Narrow Web Europe
November 30, -0001
Bullish in Belgium
Just over the frontier in Belgium are the headquarters of two of Europe’s largest label converters: Bopack and Reynders. Bopack recently wound up its labeling systems division, citing falling sales and “deadly&rdq…
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November 30, -0001
Plastic? No, whey
First it was corn, which was suddenly discovered to be the miracle eco-ingredient for everything from gasoline to plastic films. Now it’s whey, the watery stuff that is left over when you make cheese. A group of European…
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November 30, -0001
Is the digital label business recession-proof?
The short answer to that is, of course, no. The slightly longer answer is that label converters are still showing a flicker of interest for investing in digital presses. Clever Etiketten in the Hag…
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November 30, -0001
Cut, cut and cut again
EskoArtwork, based in Ghent (Belgium) and one of the world leaders in prepress technology for the narrow web sector, has also not escaped the chill wind of recession. In February, the company – which employs 900 and…
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November 30, -0001
Take a trip round the websites of the principal manufacturers of conventional label presses in continental Europe and you will experience a deafening silence on the subject of new presses sold since the start of 2009. This may be a sign of discretion…
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November 30, -0001
Silicone Value
Silicone represents only some 5 percent of the material cost of labelstock, but in these hard times every cost element is coming under scrutiny. Germany’s Wacker Silicones reckons it has come up with a winner.
Its lat…
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November 30, -0001
RFID tags tap new markets
Bathroom and kitchen fittings seem an unlikely new field for RFID tags, but Hansgrohe, the company that puts its products into a substantial part of Europe’s bathrooms, now uses smart tags to control its workflow…
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November 30, -0001
Mind your language
The phrase “Any language you like so long as it’s English” may (generally) work in North America, but each of Europe’s 70 or more languages is jealously guarded by some nation or region for whom it is…
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November 30, -0001
M&A
CCL recently acquired German label converter Eltex (specializing in making high-tech PS labels for the automotive and household appliance sectors), but the global downturn has not yet seen many mergers, acquisitions or disappearances am…
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November 30, -0001
Digital developments
Back in 2000, Stratus Martin Etiquettes in Limoges, France, was the first PS label converter in France to install a digital press. Since January 2009 the company has been beta testing HP’s new WS6000. If the tests are…
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November 30, -0001
Linerless labels
After so many disappointing developments over several decades, the headline “Breakthrough in linerless labels” must rank as one of the more boring headlines (along with “Small earthquake in South America&rdquo…
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November 30, -0001
Eastern Europe
While label consumption in Western Europe has slowed almost right across the board, some small items of good news are coming in from farther east. Giant food concern Nestlé has confirmed its intention to expand operations…
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November 30, -0001
Association news
FINAT, the Europe based label association, is preparing for its 2009 annual congress, to be held in Antalya, Turkey, in June. The Turkish label association, which is co-hosting the event, last year set itself the ambitious targ…
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November 30, -0001
Reports of my death,” wrote Mark Twain on one occasion, “are greatly exaggerated.” In a similar vein, Netherlands based label press manufacturer MPS, about whose future rumors were circulating, has just issued a statement saying tha…
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November 30, -0001
Label presses from Brazil
The Grafitec Group in Northern England buys, refurbishes and sells used label presses, as well as manufacturing several ranges of printing and carton converting machinery. Now Grafitec has signed a partnership to marke…
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