our customers have come to expect from Sappi.” Sappi said that the main markets for its SBS board were: premium packaging, including perfume, beauty care, confectionary, luxury drinks and cosmetics; and premium graphic packaging, including POS, books, inserts, posters, displays and greetings cards....

The organization has issued guidance on the EU 10/2011 regulation on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, which came into force on 1 January 2013 and replaced Commission Directive 2002/72/EC and national legislation based on that directive. Under the new legislation both direct food contact labels furnished with a plastic layer, as well as plastic labels applied to food packaging, require Declarations of Conformity (DoCs) stating which controlled but authorised substances are present in their make-up. While the ultimate responsibility for checking that the packaging as a whole conforms to EU 10/2011, Finat stressed that label printers would be required to provide DoCs for their labels to enable tests for restricted substance levels and migration behaviour in specific environmental conditions to be carried out. This means that food label printers supplying into the EU will need to secure DoCs from their labelstock and ink suppliers to be able to compile their own DoCs, which must also incorporate conformance information about any curing processes used during label production. “It should be noted that the enactment of these regulations means that printers unable to supply DoCs cannot now be accepted as part of the end user’s supply chain, and may also leave themselves open to the financial repercussions of a product recall,” said Finat. “It is therefore essential for label printers to be proactive in obtaining and supplying the necessary documentation if they are to retain their place as responsible and viable links in the broader professional packaging chain.” According to Finat, the purpose of the regulation is to harmonise the different legislation that has existed previously within individual member states and make it easier for different countries to deal with each other in terms of the shipping of goods. Finat president Kurt Walker said: “Clear communication in the food packaging supply chain has become essential. It is important for food label printers to discuss the intended application – directly on the food or on the outside of the food packaging- with the end customer to ensure the label is produced with the right inks and materials to conform with the food regulation rules for that particular application.”...

The organization has issued guidance on the EU 10/2011 regulation on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, which came into force on 1 January 2013 and replaced Commission Directive 2002/72/EC and national legislation based on that directive. Under the new legislation both direct food contact labels furnished with a plastic layer, as well as plastic labels applied to food packaging, require Declarations of Conformity (DoCs) stating which controlled but authorised substances are present in their make-up. While the ultimate responsibility for checking that the packaging as a whole conforms to EU 10/2011, Finat stressed that label printers would be required to provide DoCs for their labels to enable tests for restricted substance levels and migration behaviour in specific environmental conditions to be carried out. This means that food label printers supplying into the EU will need to secure DoCs from their labelstock and ink suppliers to be able to compile their own DoCs, which must also incorporate conformance information about any curing processes used during label production. “It should be noted that the enactment of these regulations means that printers unable to supply DoCs cannot now be accepted as part of the end user’s supply chain, and may also leave themselves open to the financial repercussions of a product recall,” said Finat. “It is therefore essential for label printers to be proactive in obtaining and supplying the necessary documentation if they are to retain their place as responsible and viable links in the broader professional packaging chain.” According to Finat, the purpose of the regulation is to harmonise the different legislation that has existed previously within individual member states and make it easier for different countries to deal with each other in terms of the shipping of goods. Finat president Kurt Walker said: “Clear communication in the food packaging supply chain has become essential. It is important for food label printers to discuss the intended application – directly on the food or on the outside of the food packaging- with the end customer to ensure the label is produced with the right inks and materials to conform with the food regulation rules for that particular application.”...