Packaging South Asia

Xaar has launched the Xaar 1002 GS40 for UV applications. Already proven in the ceramics tile decoration industry, the launch of this printhead into the UV market makes possible a range of high-build varnish and textured effects for labels, packaging, graphics and wood laminate.

Flexible packaging major Uflex proudly associates itself with the government’s ‘Make in India’ ethos given its strong manufacturing presence in India. It was therefore natural for the company to mark its presence during the ‘Make in India Week’ being held in Mumbai from 13 to 18 February. At the company stand the star attraction was a miniature model of its under construction aseptic packaging plant for liquid packaging at Sanand in Gujarat. Another important solution being promoted was Equilibrium Modified Atmospheric Packaging (E-MAP) that is the most comprehensive shelf-life extension solution for fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers. 

Starlinger’s recently launched ADSTAR carry sack comes with handles and makes it easy to carry products like cement, ready-mix concrete or fertilizer packaged in it. Made of polypropylene tape fabric and designed in the typical ADSTAR block bottom shape, the sack is equipped with a pair of punched handles on the bag top that lie flat but open easily to provide a comfortable grip for easy carrying.

Amcor will be acquiring BPI China, the Chinese subsidiary of UK-based British Polythene Industries PLC for US$13 million. BPI China has one plant in Xinhui, South China, with state-of-the-art blown film and flexographic printing lines. The business produces flexible packaging products for export and domestic customers.

Veepee Art Studios, one of the premier prepress operations in South India recently added Kodak’s award-winning Flexcel NX System. The family-owned business, in operation for over five decades, chose the Flexcel System as part of its continued focus on delivering outstanding quality to satisfy the evolving flexographic print application needs of its customers.

The Paktek advanced auto folder-gluer GM-1700 has been installed at Lege Opakowania Sp. z o.o. based in Poland. The fully automatic GM-1700 is a multiple-point auto folder-gluer designed to achieve high quality products. The maximum working size is 1,700 x 1,100 mm. To be built with the standard auto PLC positioning system, short changeover time and a procedure to recall the previous working data can be expected. GM-1700 is capable of making straight-line, double-side, crash-lock bottom, 4-corner and 6-corner cartons made of duplex boards and A, B and E-flute corrugated boards. So far, three sets of the auto folder-gluer model GM-1050 with 4-corner / 6-corner function, GM-1600 and GM-1700 and one set of auto flute laminator PH-A-1600 have joined Lege’s production line. In the near future, one set of the two piece in one folder-gluer will be installed.

Xaar has appointed Neil Hopkinson as director of 3D Printing. Hopkinson, who will join Xaar in March 2016, is the inventor of the transformational High Speed Sintering (HSS) technology. He brings with him 19 years’ experience in additive manufacturing technology gained at the University of Sheffield, Loughborough University, De Montfort University, 3D Systems and the University of Nottingham.

Xaar is pushing the adoption of inkjet printing beyond ceramics where it has been so successful. Ceramics contributes substantially to industrial sector revenues which represent roughly 65% of Xaar’s £100 million turnover but packaging is gaining ground. The numbers reflect Xaar’s metamorphosis – packaging’s contribution has gone from 10 to 11% in H1 2014 to 15% in H1 2015, and as Edwards confirms, “We’re growing the packaging sector, especially Direct to Shape (DTS) digitally printed labels.”

Capital Graphics is an Indian distributor of highly specialized equipment and consumables that are used by leading digital and flexo printers, diemakers and packaging converters and supplied by its principals such as Cito, Cutlite, Ecosystems, Hunkeler and Tresu. Among its principals are the Switzerland-based Hunkeler which provides the unwinds and rewinds for the majority of webfed digital presses around the world as well as modules that intelligently process the machine readable marks on digitally printed documents and webs for perforation, folding, authenticating, slitting and sheeting as well as collating and binding. Hunkeler equipment is already installed on the several web fed digital presses in the country that are being used to print books, transactional and mail order documents. Patrick Lehman based in Hunkeler’s Hong Kong office and who is quite familiar to digital printers across India and Asia was at the Capital Graphics stand at Pamex. Roberto Croci of Cito was at the show as well.

Miraj Multicolor, a leading offset folding carton converter has a state-of-the-art factory located at Sukher Industrial Area at Udaipur in Rajasthan. The company is part of the large Miraj Group which is active in tobacco, FMCG, real estate, hospitality, and stationery and printing.