PACKAGING BRIEFS—Tuesday, Jan. 18

AVT Joins HP Partner Program for the Indigo Division
Advanced Vision Technology Ltd (AVT) joins HP Partner Program for the Indigo Division. The company's AVT PrintVision/Helios II has been selected as an approved automatic inspection.

Heidelberg USA to distribute EFI VUTEk printers
Heidelberg will distribute the VUTEk® GS series of superwide format digital printers to the commercial print market across the U.S., under a new agreement with EFI. Under the agreement, Heidelberg USA will distribute EFI’s VUTEk GS2000, GS3200, and GS5000r as well as the inks, parts, consumables, accessories and upgrades related to these printers. Heidelberg will also provide customer and technical support for the VUTEk GS series of printers including installation and training.

PolyOne launches Japanese and German language websites
PolyOne Corp., a global provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions, has added both Japanese and German languages to the company's global website.

SCA makes three internal changes to corporate senior management team
SCA, a global supplier of packaging solutions and other products, has appointed Christoph Michalski to the position of president of its global hygiene category; Ulf Söderström to pesident of SCA Asia Pacific; and Robert Sjöström as senior vp of business development and strategy.

Dick Reese receives TAPPI’s 2011 Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award
Richard A. Reese will receive the 2011 TAPPI Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award. It is TAPPI’s most prestigious annual award and carries a cash prize funded by an endowment by Dr. Gunnar W. E. Nicholson and TAPPI Foundation. Reese has been a member of TAPPI since 1973 and is an active member of the Papermakers and Water Removal committees. He founded the Papermaking Specialist subcommittee. He was named a TAPPI Fellow in 1992 and was awarded the Harris O. Ware Prize from the TAPPI Paper and Board Manufacture Division in 1997 and the TAPPI Engineering Division Beloit Technical Award in 1999.

RotoMetrics receives ISO 14001 Environmental Certification
RotoMetrics, which provides precision rotary tooling for the printing and converting industries, has successfully completed audits for environmental management at all global manufacturing facilities and the certification to the ISO 14001 standard. RotoMetrics says, the certification makes it the first company in the rotary tooling industry to achieve the global environmental standard.

PIA  now accepting nominations for InterTechT Technology Awards
Printing Industries of America (PIA) is now accepting nominations for the 2011 InterTech Technology Awards. These awards honor the development of technologies predicted to have a major impact on the graphic arts and related industries.

Ball completes acquisition of Aerocan S.A.S.   
Ball Corp. has completed its acquisition of Aerocan S.A.S., a supplier of extruded aluminum aerosol cans and bottles in Europe. Ball announced the acquisition in December 2010.

ASTM launches academic outreach campaign
ASTM Intl, a voluntary standards development organization, has launched its 2011 academic outreach campaign titled "Jumpstart Your Career." The initiative provides new opportunities for students to increase their knowledge of standards and develop critical technical skills prior to entering the workforce.

Finch Paper appoints Dr. Peter J. Veverka to senior product development engineer
Finch Paper appoints Dr. Peter J. Veverka to its product development division as senior product development engineer. A published scholar and author of several patent applications, Dr. Veverka comes to Finch after a 15-year tenure with Intl Paper, where he most recently served as pulp mill technical leader. He also previously served as manager for customer satisfaction and product performance manager. At IP's corporate research center, he ultimately became program manager/research scientist II, and supervised a team of scientists and technicians responsible for applied research on coated grades throughout IP.

Rockwell Automation to acquire Hiprom
Rockwell Automation Inc. has agreed to purchase Hiprom, a process control and automation systems integrator headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. Acquisition will accelerate growth in the Sub-Saharan region and the global mining and mineral processing industry. The acquisition is expected to close during the first calendar quarter of 2011 subject to the approval of regulatory authorities in South Africa.

2011 TAPPI PLACE Flexible Packaging Symposium examines resin, film, structure developments
The 2011 TAPPI PLACE Flexible Packaging Symposium taking place April 5, 2011, one day prior to the start of the ICE Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, will update attendees on the latest developments in renewable source resins, films and structures. It is designed to teach attendees, how to most cost-effectively extrude biopolymers; how to employ sustainable flexible packaging practices for resource efficiency; and how to achieve sustainability goals progressively.

DDL East expands testing lab in Edison, NJ
DDL has expanded its services, both on the testing side of the business and the thermal package design side of the business: The DDL laboratory in Edison, NJ, has increased its testing capabilities for thermal performance testing and conditioning for thermal testing, including 4 new temperature chambers at the facility. 

Kleenline becomes ABB Robotics System integrator
ABB Robotics, a global supplier of industrial robots, has signed Kleenline of Newburyport, MA as a system integrator in North America.  Kleenline focuses on developing and providing automation and integrated manufacturing systems for industries demanding a high degree of sanitation, such as food, pharmaceuticals and other clean room environments.

Harper Corp. donates four anilox rolls to FFTA spring auction 
An online auction to fund certification scholarships received goods news recently when global anilox supplier Harper Corporation of America donated four Narrow Web anilox rolls from its stock inventory.

TricorBraun acquires Penn Bottle
TricorBraun has acquired Penn Bottle and Supply Co., a Philadelphia-based distributor of rigid packaging with approximately $50 million in annual revenue.

Manchester Industries acquired by Sun Capital Partners
Manchester Industries, a major North American converting company, has been acquired by Sun Capital Partners. Manchester will ultimately be merged into PaperWorks, itself an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners. With five facilities in Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Texas, Manchester provides large-scale sheeting, rewinding and cutting operations to commercial printers and packaging companies across the continent. The company’s 180 employees will become part of the PaperWorks Paperboard Group.

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