UK economy grows 0.8% in Q3
Output increased across all four main industrial groupings in Q3, including agriculture (1.4%), production (0.5%), construction (2.5%) and services (0.7%); manufacturing output (which falls within the production grouping) rose by 0.9% for the second consecutive quarter. Third quarter GDP was up 1.5% on Q3 2012, despite the fact last year’s quarterly figure was boosted by the Olympics and Paralympics. According to ONS estimates, GDP is now some 2.5% below its pre-crisis peak in Q1 2008; from the peak in Q1 2008 to trough in Q2 and Q3 2009, the UK economy shrank by 7.2%, beating previous downturns in the early nineties (when the economy shrank 2.9%) and at the start of the eighties (when GDP decreased 5.9%). “This shows that Britain’s hard work is paying off and the country is on the path to prosperity,” said George Osborne on Twitter....
read morePolice discover 3D printed ‘gun components’ in Manchester raid
During the searches, officers found a Makerbot Replicator2 3D printer and two 3D printed component parts thought to be a magazine clip and a trigger. In addition, a man was arrested on suspicion of making gunpowder and remains in custody for questioning. The parts are being examined by firearms specialists to establish whether they could be used to construct a working firearm; if they are found to be viable components for a 3D printed gun, it would mark the first seizure of its kind in the UK. Detective inspector Chris Mossop of Challenger’s Organised Crime Coordination Unit stressed the significance of the discovery and the threat posed by criminal gangs using 3D printers, which can be bought on the high street for as little as £1,200, to manufacture weapons. “If what we have seized is proven to be viable components capable of constructing a genuine firearm, then it demonstrates that organised crime groups are acquiring technology that can be bought on the high street to produce the next generation of weapons,” he said. “In theory, the technology essentially allows offenders to produce their own guns in the privacy of their own home, which they can then supply to criminal gangs who are causing such misery in our communities. Because they are also plastic and can avoid X-ray detection, it makes them easy to conceal and smuggle.” Currently the Home Office seems less concerned with the ease with which criminal gangs can access 3D print technology – a Home Office spokeswoman said: “We’ve made it clear that, including 3D printing, if you don’t have a licence [to produce firearms] you’re going to be prosecuted – it’s up to the police to make sure that our laws are being enforced.” Asked whether the government was looking at ways to tackle the risk of 3D printed weapons, such as by controlling the sale of the printers or requiring distributors of the devices to keep a register of customers, she said: “We’re always obviously continuing to monitor the use of 3D printing capability for that purpose [but] I’m not sure how far we’d go into that at the moment.” The raids were carried out as part of Operation Challenger, the largest ever multi-agency attempt to target organised crime in the history of GMP, in the Baguley area on Thursday 24 October....
read morePolice discover 3D printed ‘gun components’ in Manchester raid
During the searches, officers found a Makerbot Replicator2 3D printer and two 3D printed component parts thought to be a magazine clip and a trigger. In addition, a man was arrested on suspicion of making gunpowder and remains in custody for questioning. The parts are being examined by firearms specialists to establish whether they could be used to construct a working firearm; if they are found to be viable components for a 3D printed gun, it would mark the first seizure of its kind in the UK. Detective inspector Chris Mossop of Challenger’s Organised Crime Coordination Unit stressed the significance of the discovery and the threat posed by criminal gangs using 3D printers, which can be bought on the high street for as little as £1,200, to manufacture weapons. “If what we have seized is proven to be viable components capable of constructing a genuine firearm, then it demonstrates that organised crime groups are acquiring technology that can be bought on the high street to produce the next generation of weapons,” he said. “In theory, the technology essentially allows offenders to produce their own guns in the privacy of their own home, which they can then supply to criminal gangs who are causing such misery in our communities. Because they are also plastic and can avoid X-ray detection, it makes them easy to conceal and smuggle.” Currently the Home Office seems less concerned with the ease with which criminal gangs can access 3D print technology – a Home Office spokeswoman said: “We’ve made it clear that, including 3D printing, if you don’t have a licence [to produce firearms] you’re going to be prosecuted – it’s up to the police to make sure that our laws are being enforced.” Asked whether the government was looking at ways to tackle the risk of 3D printed weapons, such as by controlling the sale of the printers or requiring distributors of the devices to keep a register of customers, she said: “We’re always obviously continuing to monitor the use of 3D printing capability for that purpose [but] I’m not sure how far we’d go into that at the moment.” The raids were carried out as part of Operation Challenger, the largest ever multi-agency attempt to target organised crime in the history of GMP, in the Baguley area on Thursday 24 October....
read morePolice discover 3D printed ‘gun components’ in Manchester raid
During the searches, officers found a Makerbot Replicator2 3D printer and two 3D printed component parts thought to be a magazine clip and a trigger. In addition, a man was arrested on suspicion of making gunpowder and remains in custody for questioning. The parts are being examined by firearms specialists to establish whether they could be used to construct a working firearm; if they are found to be viable components for a 3D printed gun, it would mark the first seizure of its kind in the UK. Detective inspector Chris Mossop of Challenger’s Organised Crime Coordination Unit stressed the significance of the discovery and the threat posed by criminal gangs using 3D printers, which can be bought on the high street for as little as £1,200, to manufacture weapons. “If what we have seized is proven to be viable components capable of constructing a genuine firearm, then it demonstrates that organised crime groups are acquiring technology that can be bought on the high street to produce the next generation of weapons,” he said. “In theory, the technology essentially allows offenders to produce their own guns in the privacy of their own home, which they can then supply to criminal gangs who are causing such misery in our communities. Because they are also plastic and can avoid X-ray detection, it makes them easy to conceal and smuggle.” Currently the Home Office seems less concerned with the ease with which criminal gangs can access 3D print technology – a Home Office spokeswoman said: “We’ve made it clear that, including 3D printing, if you don’t have a licence [to produce firearms] you’re going to be prosecuted – it’s up to the police to make sure that our laws are being enforced.” Asked whether the government was looking at ways to tackle the risk of 3D printed weapons, such as by controlling the sale of the printers or requiring distributors of the devices to keep a register of customers, she said: “We’re always obviously continuing to monitor the use of 3D printing capability for that purpose [but] I’m not sure how far we’d go into that at the moment.” The raids were carried out as part of Operation Challenger, the largest ever multi-agency attempt to target organised crime in the history of GMP, in the Baguley area on Thursday 24 October....
read moreHP launches new clear varnish ink for Scitex FB7500 and FB7600
The ink can be used in one of the FB7500 or FB7600’s two extra ink channels, along with the Scitex’s special orange or light black inks, launched in May this year. It will allow users of HP’s FB7500 and FB7600 printers to add effects similar to those produced on the Kodak Nexpress with its dimensional inks (on sheets up to 356mm x 914mm) and on litho or digitally printed sheets (up to 545mm x 788mm) on Scodix digital finishing equipment. The varnish cannot be used alongside white ink however, as this application uses both ink channels. “You need to look at it as an ink channel where the ink has no colour,” said Xavier Melisse, Scitex category manager, EMEA, HP. “To switch a printer would need to flush the white out of their machines, but they could make that switch.” The varnish enables three key applications, explained Melisse. It can be used as “process colour”, where the ink is applied to the blank areas of a matte substrate so that these sections are as glossy as the printed areas, a “full flood” of varnish to further enhance the printed area’s gloss, or applied to select areas to create raised, textured effects. “You might want to flood the whole piece because normally when you print CYMK the effect is relatively satin – it is shiny but not completely glossy,” said Melisse. “But when you put the varnish on top it’s like you are laminating with a liquid except that you jet it rather than apply it with a coater. Then the look is as glossy as if you’d laminated it. Another effect of putting the gloss on CYMK is that the colour gamut you’re able to reproduce is significantly bigger – it brings up to 15% extra gamut.” On the ink’s raised print capabilities, Melisse reported that the ink could be printed up to five layers thick. “We had an open house in our demo centre a week ago and this created the most positive feedback,” he said. Melisse added that, though this might prove a potential future application, the ink had not yet been approved to create braille. The ink will be commercially available to FB7500 and 7600 users from 1 November. It has been beta tested since August at Italian printer Ondalba Group, with a first install currently being made at another Italian firm Grafic Art 95. The intention is that the cost of this ink is in line with other Scitex inks, reported Melisse. He said that cost would depend on application, but that printers using the ink on selected areas or to create 3D effects could expect to pay around $0.20 (12p) per sq/m. Those using this for “full flood” applications could expect to pay around $1.3 (80p) per sq/m. On the unique selling point of this new ink, Melisse said: “Previously for super wide format printing, this effect was applied using screen printing, so an offline process with all the fixed costs this entails. Or the cheapest solution was laminators and liquid coaters, but you do not have the capability to do either selective varnishing or 3D effects with this.”...
read moreHP launches new clear varnish ink for Scitex FB7500 and FB7600
The ink can be used in one of the FB7500 or FB7600’s two extra ink channels, along with the Scitex’s special orange or light black inks, launched in May this year. It will allow users of HP’s FB7500 and FB7600 printers to add effects similar to those produced on the Kodak Nexpress with its dimensional inks (on sheets up to 356mm x 914mm) and on litho or digitally printed sheets (up to 545mm x 788mm) on Scodix digital finishing equipment. The varnish cannot be used alongside white ink however, as this application uses both ink channels. “You need to look at it as an ink channel where the ink has no colour,” said Xavier Melisse, Scitex category manager, EMEA, HP. “To switch a printer would need to flush the white out of their machines, but they could make that switch.” The varnish enables three key applications, explained Melisse. It can be used as “process colour”, where the ink is applied to the blank areas of a matte substrate so that these sections are as glossy as the printed areas, a “full flood” of varnish to further enhance the printed area’s gloss, or applied to select areas to create raised, textured effects. “You might want to flood the whole piece because normally when you print CYMK the effect is relatively satin – it is shiny but not completely glossy,” said Melisse. “But when you put the varnish on top it’s like you are laminating with a liquid except that you jet it rather than apply it with a coater. Then the look is as glossy as if you’d laminated it. Another effect of putting the gloss on CYMK is that the colour gamut you’re able to reproduce is significantly bigger – it brings up to 15% extra gamut.” On the ink’s raised print capabilities, Melisse reported that the ink could be printed up to five layers thick. “We had an open house in our demo centre a week ago and this created the most positive feedback,” he said. Melisse added that, though this might prove a potential future application, the ink had not yet been approved to create braille. The ink will be commercially available to FB7500 and 7600 users from 1 November. It has been beta tested since August at Italian printer Ondalba Group, with a first install currently being made at another Italian firm Grafic Art 95. The intention is that the cost of this ink is in line with other Scitex inks, reported Melisse. He said that cost would depend on application, but that printers using the ink on selected areas or to create 3D effects could expect to pay around $0.20 (12p) per sq/m. Those using this for “full flood” applications could expect to pay around $1.3 (80p) per sq/m. On the unique selling point of this new ink, Melisse said: “Previously for super wide format printing, this effect was applied using screen printing, so an offline process with all the fixed costs this entails. Or the cheapest solution was laminators and liquid coaters, but you do not have the capability to do either selective varnishing or 3D effects with this.”...
read moreHP launches new clear varnish ink for Scitex FB7500 and FB7600
The ink can be used in one of the FB7500 or FB7600’s two extra ink channels, along with the Scitex’s special orange or light black inks, launched in May this year. It will allow users of HP’s FB7500 and FB7600 printers to add effects similar to those produced on the Kodak Nexpress with its dimensional inks (on sheets up to 356mm x 914mm) and on litho or digitally printed sheets (up to 545mm x 788mm) on Scodix digital finishing equipment. The varnish cannot be used alongside white ink however, as this application uses both ink channels. “You need to look at it as an ink channel where the ink has no colour,” said Xavier Melisse, Scitex category manager, EMEA, HP. “To switch a printer would need to flush the white out of their machines, but they could make that switch.” The varnish enables three key applications, explained Melisse. It can be used as “process colour”, where the ink is applied to the blank areas of a matte substrate so that these sections are as glossy as the printed areas, a “full flood” of varnish to further enhance the printed area’s gloss, or applied to select areas to create raised, textured effects. “You might want to flood the whole piece because normally when you print CYMK the effect is relatively satin – it is shiny but not completely glossy,” said Melisse. “But when you put the varnish on top it’s like you are laminating with a liquid except that you jet it rather than apply it with a coater. Then the look is as glossy as if you’d laminated it. Another effect of putting the gloss on CYMK is that the colour gamut you’re able to reproduce is significantly bigger – it brings up to 15% extra gamut.” On the ink’s raised print capabilities, Melisse reported that the ink could be printed up to five layers thick. “We had an open house in our demo centre a week ago and this created the most positive feedback,” he said. Melisse added that, though this might prove a potential future application, the ink had not yet been approved to create braille. The ink will be commercially available to FB7500 and 7600 users from 1 November. It has been beta tested since August at Italian printer Ondalba Group, with a first install currently being made at another Italian firm Grafic Art 95. The intention is that the cost of this ink is in line with other Scitex inks, reported Melisse. He said that cost would depend on application, but that printers using the ink on selected areas or to create 3D effects could expect to pay around $0.20 (12p) per sq/m. Those using this for “full flood” applications could expect to pay around $1.3 (80p) per sq/m. On the unique selling point of this new ink, Melisse said: “Previously for super wide format printing, this effect was applied using screen printing, so an offline process with all the fixed costs this entails. Or the cheapest solution was laminators and liquid coaters, but you do not have the capability to do either selective varnishing or 3D effects with this.”...
read moreSecurity printer charged with corruption
Eastbourne-based Smith & Ouzman, along with four individuals associated with the business, appeared in court yesterday (23 October) on charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The SFO said the charges relate to allegations of “agreeing to make payments totaling nearly half a million pounds, contrary to section one Prevention of Corruption Act 1906. It is alleged that these payments were used to influence the award of business contracts to the company.” The precise amount cited by the SFO is £413,552.12. The alleged offences relate to transactions in Mauritania, Ghana, Somaliland and Kenya between November 2006 and December 2010. The SFO began its investigation in October 2010. Alongside the company itself, the individuals charged were: Chris Smith, the former chairman of Smith & Ouzman; Nick Smith, the sales and marketing director of the firm; Tim Forrester, its international sales manager; and Abdirahman Omar, an agent for the business. The first hearing took place yesterday (23 October) at Westminster Magistrates’ Court with the next court appearance scheduled for 6 November at Southwark Crown Court. A spokeswoman for Smith & Ouzman said: “We cannot comment on the allegations, which are entirely contrary to our principles of business conduct.” Smith & Ouzman can trace its print history back to 1845. The 100-employee firm was number 248 in last year’s PrintWeek Top 500 with sales of £9.2m. It produces a wide range of specialist security print items including cheques, tickets, ballot papers, local currencies and other secure documents. Proceedings continue. We are unable to accept comments on this story for legal reasons....
read moreSecurity printer charged with corruption
Eastbourne-based Smith & Ouzman, along with four individuals associated with the business, appeared in court yesterday (23 October) on charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The SFO said the charges relate to allegations of “agreeing to make payments totaling nearly half a million pounds, contrary to section one Prevention of Corruption Act 1906. It is alleged that these payments were used to influence the award of business contracts to the company.” The precise amount cited by the SFO is £413,552.12. The alleged offences relate to transactions in Mauritania, Ghana, Somaliland and Kenya between November 2006 and December 2010. The SFO began its investigation in October 2010. Alongside the company itself, the individuals charged were: Chris Smith, the former chairman of Smith & Ouzman; Nick Smith, the sales and marketing director of the firm; Tim Forrester, its international sales manager; and Abdirahman Omar, an agent for the business. The first hearing took place yesterday (23 October) at Westminster Magistrates’ Court with the next court appearance scheduled for 6 November at Southwark Crown Court. A spokeswoman for Smith & Ouzman said: “We cannot comment on the allegations, which are entirely contrary to our principles of business conduct.” Smith & Ouzman can trace its print history back to 1845. The 100-employee firm was number 248 in last year’s PrintWeek Top 500 with sales of £9.2m. It produces a wide range of specialist security print items including cheques, tickets, ballot papers, local currencies and other secure documents. Proceedings continue. We are unable to accept comments on this story for legal reasons....
read moreRR Donnelley to buy Consolidated Graphics
Under the terms of the deal, CGX shareholders will receive $3.44 cash plus 1.651 RRD shares for each share in CGX, equivalent to a cash offer of $62 per share based on RRD’s closing share price on 23 October. RRD said this represented a total transaction value of approximately $620m, in addition to which it will assume Consolidated Graphics’ net debt of $112m. The deal, which has the unanimous agreement of both boards, is expected to close in Q1 2014, subject to the approval of CGX shareholders and the regulators. CGX chairman and chief executive Joe Davis has signed a voting agreement pledging his shareholding, representing approximately 16.5% of CGX outstanding shares, in favour of the merger. CGX reported revenues of $1bn in its results for the year ended 31 March 2013 and an EBITDA of $110m, meaning RRD’s offer (including assumption of net debt) equates to 6.6x EBITDA. One senior print executive remarked that this was “very good for a manufacturing business” adding “clearly, RRD wants to own as much market share as possible and likes CGX’s extensive digital offering – so it’s paying a premium”. RRD recorded net sales of $10.2bn for the 12 months to 31 December 2012 and an adjusted non-GAAP EBITDA of $1.2bn. RR Donnelley’s president and chief executive officer Thomas Quinlan III said: “Consolidated Graphics is an exceptional fit with RR Donnelley and we are delighted to welcome them to our organization. “This strategic combination will complement the RR Donnelley platform and further enhance our ability to provide integrated communications solutions for our valued clients across all industry verticals.” Davis said: “Consolidated Graphics’ success is due to our outstanding employees and their ability to provide the service and responsiveness of a local printing company while offering customers the flexible solutions and competitive pricing available from our wide network. “Our customers will benefit significantly from RR Donnelley’s broad range of printing capabilities and our combined geographic footprint. RR Donnelley’s customers will benefit from the planned adoption of Consolidated Graphics’ local service model for all of its commercial printing group.” Consolidated Graphics claims a world-leading position in digital printing, and is HP’s biggest customer. It runs more than 220 high-end digital presses. It has operations across the USA, a site in Japan, and has a European presence in the Czech Republic. Consolidated Graphics’ share price was at $63.60 at the time of writing....
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