ACQUISITIONS & EVOLUTIONS

Where labels click

Step inside Avocet today, and the production floor hums with ambition. What began as a small family operation supplying supermarket scale labels has grown…

Recycling resilience: Extrupet bottles a comeback

At a time when recycling plants around the world are shuttering under economic strain, South Africa is choosing a different path: bold investment, resilient…

Beyond the wrap: Two decades of Taigan

When managing director Peter McCullough describes Taigan’s 20-year journey, he does so with pride and a hint of disbelief. ‘We started with R25 000…

SA Litho presses ahead with Africa’s first Nilpeter FA-26

For decades, SA Litho has established itself as a trailblazer in premium label and packaging solutions, trusted by brand owners across South Africa and…

Through the looking glass: 25 years of design and distinction

Glass Decorations demonstrates how consistent vision and perseverance can build long-term capacity. Founded in 1999 by Corinne, the company began as an eight-person operation in…

Home front heroes: VR Print turns labels into shelf stars

In the bustling heart of Durban, where the Indian Ocean meets industrial ambition, VR Print, under the leadership of Hilton van Rensburg, has evolved…

EFFICIENCIES

Precision and performance in ice cream production

With spring in full bloom and summer in sight, South African ice cream and frozen dessert producers are experiencing their busiest and most competitive…

Big technology on a small footprint

A growing diversity of products, increasingly stringent hygiene standards and limited space in production halls combine to present beverage manufacturers with considerable challenges. What…

Barrier breakthrough: Uteco OnyxGO prints the future

In the sun-drenched demo centre of Uteco in Verona, Italy, temperatures soared close to 40°C, humidity levels tested even the sturdiest water-based inks and…

Flexing under pressure

In South Africa’s flexible packaging sector, the pressure is relentless. Raw material shortages, shipping delays and the unpredictable tides of global supply chains are…

Cool control, hot savings

With rising energy costs and growing pressure to operate sustainably, injection moulders are looking closely at every piece of equipment on the shop floor….

VR Print’s frontline defence against fraud

At the helm is Hilton van Rensburg, managing director of VR Print, who is crystal clear about what’s at stake: ‘In today’s high-risk supply…

SUSTAINABILITY

Mpact advances renewable energy goals

Under this agreement, Enpower Trading will supply 30GWh per annum of clean energy from SolarAfrica Energy’s SunCentral solar photovoltaic plant in De Aar, Northern…

Petco makes major strides in PET and LBP recycling

This milestone includes both PET beverage bottles and liquid board packaging (LBP), driven by partnerships with brands such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Tiger Brands and…

SA sweeps into clean-up week

This year, from 15-20 September 2025, Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week returns, calling the nation to roll up its sleeves, grab a bag and…

Can-do circularity: metal’s role in a greener SA

‘Every can collected and recycled is a win – for the environment, for the economy and for future generations,’ says Dr Kishan Singh, CEO…

Turning over a new leaf

Driven by the mission to offer compostable solutions that exist in harmony with nature’s cycles of growth and decay, Green Home’s approach to sustainable…

Reframing compostables

REM Specialty Papers, the local distributor for Futamura’s NatureFlex range, is among the companies working to reframe this conversation. NatureFlex is a renewable, cellulose-based…

DIGITAL

Simple variable data integration

According to Paul Bouwer, sales director of SArepco, Mark Andy’s local representative, any pressroom will benefit from a DPV upgrade because it’s a highly…

Driving digital excellence and productivity

‘Label printers require new business models and technology investments that enable quicker turnaround times and cater for changing customer needs, including multiple versions, short…

The ‘ABG’s of label trends

Matt elaborates on the Covid effect in the UK. ‘More time at home through lockdowns, with less commuting and intercity travel, drove up interest…

Digital diversifies prototyping and hybrid formats

In January, iPak’s digital plant invested in Caldera Grandrip+, installed by Midcomp, to improve the workflow between its wide-format digital printers – the JHF…

Digital delivers one-pass security enhancements

THE global market for security printing and brand protection is forecast to grow from $30-billion in 2019/2020 to $36-billion by 2024. Security printing in…

Multi-process platform promotes product identification

This means converters now require the flexibility of offering flexo varnishing, primer, die-cutting and inspection, as well as added value screen applications for tactile…

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Packaging Spotlight

A new chapter for digital labelling

Baracelona in September thrums – with heat, chatter and the steady thrum of machinery at Labelexpo Europe 2025, which set the tempo for what…

Innovation in motion: Beswick’s principals set the pace

Across the halls of Fira de Barcelona, industry heavyweights Baumer hhs, Berhalter, Blumer Maschinenbau AG, Apex International, AVT, BOBST, GM Grafisk Maskinfabrik and Heaford…

KURZ brings dazzle and shimmer to Labelexpo Europe 2025

A highlight was DREAMCOMPOSER®, KURZ’s intuitive 3D software for real-time visualisation of label designs. It enables designers to transform PDF files into fully finished…

Behind every label: a brand, a team, a vision

Step by step, an empty exhibition space evolved into a modern, fully functional showcase of engineering and design. By 15 September, the structure was…

Nissei ASB: sustainable bottles, next-level tech

Under the banner ‘All-in-One Sustainable Bottle Solutions’, the company will present four cutting-edge machines, each demonstrating live moulding of bottles that push the boundaries…

AI meets packaging

At the Institute of Packaging South Africa (IPSA) KwaZulu-Natal AI Packaging Workshop, engineers, government leaders and young innovators discovered how AI can do more…

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