From tentative hopes for a return to in-person events to the loss of Zanders Paper

Nessan Cleary · Journalist & Editor · Week commencing 10th May 2021

Indian Printer and Publisher writes that Wan-Ifra has postponed its World News Media Congress in Taiwan from September to the start of December 2021 in the hope that the easing of travel restrictions that is starting to gather pace will allow for more face to face meetings by that time.

Printweek India reports that a shortage of tin-free steel, the basic raw material for manufacturing tin cans and food containers, is affecting the packaged food supply chain, particularly for tinned fruit and mango pulp, as well as other processed food such as cheese.

According to Printweek’s UK edition, the Canadian group Paper Excellence is in the process of acquiring the much larger American company Domtar, which is the biggest integrated manufacturer of uncoated freesheet (woodfree) paper in North America and one of the largest pulp manufacturers in the world.

Printweek is one of several magazines to have picked up on Canon’s press release regarding its new ColorStream 8000, but has also spoken with Peter Wolff, senior vice president sales and service for Commercial Printing at Canon Europe, to add extra details.

Even so, Inkjet Insight has by far the most comprehensive take on this story that I’ve read so far, with a detailed look at the features and the technology under the hood as well as an indication of the print quality from a sample set.

Meanwhile the Canadian Graphic Arts Media says that the joint Pack Expo and Healthcare Packaging shows will take place in Las Vegas, USA, this September as an in-person event, with registrations now open.

Elsewhere, Labels and Labelling has covered a report by NiceLabel, based on a study with 300 IT directors from around the world, that reveals manufacturers suffer average annual losses of around £955,000 due to production line shutdowns caused by label printing problems.

The Italian magazine Converter reports that Sigma Labels, based in the UAE, is the first company in the Gulf region to make use of Asahi Photoproducts’ CleanPrint AWP water-washable flexographic plates, increasing the number of jobs the company’s three Bobst narrow web presses can produce per day.

Staying with the Middle East, ME Printer carries a story on the Al Medan Carton factory near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one of the largest corrugated sheet manufacturing plants in the region and a major exporter. The company also offers printing onto corrugated boards.

From South Africa, the Gapp magazine writes that Full Circle, the umbrella organisation for the South African paper and paper packaging sector, is running a campaign urging consumers to improve recycling rates for food and beverage cartons.

The British magazine Digital Labels and Packaging reports that Zanders Paper has ceased operation, noting that the Covid-19 pandemic had led to a decline in demand for speciality papers, undoing the work of a 2019 transformation project undertaken after a previous insolvency. DLP quotes an insolvency administrator saying that “No viable concept for the continuation of the company could be found.”

From the other side of the world, Print21 suggests that the Australian government’s 2021 budget will benefit printers, with some $75bn set aside for an economic recovery strategy with a raft of measures from an extension to the instant asset write-off scheme to more support for apprentice training.

Also in Australia, Sprinter has a story on Rodney Frost, CEO of the Lamson Group, which includes printing companies as well as paper and office supplies, who is sleeping outside for a night in June as part of the Vinnies CEO sleepout to raise money to help the homeless.

May 14, 2021

Author: Nessan Cleary