Two leaders in label & packaging equipment form alliance

 Xeikon America, Inc. and Anderson & Vreeland, Inc. today jointly announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which Anderson & Vreeland will sell the Xeikon line of dry toner and inkjet-based digital label presses in the United States and Canada. The move, which was announced at the TLMI annual meeting, exponentially increases Xeikon’s sales strength in North America.

“As market dynamics continue to evolve, label converters are challenged to meet their customers’ evolving requirements. They need to find the right print production manufacturing process for this changing market,” said David Wilkins, vice president, Sales, Xeikon America, Inc. “Anderson & Vreeland is a trusted advisor to the industry, providing label shops with inks, flexo plates, plate imagers, and plate processors. They’re uniquely positioned to engage in such conversations, which now include Xeikon digital printing. This partnership has enormous potential for both our companies and, ultimately, our customers.”

A&V will begin offering Xeikon digital press solutions in early 2020 while the current Xeikon sales managers maintain their territory and account base. For each prospective customer, A&V will work in partnership with Xeikon’s regional sales managers to assemble the optimal configuration, and to assist in contract negotiation, ordering, and installation. Xeikon will provide maintenance services and consumables for the digital presses after the sale is complete.

“We’ve seen a steadily increasing interest in digital label and packaging production among our customer base,” said Dave Miller, Director, Digital Business Solutions, Anderson & Vreeland, “and the quality of Xeikon meets their high standards.” We have chosen to work with Xeikon because they have the broadest portfolio in the digital label space covering both UV inkjet and dry toner technologies, converting equipment, consumables, embellishment, and workflow software.”

This partnership allows the customer to build their own digital setup to best serve their business rather than buying off-the-shelf solutions. For example, UV inkjet technology cannot print on natural paper for wine and spirits labels; this is where dry toner excels. Conversely, where UV inkjet provides the most durable solution for labels; toner may require additional steps, for example, lamination or UV varnish for durability. Xeikon’s 30+ year, solid reputable experience within the digital space brings a wealth of knowledge and credibility on growing revenue and achieving a profitable digital operation,

“We’re proud to add Xeikon presses to the portfolio of solutions we offer which includes being the Flint Group’s North American distributor, for Xeikon ThermoFlexX, Printing Plates, and Rotec Sleeves,” said Miller.

 www.xeikon.com 

#label & packaging  #Two leaders  #equipment  #Alliance 

UNITED CAPS Issues Interim Sustainability Report

UNITED CAPS, an international manufacturer of caps and closures, today issued an interim sustainability report outlining its sustainability targets and how its sustainability strategies inform all of its efforts, from the plant to the consumer’s hand. The update outlines priorities, and progress against them, through 2025.

“Everything that bears our name comes with our commitment to always act ethically, create products responsibility, maintain respectful workplaces, invest in communities and be good stewards of the environment,” said Benoit Henckes, CEO of UNITED CAPS. “In this report, we provide updates to our sustainability strategies, our progress toward our long-term targets, and much more. Sustainability is in our DNA and so is transparency. We will continue to build on all of the programs outlined in this update, continuing our focus on being close to customers by delivering caps and closures that enable Total Packaging Solutions in a sustainable way.”

To ensure maximum focus on its sustainability targets, UNITED CAPS has appointed a Sustainability Leader from the executive team to oversee the development of goal setting and attainment in order to meet current needs without compromising the future in every aspect of the production and value chain. Rony Van Regenmortel, Chief Project Officer for UNITED CAPS, who will be filling this role, has vast experience across nearly all parts of the UNITED CAPS organization over 35 years.

The company has established sustainability targets in two broad areas: environment and product responsibility as outlined below, with the goal of achieving them by 2025 or earlier.

Environment

• Reduce electricity consumption to 1,7 kWh/kg.
•  Reduce final/ultimate waste by 30% versus 2017.
•  Reduce the percentage of plastic waste to 3%.
• Use a minimum of two kilotons of bio-based resins in 2020.
• Establish five projects with post-consumer resin (PCR) in collaboration with customers.

Product Responsibility

• Validate backup components for all major products/customers.
• Ensure 100% of products are recyclable by 2025.
• Evaluate 80% of all products with respect to light-weighting by 2022 to optimize resin consumption.

“UNITED CAPS has already made progress against these targets as outlined in the report,” Henckes continued. “This includes successfully lowering energy consumption across our factories by 10% over the last three years, recycling 85% of production waste, and achieving a 30% reduction in waste compared to 2017.

We have also reduced our own carbon footprint by 14% in the last three years, and we are using no oil or gas heating in our facilities by capturing the heat created by chillers and compressors. We are quite pleased with these results, but we also know there is much more that needs to be done. The entire UNITED CAPS team is dedicated to ensuring we meet or exceed our stated sustainability targets.”

A key effort UNITED CAPS engaged in that demonstrates this dedication was its response to the European Union directive on Single-Use Plastic. Henckes stated, “In early 2018, UNITED CAPS quickly determined that challenges presented by this proposed Directive faced an entire industry and required solutions from across the whole industry.

Whilst others adopted a more negative, disruptive approach to the proposed Directive, UNITED CAPS worked with like-minded organizations from throughout the supply chain to form the Association for Closure Tethering (ACT) Group. We developed superior tethered closures for a changing planet, the product of supreme collaboration, born ready to deliver maximum compliance with minimum disruption. This is just one example of our out-of-the-box thinking relative to the way we conduct our business, especially as it relates to protecting the planet.”

 www.unitedcaps.com

#UNITED CAPS   #Interim Sustainability  #Report  #enivornment 

Labelwerk GmbH installs the first Xeikon 3030 REX in Germany

Successful debut: German label printer Labelwerk GmbH has taken its first step into digital colour printing with a Xeikon 3030 REX. The company decided on a digital printing press from Xeikon’s REX range in order to meet the growing demand for short-run label orders and increase quality requirements.

The machine was installed at the beginning of April 2021 and is the first of its type in Germany. The Xeikon REX portfolio comprises a range of remanufactured Xeikon presses, providing an attractive and affordable option for printers and print service providers looking to expand their businesses with the addition of digital applications.

Labelwerk GmbH is an owner-managed business currently employing 18 staff. Its focus is on self-adhesive labels for the pharmaceutical industry, including a number of generic brands. The customer portfolio also includes companies from the automotive industry and manufacturing businesses from all over Germany, as well as in other European countries.

Prior to acquiring its Xeikon 3030 REX digital print, Labelwerk’s production portfolio consisted of five offset presses primarily used for book printing and two heatset web presses, as well as a somewhat outdated monochrome laser printing press for barcodes, which was sufficient to meet customer demand at the time.

However, times have changed, as Managing Director Jens Hermann explains: “For many years, the main focus of technical pharmaceutical labels was on the accurate reproduction of medical information. These labels have now become ‘colourful’, meaning that they involve colour effects and graphical content.

At the same time, there is now increasing demand for shorter runs with frequently changing images and different language versions.” Labelwerk responded to this by making the decision to purchase a Xeikon 3030 REX, following extensive market research.

A coherent overall package to tip the balance

“To be honest, we resisted going down the digital colour route for a long time because of concerns about cost and quality issues. However, digital printing technologies, in general, have made tremendous progress. In particular, Xeikon’s proposal for us to purchase a remanufactured press for the fraction of the cost of a new one tipped the balance for us. Compared to other digital printing press providers, Xeikon offered the best overall package,” Jens Hermann continues.

Label orders of up to about 400 square metres can be produced more profitably on the new Xeikon 3030 REX than on a book printing offset press, as the costs associated with traditional prepress, such as plates and makeready, are not incurred – the order is simply sent to the press at the touch of a button. Another benefit, according to Hermann, is the sharpness and definition of fine black text on transparent film.

“For a business on this scale, getting into digital printing can be an enormous financial effort. Xeikon introduced the REX portfolio of remanufactured presses in order to enable small and medium-sized printing businesses like us to get into the profitable and growing digital printing market, without the major investment expense previously required,” says Jürgen Zeußel, Sales Manager Label & Packaging Germany at Flint Group Digital.

The Xeikon 3030 REX is a full-color digital printing press, including opaque white ink, with a resolution of 1,200 dpi. The icing on the cake is the Xeikon X-800 digital front end, which can be integrated with an existing MIS system. This allows a fully automated order preparation process and the ability to handle even complex projects with variable data effortlessly. REX stands for Remanufactured, Ecological, and the renowned and highly esteemed Xeikon quality.

www.labelwerk.de

#Labelwerk GmbH #first Xeikon 3030 REX #Germany #full-colour  #digital printing press

IMV to Host a Webcast to Highlight its Immune-Educating DPX Platform

The event will feature Michael Kalos, Ph.D., member of IMV’s Board of Directors and internationally recognized expert in T cell therapy and immunotherapy

Live webinar on Thursday, February 24th 8amET, registration details below

DARTMOUTH, Nova Scotia & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.– IMV Inc. (Nasdaq: IMV; TSX: IMV), a clinical-stage company developing a portfolio of immune-educating therapies based on its novel DPX platform to treat solid and hematological cancers, today announced that it is hosting a Research and Development Day” via webcast on Thursday, February 24, 2022, at 8:00 am Eastern Time to highlight the differentiating features of its patented DPX delivery platform.

IMV’s DPX technology is a delivery platform that can incorporate a range of bioactive molecules to produce targeted, long-lasting immune responses enabled by various formulated components. This versatile, immune-educating technology is being developed for application in a variety of therapeutic areas (e.g., oncology, infectious disease) where the generation of a target-specific immune response is expected to mitigate disease.

The webcast will feature a presentation by Michael Kalos, Ph.D., Key Opinion Leader (KOL) and member of IMV’s board of directors, who will discuss the potential of IMV’s DPX delivery platform in addressing unmet medical needs in the current and future oncology landscape.

The IMV team will describe the DPX delivery platform technology and its differentiated immune-educating capabilities, highlighting key advantages demonstrated in both clinical and preclinical studies including its favorable safety profile. IMV management will also provide an update on the Company’s clinical programs and discuss key expected milestones in 2022. A live question and answer session will follow.

Michael Kalos, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert in T cell therapy and immunotherapy and brings over 25 years of experience and expertise in cell therapy, oncology vaccines, and immune-oncology. Dr. Kalos has held executive and R&D leadership positions in biopharma at Arsenal Bio, Janssen, and Eli Lilly. Prior to his career in the biopharmaceutical sector, Dr. Kalos spent 10 years in academia, where he focused on the development of integrated translational biomarker programs to support the development of cell therapy and immunotherapy programs.

The laboratory he founded and directed at the University of Pennsylvania played a key role in the success of the clinical cell therapy program at Penn, including the development of the CTL019 program, which was licensed to Novartis and led to Kymriah, the first approved CART cell therapy product.

Dr. Kalos obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and completed post-doctoral training in the laboratory of Phil Greenberg at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He has co-authored over 85 peer-reviewed manuscripts, including multiple highly cited articles in high-impact journals that have helped define the space of CAR- and TCR- based T cell therapy, as well as book chapters in the field of cancer immunotherapy.

He also has over 26 issued patents in the fields of cell therapy, immunotherapy, and vaccines. Dr. Kalos now actively serves in an advisory capacity for a number of biopharmaceutical companies as well as international immunotherapy consortia and organizations.

https://www.imvaccine.com/

#IMV #Immune-Educating #DPX Platform #webcamhost 

Re-Connect at Xeikon Café Europe

In response to the cancellation of this year’s Labelexpo Europe and to maintain contact, showcase its latest innovations, and inform its customers, Xeikon and a variety of its industry partners have announced a special edition of its ever-popular Xeikon Café to take place at the company’s headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium at the end of April. Entrance is free and visitors will discover new digital printing solutions for a diversity of applications and print sectors.

Filip Weymans, Vice President Marketing, explains, “In these uncertain times and with printers facing unprecedented challenges, we want to re-connect, engage and showcase new innovations with the potential to address the challenges. Our Xeikon Café events are designed to learn, discover and re-connect. Each event is structured to give the visitor insight into the latest trends in digitalizing print production, discover new printing applications, watch live demonstrations of different digital production set-ups, and re-connect with other printers and converters. At the upcoming event in April, visitors will have the opportunity to see in action the latest technological advancements, which we are sure will be of great interest.”

Xeikon has put together a conference program with industry experts discussing the most relevant issues in our industries. There will be in-depth presentations on several applications and also plenty of opportunities for interaction and questions.

5 reasons to visit Xeikon Café:

1. Keep up to date with new market trends
2. Discover new printing applications and the latest digital print production innovations
3. Re-connect with other printers and converters
4. Watch live demonstrations of different digital production set-ups
5. Take away a helpful guide and framework to move forward on the pathway to digital transformation

Weymans concludes, “We are looking forward to highlighting different digital opportunities to suit the diversity of needs of today’s printers and converters. Digital innovations are a response to ongoing trends in the market. All Xeikon presses are now designed with cloud connection and next-generation interfaces to connect and integrate at each step. With over 30 years experience in digital technologies, Xeikon is able to advise and support companies in their digital choices which can only lead to business growth.”

https://xeikon.com/cafe2022

#Xeikon Café Europe #innovation #digitalprintingsolution #businessgrowth 

How Inkjet opportunities could shape your growth in 2022

Inkjet technology is set to dominate growth opportunities in the coming year. That is the finding of two key industry surveys.

WhatTheyThink’s Printing Outlook 2022  reported 18% of respondents were looking at the business opportunities adding digital printing equipment could deliver – a higher than usual figure.

It also found 11% of respondents plan to invest in high-speed production inkjet capabilities in the next 18 to 24 months – the same percentage as those looking to invest in toner presses. This inkjet optimism was echoed by Keypoint Intelligence.

Presenting at WhatTheyThink’s Print Production Outlook: Tracking the Turning Points webinar, German Sacristan, director, Print on Demand Service, Keypoint Intelligence, said inkjet is influencing increases in global colour digital printing volumes through the consolidation of print from smaller printing systems to larger production inkjet sheetfed and roll-fed devices.

The industry is producing higher volumes on fewer machines. He stated when respondents were asked, “How do you expect your most popular digital printing run lengths (per job) to change over the next two years?”  17% expected run lengths to grow between 10% and 20% while 28% expected run lengths to grow between 1% to 9%.

German predicted the global market share of inkjet presses will increase 13.6% CAGR (Cumulative Annual Growth Rate) between 2020 and 2025 (compared to the expected 4.7% CAGR for toner). He put this down to the technology’s ability to handle high quality, longer runs, productively, and cost-effectively.

European predictions from Intergraph are equally positive. It put inkjet print volume growth at 9% cent per annum in real terms. It is expected to reach €23.5 billion by 2025. Applications expected to see the greatest impact over the next two years were Direct Mail and books. I shared more on these predictions in this blog.

Fast and responsive digital inkjet print offers flexibility and speed at a relatively low cost. Its personalization capabilities also enable an added level of consumer engagement.

This is the case with both continuous feed digital inkjet systems, such as the flagship Ricoh Pro VC70000 and the Ricoh Pro VC40000, and sheetfed, with our newly previewed Ricoh Pro Z75, B2 color inkjet press.

Supporting investment in these, and other Ricoh systems is an online resource Business Booster. Post-sales guidance can also be accessed with the EDGE consultancy’s tools, advice, and methodologies. This complete package of support aids the adoption of inkjet technology. It allows operations to ensure their investment delivers on expectations while enabling operational growth and expanding service delivery.

https://www.ricoh-europe.com/

#Inkjet opportunities #shape your growth #2022 #investment 

How Inkjet opportunities could shape your growth in 2022

Inkjet technology is set to dominate growth opportunities in the coming year. That is the finding of two key industry surveys.

WhatTheyThink’s Printing Outlook 2022  reported 18% of respondents were looking at the business opportunities adding digital printing equipment could deliver – a higher than usual figure.

It also found 11% of respondents plan to invest in high-speed production inkjet capabilities in the next 18 to 24 months – the same percentage as those looking to invest in toner presses. This inkjet optimism was echoed by Keypoint Intelligence.

Presenting at WhatTheyThink’s Print Production Outlook: Tracking the Turning Points webinar, German Sacristan, director, Print on Demand Service, Keypoint Intelligence, said inkjet is influencing increases in global colour digital printing volumes through the consolidation of print from smaller printing systems to larger production inkjet sheetfed and roll-fed devices.

The industry is producing higher volumes on fewer machines. He stated when respondents were asked, “How do you expect your most popular digital printing run lengths (per job) to change over the next two years?”  17% expected run lengths to grow between 10% and 20% while 28% expected run lengths to grow between 1% to 9%.

German predicted the global market share of inkjet presses will increase 13.6% CAGR (Cumulative Annual Growth Rate) between 2020 and 2025 (compared to the expected 4.7% CAGR for toner). He put this down to the technology’s ability to handle high quality, longer runs, productively, and cost-effectively.

European predictions from Intergraph are equally positive. It put inkjet print volume growth at 9% cent per annum in real terms. It is expected to reach €23.5 billion by 2025. Applications expected to see the greatest impact over the next two years were Direct Mail and books. I shared more on these predictions in this blog.

Fast and responsive digital inkjet print offers flexibility and speed at a relatively low cost. Its personalization capabilities also enable an added level of consumer engagement.

This is the case with both continuous feed digital inkjet systems, such as the flagship Ricoh Pro VC70000 and the Ricoh Pro VC40000, and sheetfed, with our newly previewed Ricoh Pro Z75, B2 color inkjet press.

Supporting investment in these, and other Ricoh systems are an online resource Business Booster. Post-sales guidance can also be accessed with the EDGE consultancy’s tools, advice, and methodologies. This complete package of support aids the adoption of inkjet technology. It allows operations to ensure their investment delivers on expectations while enabling operational growth and expanding service delivery.

https://www.ricoh-europe.com/

#Inkjet opportunities #shape your growth #2022 #investment