Previous week’s Supplier NewsMAY 15, 2009Heidelberg Rolls Out Red Carpet for Packaging Event
On the eve of the 2009 IADD•FSEA Odyssey trade exhibition, held May 6-9 in Atlanta, Heidelberg USA hosted a Packaging Open House for Odyssey attendees at its Print Media Demonstration Center (PMDC), the largest packaging demonstration facility in North America. Seventy-five customers had an opportunity to view the extensive lineup of Heidelberg packaging equipment installed at the PMDC. Attracting strong interest throughout the evening were demos of the 18,000 sph Speedmaster XL 105, the 50,000 pieces/hour Diana X 135 folder-gluer, the 5,000 sph KAMA ProCut 74 half-size die cutter, and Heidelberg’s gentle giant, the 9,000 sph Dymatrix Pro CSB die cutter. Also on display at the PMDC were: the entry-level ECO 105 folding carton gluer; high-performance Diana Packer; KAMA ProFold 74 folder-gluer; Varimatrix 105 CS die cutter; the powerful and versatile Speedmaster CD 102, Speedmaster XL 75 and Speedmaster XL 105 presses; in addition to the recently introduced Prinect Postpress Workflow, which enables finishing equipment to be integrated into the print shop workflow for the first time ever. The SignaPack software solution comes equipped with a series of production tools specifically tailored to the packaging industry. www.us.heidelberg.comRelated ContentConverters show high interest at Heidelberg’s Packaging Days 

Video: Heidelberg Packaging equipment
MAY 14, 2009ExxonMobil Chemical to display products and technology at ChinaPlas 2009
ExxonMobil Chemical will showcase its broad product portfolio at Booth D41 in Hall 10.2 at ChinaPlas 2009 International Exhibition at the Pazhou Exhibition Complex in Guangzhou. ExxonMobil will specifically be highlighting its specialty elastomers, polyethylene and polypropylene-based products. Vistamaxx™ specialty elastomers, Santoprene™, Enable™ mPE, Exxtral™ Performance Polyolefins and Jayflex™ will be among the brands on display. Among the specialty elastomers on display, Vistamaxx™ specialty elastomers and Santoprene™ thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) can improve flexibility in polyolefin-based compositions. During the show, visitors will be able to see how ExxonMobil Chemical’s products are used in the manufacturing process. They have teamed up with several machine manufacturers at the exhibition to demonstrate various applications on the manufacturing lines. The company also will conduct seminars at the Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center on the innovative solutions to film applications, broadening the limits with specialty elastomer blends, and the next generation of metallocene polyethylene solutions from ExxonMobil. www.exxonmobilchemical.comPIMA Names Mark Gardner as 2009 Executive of the Year
TAPPI and PIMA are pleased to announce the selection of Mark Gardner, President and CEO of Sappi Fine Paper North America, as the 2009 Executive of the Year. The award is the highest recognition for leadership and management given by PIMA. It is traditionally presented to senior-level executives in the pulp, paper or converting industries for excellence in management and outstanding contributions to the industry as a whole. Gardner will receive the award during the PaperCon ’09 Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, May 31 through June 3, 2009. Gardner was named President and CEO and was appointed to the Board of Sappi Fine Paper North America in 2007. He is responsible for leading all operations in the North American region, including the implementation of the company’s global initiatives. During his tenure as CEO, Gardner has implemented a business strategy throughout the organization, which has established a clear direction for the North American region. As a result of his leadership, during fiscal year 2008, Sappi Fine Paper North America had the most profitable year in eight years, achieved the best safety performance in company history, set several all-time production and efficiency records at its coated fine paper mills, and attained a strong sustainability performance. Gardner joined Sappi Fine Paper North America in 1981 and his experience includes serving as Vice President of Manufacturing and Vice President of Supply Chain. He has also worked in a variety of production management roles, including Production Manager at the Westbrook Mill, Paper Mill Manager at the Somerset Mill, Managing Director at the Muskegon Mill and Director of Engineering and Manufacturing Technology at the regional head office in Boston. Gardner holds a B.S. in Industrial Technology from the University of Southern Maine. www.tappi.org  www.pimaweb.orgRelated Article:TAPPI Announces Board of Directors Election Results
MAY 13, 2009Graphic Packaging Divests Bag Equipment Manufacturing Facility
Graphic Packaging International, Inc., a subsidiary of Graphic Packaging Holding Company, announced that it has closed on the sale of its Salt Lake City, Utah, multi-wall bagging equipment business. This facility specializes in the production of multi-wall bagging equipment, which is non-core to Graphic's strategy. “This divestiture is in keeping with Graphic Packaging's stated objective of optimizing its production assets following the combination with Altivity Packaging," said David W. Scheible, President and CEO. “By continuing to sharpen our focus on our core packaging business, we have been able to achieve and exceed our synergy targets ahead of schedule.” www.graphicpkg.comGraham Packaging Announces Plan to Extend Its Credit Agreement
Graham Packaging Holdings Company today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Graham Packaging Company, L.P. (“Graham" or the "Company”) plans to approach the lenders party to its credit agreement with an amendment request. If approved, the amendment would allow lenders to extend the maturity of a portion of the Company's existing term loans from October 2011 to April 2014 and extend the maturity of up to $125 million of Graham's existing revolving credit commitments from October 2010 to October 2013. The Company expects to pay an increased interest rate to those lenders that agree to extend the maturity of their term loans or revolving credit commitments. The Company would also expect that certain of those lenders that agree to extend the maturity of their revolving credit commitments would have a portion of such revolving credit commitments reduced. www.graphicpkg.comDow Adhesives and Nordmeccanica host sustainable packaging demonstration runs
To recognize the contributions sustainable packaging can make in reducing the packaging industry's carbon footprint, Dow Adhesives and Functional Polymers business team and Nordmeccanica NA hosted a day-long series of trial demonstrations for package converters. The demonstrations took place on equipment at Nordmeccanica's Long Island, New York, facilities and attracted over 40 industry attendees for a series of trial runs combining various film laminates, water-based inks and Dow Mor-Free(TM) solventless adhesives . The Mor-Free laminating adhesives that were demonstrated provide very favorable, high bio-content (55%) general performance without premium cost. Various bio-based film stocks used for these trials were provided by leading film producers EarthFirst®, global producer of bio-polymer PLA (polylactic acid) films, and Innovia, global provider of bio-based NatureFlex(TM) printing films. Rounding out the sustainable packaging materials under demonstration were waterborne printing inks from Siegwerk and Environmental Inks and Coatings Corporation. Sun Chemical provided a solvent-borne ink for demonstration. go.rohmhaas.com/sustainablepackaging   www.dow.com    www.nordmeccanica.comFKI Logistex audits for palletizers help optimize overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
FKI Logistex, a leader in integrated material handling solutions, offers a professionally conducted audit program for its line of palletizers. Designed to help FKI Logistex customers restore their palletizers to original operating performance levels and to identify any potential upgrades, the audits help optimize equipment effectiveness and extend system life. FKI Logistex audits are performed by certified audit engineers trained in palletizer maintenance and OEM specifications. Audits include a review of operating and maintenance practices and a thorough, infeed-to-discharge inspection of all palletizer components, including wear points, chains, rollers and other moving parts. Upon completion of the inspection, the audit engineer prepares a detailed formal report that documents the audit findings and outlines a recommended course of action. The audit report includes a comprehensive machine assessment that specifies items requiring cleaning, adjustment, lubrication, repair, or replacement to restore the palletizer to original benchmark performance. A comprehensive list of recommended modifications, upgrades, preventive maintenance techniques and spare parts is provided. The report also includes detailed equipment drawings, performance checklists and a portfolio of digital photographs for technical reference. www.fkilogistex.comEskoArtwork presents i-cut, inc. and i-cut 7.0 presented at FESPA Digital 09
i-cut, Inc., a new OEM business unit developed from EskoArtwork's acquisition of Mikkelsen Graphics Engineering (MGE), debuts in Europe in stand K84 during FESPA Digital 2009, May 12-14 in Amsterdam. The company will offer its new i-cut 7.0 vision and i-cut Pro software, as well as its complete line of vision technologies. With EskoArtwork's acquisition of MGE in late 2008, the OEM efforts of the company continued as i-cut inc., a wholly owned business unit of EskoArtwork. The company develops i-cut vision systems for digital finishing and other industrial markets, including textiles, RFID, architecture, packaging and marine & boat manufacturing. i-cut, Inc. has the longest track record of providing the best possible workflow solutions for specialty graphics printing and finishing. The industry's leading vision-based finishing/cutting workflow tools, i-cut(r) and i-script(r), were developed by i-cut, inc. Due to this extensive technology track record, over 36 of the industry's leading RIP, printer and cutter and router manufacturers team with i-cut, Inc. software solutions. www.icutvision.com   www.esko.comPhoenix Technologies receives Canadian letter of “no objection” for its LNO™c brand rPET process
Phoenix Technologies has received a letter of “no objection” from Canada’s Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada for the process used to produce the company’s LNO™c brand of recycled, food grade polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) resin. (Health Products and Food Branch is the Canadian counterpart to the U.S.’s Food & Drug Administration.) The Food Packaging Materials and Incidental Additives Section of the Chemical Health Hazard Assessment Division was responding to Phoenix’s request for comments on the acceptability of the recycling process for treating post-consumer rPET that would subsequently be used to produce food packaging. The letter of no objection pertains to container rPET content “of up to 50 percent.” www.phoenixtechnologies.netDiamond Wipes marks 15 years of manufacturing in the USA
Diamond Wipes International , the original manufacturer of hot and cold disposable wet wipes in North America, today is commemorating 15-years in business by unveiling a new logo to mark the occasion. Diamond Wipes, whose towelettes are produced entirely in the United States, supplies microwavable hot-wipes to major restaurant chains. A family-owned and operated company, DWI was established in 1994 in an El Monte, California warehouse with one machine. Now with plants in Ontario (Calif.) and Bucyrus (Ohio), the company produces roughly three-million towelettes a day. Even with a challenging economy (where many companies have opted to reduce costs by outsourcing abroad), Diamond Wipes has stayed true to its commitment to keep all manufacturing domestically in the US – ensuring local jobs and protecting the integrity, quality and freshness of their towelettes. DWI also creates private labels and provides contract packaging services for major cosmetic companies and others whose products are readily found at Wal-Mart, Target, Whole Foods, and PETCO – to name just a few. www.DiamondWipes.com 

Related story:Diamond Wipes -- packaging towlettes and travel packets
MAY 12, 2009Capsnap Europe modernizes production in France.
Capsnap Europe has launched a major replacement investment at its location in France. A new production line for extrusion blow-molded 5 gallon bottles started up in March. Further development of the location for production optimization is being pushed ahead vigorously. “We aim to generate additional value creation for Capsnap Europe using state-of-the-art technologies,” marketing and sales manager Michael Frick said, adding: “We will assure our long-term business success with this move.” The new plant in France is a fully automated extrusion blow-molding machine. Notable for low energy consumption, short cycle times, lower reject rates, higher productivity and constant quality levels, the new production plant brings stability plus for all the bottles produced. www.capsnap.atCatty Corporation Announces ISO 9001: 2008 Certification
Catty Corporation is proud to announce that we are now ISO 9001:2008 certified. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) located in Geneva, Switzerland, sets universal standards for a range of activities, from agriculture and manufacturing, to management and customer service practices. The organization awards its accreditation based on stringent guidelines for quality, operations, safety, and service. During the certification process, Catty has undergone rigorous process inspection and document examination. Catty has trained internal auditors in order to standardize and maintain these ISO practices. www.cattycorp.com
MAY 11, 2009RockTenn’s Aurora, IL mill earns Chain of Custody Certification from Forest Stewardship Council
Continuing with its long standing commitment to environmental responsibility, RockTenn announces that its Specialty Paperboard Products mill in Aurora, IL has received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain of custody certification. This certification provides third-party validation of the mill’s sustainable fiber sourcing practices. “For decades, the Aurora mill has been an environmentally responsible manufacturer, producing products made from 100% recycled paperboard. In addition to our regular Red Label® grades, we also produce a Red Label® product made from 100% post-consumer recycled content,” said Dick Steed, executive vice president, Specialty Paperboard Products division. “FSC certification gives our customers assurance that the products we supply meet stringent environmental standards. We will continue to do what is right for our customers, as well as the environment.” www.rocktenn.comSystech and Wolke Collaborate to Address Pharmaceutical Packaging Requirements
Systech International, innovator of Packaging Execution Systems (PES) for the pharmaceutical industry, today announced their partnership with Wolke Inks & Printers. This partnership is intended to address the needs of leading pharmaceutical companies to more tightly integrate processes critical to successful coding and serialization. Diverse coding requirements and serialization projects are driving pharmaceutical manufacturers to place more distinct data on product packages. As these companies look to replicate coding and serialization deployments across multiple lines and locations around the world, accurate, consistent and high quality marking on individual packages at production speeds becomes increasingly critical to their success. The partnership of Systech, a leading provider of vision inspection and serialization solutions and Wolke Inks and Printers, a recognized leader in maintenance free inkjet printing, is intended to not only address the current requirements of the industry but will also lead to new functionality incorporated into their productized solutions. www.systech-tips.com  www.wolke.comClearwater Paper Selects Thomas A. Colgrove as Vice President of Pulp and Paperboard Clearwater Paper Corporation announced today that Thomas A. Colgrove, 57, has accepted an offer to serve as vice president for the company’s pulp and paperboard division. Mr. Colgrove is replacing Harry Seamans who retired from the company on April 30, 2009. Mr. Colgrove most recently was senior director, family care products, for Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Neenah, Wisconsin, where he was responsible for seven manufacturing facilities with 4,200 employees. Previous to that position, his 25 years of tenure with the company included management of numerous facilities and product lines. He also served as vice president of manufacturing for Central Paper Company in Menasha, Wisconsin, and held management positions with Procter and Gamble Corporation. Mr. Colgrove earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Mr. Colgrove will be based at Clearwater Paper’s Spokane headquarters. www.clearwaterpaper.comMatrox Graphics and Milestone Systems Announce Enhanced Security Surveillance Solutions at IFSEC 2009
Matrox Graphics Inc., a manufacturer of specialized graphics solutions, announced a partnership with Milestone Systems to provide enhanced surveillance solution performance to the security market. Matrox and Milestone will be launching this collaboration through an integration of the Milestone XProtect(tm) Smart Client with the Matrox VDA-1164 Video Decoding Accelerator for surveillance systems and operator stations in large-scale IP security networks. The Matrox VDA-1164 brings hardware-accelerated IP video decoding capabilities to workstations running the Milestone XProtect Smart Client. By offloading the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of the video decoding burden, VDA-1164 enables optimal system responsiveness through its ability to simultaneously decode multiple streaming video formats from a variety of sources-at full frame rate. With VDA-1164 processing all the graphics and video data, the result is real-time decoding and display of up to 16 D1 streams of smooth, high-quality video. www.matrox.com/graphics  www.milestonesys.comSchmalz Inc. moves into newly purchased 20,000sf headquarters
Schmalz Inc., the global specialist for vacuum technology, takes one more step into a bright future and moves into its newly purchased 20,000sf headquarters in Raleigh, NC. Schmalz Inc. was founded in 1999 as subsidiary of the Germany based parent company. After ten years of successful business and constant growth, the company today stands for high quality and innovative Vacuum Automation Components and Gripping Systems as well as Vacuum Handling and Clamping Systems. Amid the hardest economic crisis of the last decades, Schmalz shows financial strength and confidence in its future by making the biggest investment in its history. The new company home, located in North-Raleigh, is a two-story building with 20,000sf of office and warehouse space. Schmalz Inc. will be operational in the new building from the 18th of May on. www.schmalz.comPrevious week’s Supplier NewsAril 27 – May 1, 2009 Supplier NewsApril 20 – 24, 2009 Supplier News