Drytac acquires US-based Multi-Tac
The business, based in Toronto, manufactures pressure-sensitive adhesive coated products for wide-format inkjet printing, offset, screen printing and laminating films. It operates two coating lines in Canada and serves the flexible packaging, graphic arts and label markets predominantly. Drytac Europe managing director Hayden Kelley said the combined operation would result in improved efficiencies, greater flexibility and shorter development time from customer concept to finished products. He added: “With expertise in a variety of industrial and label markets this acquisition positions Drytac for expansion into markets that require more sophisticated adhesive coatings.” He said that in addition to its existing range range of branded and OEM films and adhesives, Drytac could now offer aqueous, solvent and hot melt coatings suitable for a variety of substrates. Multi-Tac customers in Europe and the Middle East will now source their products from UK-based Drytac....
read more3D Printshow steps up in size and features
The London show will take place at the Business Design Centre, Islington, from 7 to 9 November before relocating to Paris a week later and to New York next February. The event focuses on live demonstrations, workshops and seminars and is for business and consumers. Last year’s inaugural event was held at the much smaller London venue, the Brewery, attracting 4,000 visitors and show founder Kerry Hogarth said that following feedback from the show’s attendees 15,000 tickets were going on sale for 2013’s exhibition. Optimism this year reflected burgeoning interest in this expanding sector, she said. “Last year a lot of conventional printers came to the show to see if they could get involved in 3D printing in future,” she said. “So this year we expect many to be looking at how to bring a 3D printer to their business for prototyping. “The likes of Amazon are looking at 3D printing and as we see this technology getting bigger in retail it is likely to impact resellers of machines who may look at developing distribution of 3D print. Large-format and large corporate printers may start to look at 3D print modelling.” Exhibitors include 3D printer suppliers MakerBot, Mcor and Ultimaker, software firm Autodesk, Laser Lines, the supplier of lasers, rapid prototyping kit and vacuum casting gear, EuroPac 3D, supplier of scanners, printers and measurement software and consultant Econolyst. Live demonstrations would play a core part of this year’s event, she said. Workshops will show off scanners, 3D printers and art applications, while a new design and art gallery will be the world’s biggest, displaying work from 50 creative professionals, she said. Also new will be a consumer home and food hall, decked out in 3D printed wallpapers. The first day of the show will be targeted at high-end print applications, the second will feature a conference for brands keen on the technology, with the last day aimed at consumers. Visit www.3dprintshow.com...
read more3D Printshow steps up in size and features
The London show will take place at the Business Design Centre, Islington, from 7 to 9 November before relocating to Paris a week later and to New York next February. The event focuses on live demonstrations, workshops and seminars and is for business and consumers. Last year’s inaugural event was held at the much smaller London venue, the Brewery, attracting 4,000 visitors and show founder Kerry Hogarth said that following feedback from the show’s attendees 15,000 tickets were going on sale for 2013’s exhibition. Optimism this year reflected burgeoning interest in this expanding sector, she said. “Last year a lot of conventional printers came to the show to see if they could get involved in 3D printing in future,” she said. “So this year we expect many to be looking at how to bring a 3D printer to their business for prototyping. “The likes of Amazon are looking at 3D printing and as we see this technology getting bigger in retail it is likely to impact resellers of machines who may look at developing distribution of 3D print. Large-format and large corporate printers may start to look at 3D print modelling.” Exhibitors include 3D printer suppliers MakerBot, Mcor and Ultimaker, software firm Autodesk, Laser Lines, the supplier of lasers, rapid prototyping kit and vacuum casting gear, EuroPac 3D, supplier of scanners, printers and measurement software and consultant Econolyst. Live demonstrations would play a core part of this year’s event, she said. Workshops will show off scanners, 3D printers and art applications, while a new design and art gallery will be the world’s biggest, displaying work from 50 creative professionals, she said. Also new will be a consumer home and food hall, decked out in 3D printed wallpapers. The first day of the show will be targeted at high-end print applications, the second will feature a conference for brands keen on the technology, with the last day aimed at consumers. Visit www.3dprintshow.com...
read moreWyndeham extends FT contract
Wyndeham has printed the FT‘s magazines for more than 15 years and under the new agreement is set to continue until at least May 2016. The group has also secured the contract to print FT titles Financial Adviser, Money Management, Professional Wealth Management and Investment Adviser, which are currently printed at Polestar Colchester. Printing will be split between its Heron and Peterborough sites and will begin in September. The titles will join Wyndeham’s existing FT portfolio, comprising FT Weekend Magazine, This Is Africa, The Banker, How To Spend It and Investors Chronicle. Printing is split between its Heron, Roche and Peterborough sites. FT head of operational procurement Denise Macklin said: “We are pleased to have consolidated our magazine printing portfolio with Wyndeham Group and look forward to continuing our successful partnership in the future.” Wyndeham chief executive Paul Utting said: “The Financial Times has a very happy relationship with us and they felt the levels of service and our vision for the future was preferential to their current options. “We are really pleased to have agreed this bigger deal. Our success with this contract shows that our strategy is appropriate for the market we serve and that we are well placed for the long term.” This latest contract win follows Wyndeham’s announcement in May that it has extended its contract to print The Economist for a further three years. The title is printed at its Peterborough site....
read moreWyndeham extends FT contract
Wyndeham has printed the FT‘s magazines for more than 15 years and under the new agreement is set to continue until at least May 2016. The group has also secured the contract to print FT titles Financial Adviser, Money Management, Professional Wealth Management and Investment Adviser, which are currently printed at Polestar Colchester. Printing will be split between its Heron and Peterborough sites and will begin in September. The titles will join Wyndeham’s existing FT portfolio, comprising FT Weekend Magazine, This Is Africa, The Banker, How To Spend It and Investors Chronicle. Printing is split between its Heron, Roche and Peterborough sites. FT head of operational procurement Denise Macklin said: “We are pleased to have consolidated our magazine printing portfolio with Wyndeham Group and look forward to continuing our successful partnership in the future.” Wyndeham chief executive Paul Utting said: “The Financial Times has a very happy relationship with us and they felt the levels of service and our vision for the future was preferential to their current options. “We are really pleased to have agreed this bigger deal. Our success with this contract shows that our strategy is appropriate for the market we serve and that we are well placed for the long term.” This latest contract win follows Wyndeham’s announcement in May that it has extended its contract to print The Economist for a further three years. The title is printed at its Peterborough site....
read moreNext generation code printers from Videojet boost speed and quality
The devices are the third offering in the Videojet 1000 series of inkjet printers. “Typical applications include beverage and canning and other high-code content demands, such as the dairy sector,” said Videojet business unit manager Jose Gomez. The new UHS printers were over 40% faster than their predecessor technology, the Videojet Excel UHS, he added. Several companies, including Britvic, have trialled the kit on their packaging. Single line maximum speed of the kit is 508m per minute; dual-line top speed is 212m per minute, while tri-line capacity is 179m per minute. Other key features include CleanFlow technology to resist ink build-up, reducing downtime and offering intervals of up to 14,000 hours between maintenance cycles, according to the manufacturer. There is no difference between the speed of the printers, however the 1650 UHS has an advanced user interface including a 10.4in touchscreen. It also has code-assurance and on-board productivity tools to help reduce coding errors. “The introduction of the 1620 UHS and 1650 UHS now provides customers with an answer to the traditional problem of balancing the need for high-content codes and high-quality print at ever increasing production line speeds,” said Gomez. He added: “We are dedicated to continuously working toward reducing the frequency and length of both planned and unplanned downtime so our printers are performing at maximum ability and readiness.”...
read moreNext generation code printers from Videojet boost speed and quality
The devices are the third offering in the Videojet 1000 series of inkjet printers. “Typical applications include beverage and canning and other high-code content demands, such as the dairy sector,” said Videojet business unit manager Jose Gomez. The new UHS printers were over 40% faster than their predecessor technology, the Videojet Excel UHS, he added. Several companies, including Britvic, have trialled the kit on their packaging. Single line maximum speed of the kit is 508m per minute; dual-line top speed is 212m per minute, while tri-line capacity is 179m per minute. Other key features include CleanFlow technology to resist ink build-up, reducing downtime and offering intervals of up to 14,000 hours between maintenance cycles, according to the manufacturer. There is no difference between the speed of the printers, however the 1650 UHS has an advanced user interface including a 10.4in touchscreen. It also has code-assurance and on-board productivity tools to help reduce coding errors. “The introduction of the 1620 UHS and 1650 UHS now provides customers with an answer to the traditional problem of balancing the need for high-content codes and high-quality print at ever increasing production line speeds,” said Gomez. He added: “We are dedicated to continuously working toward reducing the frequency and length of both planned and unplanned downtime so our printers are performing at maximum ability and readiness.”...
read moreRoyal visit for Gomer
The Duchess is the patron of the Public Catalogue Foundation (PCF) charity for which the Llandysul printer recently won a previously China-based print contract through a competitive tender. The PCF’s remit is to produce printed and online records cataloguing every oil painting in public ownership in the UK. Under the agreement, Gomer will produce in-house more than 90 400-page, full-colour, case-bound regional catalogues for the organisation. They will be printed on 150gsm Lumi silk paper, with satin coating, on Gomer’s four-colour B1 Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106. Arriving by helicopter, the Duchess was given a tour of the site before officially launching the first five volumes, which cover The National Museum of Wales, The National Library of Wales, North and Mid Wales, South Wales and West Wales. Gomer managing director Jonathan Lewis said: “It was a real coup to win this work and we were delighted when Her Royal Highness confirmed she would visit us. “It was a perfect opportunity to showcase our factory after significant investment in the printroom and bindery last year. The work is full-colour, high-pagination, quality-critical and case-bound, so a perfect fit for us as it can all be produced in-house.” On repatriating its print contract from China, PCF founder Fred Hohler said: “We chose Gomer as print partner because of a combination of price, quality and service. As a charity we have to look carefully at costs, but because of the nature of the project we were very keen to print here in the UK. He added: “It was a happy coincidence that the first titles to be printed in Wales were the five volumes covering Wales and fantastic that our patron The Duchess of Cornwall could be present to launch these important books.”...
read moreRoyal visit for Gomer
The Duchess is the patron of the Public Catalogue Foundation (PCF) charity for which the Llandysul printer recently won a previously China-based print contract through a competitive tender. The PCF’s remit is to produce printed and online records cataloguing every oil painting in public ownership in the UK. Under the agreement, Gomer will produce in-house more than 90 400-page, full-colour, case-bound regional catalogues for the organisation. They will be printed on 150gsm Lumi silk paper, with satin coating, on Gomer’s four-colour B1 Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106. Arriving by helicopter, the Duchess was given a tour of the site before officially launching the first five volumes, which cover The National Museum of Wales, The National Library of Wales, North and Mid Wales, South Wales and West Wales. Gomer managing director Jonathan Lewis said: “It was a real coup to win this work and we were delighted when Her Royal Highness confirmed she would visit us. “It was a perfect opportunity to showcase our factory after significant investment in the printroom and bindery last year. The work is full-colour, high-pagination, quality-critical and case-bound, so a perfect fit for us as it can all be produced in-house.” On repatriating its print contract from China, PCF founder Fred Hohler said: “We chose Gomer as print partner because of a combination of price, quality and service. As a charity we have to look carefully at costs, but because of the nature of the project we were very keen to print here in the UK. He added: “It was a happy coincidence that the first titles to be printed in Wales were the five volumes covering Wales and fantastic that our patron The Duchess of Cornwall could be present to launch these important books.”...
read moreIndustry Trends Report: Part 2—Sales Expectations
In this four-part series, we’ll take a look at how each indicator from the Monthly Conditions Dashboard is affecting your business based on the survey results from the past 11 months. Charts are also provided to show the trends in an easy-to-read format, so you can benchmark your current market conditions with hundreds of other printers. Where do you expect your sales to go in 2013? Earlier this month in Industry Trends Report: Part 1—Monthly Sales, we told you about printers’ wide swings and recent modestly rising sales based on the Monthly Industry Conditions Dashboard.* This report is a new industry market trends report from our Economic and Market Research department that allows you to plan your business strategies each month. How does it all work? Survey respondents provide information in five principle areas—1) Monthly Sales, 2) Sales Expectations, 3) Profits, 4) Print, and 5) Paper Prices. Current sales and profits are compared to the previous month. Printing prices and paper prices are current-month compared to 12 months earlier. Sales expectations are expectations for next month compared to the current month. Respondents are asked to report the directional change of each of the five key indicators (increasing, decreasing, or no change). We’re taking a little vacation in July, but check back in August to see the latest industry profit trends in Part 3 of the series! The findings you will read are based on May 2012 to May 2013 calculations using a net diffusion index, where the percentage of respondents reporting an increase is subtracted from the percentage of respondents reporting a decrease. The net diffusion index provides a simple snapshot of printers’ market perceptions for each variable. Part 2: Sales Expectations Printers’ sales expectations have also experienced wide swings over the past 13 months and generally are a leading indicator for next month’s sales. The expectations index peaked at 39.6% in February of 2012 after hitting a low of –18.9% in November—one of only three negative readings during the past 13 months. The overall sales expectations index average for the period was 14.6%. In the first quarter of 2013, the monthly sales diffusion index and sales expectations index changed drastically from month to month. The end result was no growth in the first quarter of 2013 according to our Quarterly Print Market Survey. So far the first two months of the second quarter point toward slightly more consistent and moderate growth. Our panel expects the second quarter to end strong with 21% more expecting June sales to be stronger than May sales than those expecting sales in June to decline compared to May. Printing Industries of America members respond to a survey to uncover some of the key areas of their business to develop the Monthly Industry Conditions Dashboard from the Economic and Market Research department. With regular updates on current market trends, printers are better able to benchmark their business, prepare, and make more informed decisions to improve their bottom line. To participate in the May 2013 survey and learn more, go to www.printing.org/surveys. All individual company information will be kept confidential. For questions, contact Ed Gleeson at rdavis@printing.org. *Click here to visit the Monthly Industry Conditions Dashboard—login using the username and password...
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