Flexo flexes its pecs
I recently read through Pira’s study, “The Future of Global Flexible Packaging – market forecasts to 2014”. The report claimed the global flexible packaging market is forecast to grow from $127.1bn in 2009 to $137.5bn in 2014.
The good news for flexo continues: “Flexible packaging has been one of the fastest-growing sectors of the packaging market over the past decade. Flexible packaging substrates provide opportunities to reduce materials, lower package weight and cut costs.”
LATMA leans toward the lean
Hats off to Frank Gavrilos for his lean thinking about training. To underline his organisation’s new national structure, the LATMA president last month organised a four State series of training seminars on the need for lean thinking and lean manufacturing.
Presented by Lean Capabilities International, the program’s emphasis was not merely on lean manufacturing processes but also on the equally important concept of lean thinking, which for many in today’s printing industry should be in the forefront of their priorities.
ProPrint columnist slams Adobe
Industry guru Frank Romano has had some strong words for Adobe, which recently announced it would discontinue its worldwide Partner Connection Print Provider program. Romano described the move as representing a marginalisation of print by an organisation the printing industry helped put on the map.
He accused Adobe of having written off print as it focuses on Flash and new media. It’s worth noting that while the program has been terminated, Adobe is providing continued support for print in the form of its Adobe Print Guide.
Flexo coatings tailored to offset
Here’s an interesting note from the offset market manager of a print shop in Maine, USA. Chris Nolin has identified anilox system technology, long used in flexographic printing, as now being used by a growing number of sheetfed offset printers to apply coatings in dedicated units. The anilox coating system is distinct from other parts of a sheetfed offset press with unique maintenance needs, Mr. Nolin noted.
A moving story
Any printing operation facing the problem of relocating significant capital equipment is in for a stressful few days. Machinery must be uninstalled, and then reinstalled. Moreover, loss in downtime and productivity has to be kept to a minimum.
Enter our hero. Muller Martini in the US now offers a new service for its customers, providing a one-stop source for the equipment relocation’s layout, de-installation, delivery, re-installation, post-installation performance and troubleshooting. Australian managing director Livio Barbagallo was hardly in a bind about it, saying it’s nothing new for this market. The local company has been doing just that for the past two to three years, not merely locally – it’s even facilitated a bindery equipment relocation from Sydney to New Zealand.
Henry Mendelson has decades of experience in advertising, and has long been a keen observer of the print industry.
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