SMART DESIGN

10 | L&L
NEWS
THE INSIDER
A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST
GLOBAL LABEL STORIES
UPM RAFLATAC OPENS
LABELSTOCK FACTORY IN US
UPM Raflatac has opened a new specialty
products factory in Fletcher, North Carolina,
USA. The facility, which began full-scale
production in April, will provide UPM Raflatac
with the expertise, narrow web coating
capabilities and capacity to develop specialty
labelstock products for demanding end-uses.
The factory will supply labelstock
products for end-uses such as security,
pharmaceutical, food, tire and durables
labeling and ultra removable applications;
provide coat-to-order services; and run small
orders. This factory is located just a few
miles from UPM Raflatac’s existing labelstock
manufacturing facility in Mills River, North
Carolina, allowing the company to streamline
its logistics processes, accelerating
production and order delivery.
‘With our new label solutions center, UPM
Raflatac achieves its vision of offering a full
range of standard prime, VIP and specials
products to our customers,’ said Jouko
Lähepelto, senior vice president, Americas
and Asia Pacific, UPM Raflatac. ‘We can
now provide labelstock converters with the
industry know-how and production tools they
need to supply specialty products to marketleading
brand owners.’
TAGHLEEF INDUSTRIES
TO ACQUIRE AET FILMS
Taghleef Industries and Applied Extrusion
Technologies (AET Films) have reached
agreement for Taghleef to acquire AET Films.
The transaction, which was approved by the
boards of directors of both companies, is
subject to regulatory approval and is expected
to close by the end of the second quarter,
2012. Houlihan Lokey is serving as the
exclusive financial advisor to AET Films and
its shareholders in this transaction.
TRESU APPOINTS AGENTS
Tresu Group, the flexo printing machine
builder and provider of ancillary technology
for the packaging printing market, has
strengthened its global service network
by appointing new distribution agencies in
Brazil, Mexico and India. The three agencies
are Creagraphics of San Juan del Rio,
covering Mexico and Central America; André
Gerstmann, based in Mairiporã, São Paulo
(Brazil) and Capital Graphic Supplies, based
in New Delhi (India).
LABELS&LABELING
STEVE LEE HONORED WITH
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
ROTOMETRICS' VP of technology recognized for 35-year career
Steve Lee, vice
president of technology
at RotoMetrics has
been named the winner
of the R. Stanton Avery
Lifetime Achievement
Award, sponsored by
Avery Dennison.
Lee has been a
shaping force in the
label and tag industry
over a 35-year career in the design
and manufacture of rotary tooling. The
judging panel said that Lee helped grow
RotoMetrics from a small, low-tech die
supplier in a fledgling industry to being
a global, full-service supplier of a broad
portfolio of products designed around
converter needs.
He has been credited for his role in
getting the industry to work together
to develop and spread the use of
pressure sensitive labels worldwide.
He has played an active role in industry
associations, especially TLMI, where he
has served on the board multiple times
and acts as chairman of the TLMI Annual
Label Awards Competition.
The winners of the three other
categories in the Global Label Industry
Awards will be announced at the awards
ceremony and gala dinner on September
11, at Chicago’s prestigious Aragon
Ballroom during the first evening of
Labelexpo Americas 2012.
The 2012 finalists are: New Innovation
category – AVT, EFI, and Spanish
converter Innovaciones Para Etiquetajes;
Continuous Innovation category – Prati,
Stork Prints, WS Packaging. The winner
of the Converter Award for Sustainability/
Environmental Responsibility –
sponsored by Flint Group Narrow Web –
will also be announced on the night.
The judging panel was chaired by Mike
Fairley, director of strategic development
for the Labelexpo Global Series, and
consisted of Kurt Walker, president of
Finat; Art Yerecic, TLMI chairman; Andy
Thomas, Labels & Labeling; Steve Katz,
editor of Label & Narrow Web; and Tony
White, editor of NarroWebTech.
ROTOMETRICS ANNOUNCES
GLOBAL MANAGEMENT TEAM
NEW APPOINTMENTS cover CEO, European and Asian positions
Global die systems manufacturer
RotoMetrics – which recently completed the
acquisition of Gerhardt – has appointed a
new global management team.
Robert (Bob) Spiller is RotoMetrics’ new
president and CEO. Spiller will be based
in Eureka, Missouri, USA, and will take
responsibility for all global operations,
reporting to the board of directors.
Most recently president and CEO of SCT
International, a provider of security and anti-counterfeiting
technology for commercial
and government customers, Spiller has
also served as senior vice president
of Graphic Packaging International’s
performance packaging division, where he
oversaw a USD 315 million P&L targeting
new product development in consumer
packaging segments. In addition, he
spent 12 years at Avery Dennison within
the engineered films, Fasson Roll and
specialty tape divisions, including seven
years based in European markets.
Dr Peter Emerson becomes managing
director, RotoMetrics Europe. Emerson
also has extensive labels industry
experience, having served as managing
director of label paper manufacturer Smith
& McLaurin, as well as senior research and
technology roles with Avery Dennison's UK
base materials division. He will be based at
the company’s Aldridge, UK site.
Completing the global team is Shaun
Pullen, who becomes general manager,
RotoMetrics Asia. In this newly created
role, Pullen will have responsibility for the
firm’s Thailand manufacturing operations
as well as sales and business development
throughout Asia.
RotoMetrics has successfully scaled-up
Asia's first narrow web rotary die
manufacturing operation. ‘Shaun has been
instrumental in leading this start-up effort,
taking a ‘green-field’ site to a facility that
now supplies the majority of customers in
Asia with 24 hour delivery,’ said Bob Spiller.