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LABELS&LABELING |45<br />
HOT OFF THE PRESS<br />
A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST<br />
GLOBAL LABEL STORIES<br />
FINAL INSPECTION is carried out manually<br />
in a climate-controlled inspection room<br />
KOMIYAMA with the HP Indigo ws4500<br />
Converting is done offline, using Onda<br />
equipment.<br />
Komiyama concludes, ‘One of biggest<br />
threats to the label industry in Japan is<br />
that commercial printers are dying. As<br />
their markets die out, they are looking to<br />
move into labels and undercutting label<br />
printers and taking their business.’ To<br />
survive, label printers need to work on<br />
being sales and marketing organizations<br />
as well, and this is one aspect of MSP’s<br />
strategy moving forward.<br />
JAPANESE LABEL ASSOCIATION<br />
Komiyama is also president of JFLP,<br />
the Japanese label association, which<br />
has 800 members. Komiyama estimates<br />
the total of label printers in Japan to be<br />
3,200.<br />
Mr Komiyama and Lintec recently<br />
hosted in Tokyo the sixth meeting of the<br />
L9, which brings together nine leading<br />
regional label associations in Tokyo. It<br />
focused on the industry’s response to the<br />
challenge of environmental sustainability,<br />
hearing from the top management<br />
of two leading global players – Avery<br />
Dennison and UPM Raflatac – about<br />
their companies’ perspective on this<br />
subject. Suntory, a major local beverage<br />
company, completed the scope from an<br />
end-user perspective.<br />
The meeting produced recommendations<br />
to align efforts as an industry to<br />
stimulate environmental sustainability<br />
through collaboration on regional waste<br />
management strategies.<br />
Other topics covered included<br />
the World Label Awards framework,<br />
benchmarking standards, and a survey<br />
of regional trends and developments.<br />
Delegates visited Toyota and Osaka<br />
Seal Printing looking at the working of<br />
their Kaizen continuous improvement<br />
systems.<br />
LINTEC PROFILE<br />
Lintec’s pressure sensitive materials<br />
manufacturing business covers a wide range<br />
of end user sectors, with label converting<br />
applications accounting for some 40 percent<br />
of the company’s business.<br />
These PS substrates use the full range<br />
of paper and filmic materials and also now<br />
include RFID, smart and optically variable<br />
labels.<br />
The company also manufactures label<br />
printing presses, packaging machines and<br />
related electronic equipment.<br />
MULTI-COLOR ACQUIRES<br />
SCOTTISH LABEL CONVERTER<br />
US-based converting group Multi-<br />
Color Corporation (MCC) has acquired<br />
Labelgraphics based in Glasgow, Scotland,<br />
for a purchase price of GBP 16.5 million less<br />
net debt. Labelgraphics, established in 1983,<br />
has annual revenues of GBP 13 million and<br />
predominantly supplies the UK spirit and wine<br />
markets.<br />
BIO4LIFE ACQUIRES BIOTAK<br />
Bio4Life has acquired the majority<br />
shareholding of Sustainable Adhesive<br />
Products (SAP). The acquisition includes the<br />
brand BioTak, the only certified compostable<br />
adhesive as defined by the European<br />
compostable packaging standard EN13432.<br />
UPM RAFLATAC IN<br />
BUENOS AIRES MOVE<br />
UPM Raflatac has opened a new slitting<br />
and distribution terminal in Buenos Aires,<br />
Argentina. The terminal began operations in<br />
early March and will supply both paper and<br />
film labelstocks to customers in Argentina.<br />
The Argentina site complements UPM<br />
Raflatac’s service network in South America,<br />
comprised of a labelstock factory in Rio de<br />
Janeiro and a slitting and distribution terminal<br />
in Jaguariúna, Brazil.<br />
GALLUS REPORTS<br />
TURNOVER INCREASE<br />
Press manufacturer Gallus reported that,<br />
‘despite the uncertain economic situation and<br />
a clear decline in demand in the second half<br />
of 2011’, the volume of its label business was<br />
‘slightly above that of the preceding year’.<br />
The company’s 2011 turnover was CHF 201<br />
million (USD 218.7m) compared to CHF 178<br />
million (USD 193.6m) in the previous year.<br />
SATO ACQUIRES<br />
ARGENTINE CONVERTER<br />
Sato America, a supplier of barcode printing,<br />
labeling and EPC/RFID products, has signed<br />
a definitive agreement to acquire Achernar,<br />
a label converter based in Buenos Aires,<br />
Argentina. One of the country’s leading<br />
converters, Achernar’s product range includes<br />
prime, promotional, variable information,<br />
security and high durability labels.<br />
XEIKON SELECTS KODAK<br />
PRINERGY WORKFLOW<br />
As part of a global reseller agreement, Xeikon<br />
will incorporate the Kodak Prinergy Workflow<br />
system into its ThermoFlexX product line of<br />
imagers for the making of flexographic and<br />
letterpress printing plates.<br />
JULY 2012 | L&L
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