ACQUISITIONS & EVOLUTIONS
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…
Pinetown perseverance: Blue Print’s story, printed bold
The vibration of machines has always been a kind of background music for Devlin and Wade Brodowicz. Not the pristine, choreographed hum of a…
SAPY at 30: strength in every strand
In 1995, when South African Polypropylene Yarns (SAPY) began spinning multifilament polypropylene yarn in a modest Hammarsdale plant, the local yarn market was a…
Mastering the mix
Skyland Masterbatch turned 22 years old this July, but the company is showing no signs of slowing down. What began as a small, family-owned…
Quantum Polymers sets a South African first with ISO 22000
At the heart of every chocolate wrapper, cereal box and ready-meal pouch is an unsung hero: the adhesive that binds packaging layers together. Invisible…
EFFICIENCIES
Turning press rooms into precision engines
At the forefront is Miraclon, whose FLEXCEL NX Technology is helping converters squeeze better efficiency, quality, speed and sustainability benefits from every print run….
Service, not just sales: ROTOCON’s support legacy
The company has built its reputation on the strength of a shared philosophy: that machinery means little without the people to maintain, understand and…
Label, mould, impress
‘IML isn’t just about getting a label on a tub,’ he remarks with the clarity of someone deep in the trenches of innovation. ‘It’s…
Tapeless to touchless: XSYS is automating flexo
For Bert Eeckhout, product manager for XSYS’s equipment and software division, it all starts with understanding the printer’s daily grind. ‘The key is to…
Canon elevates print innovation
‘The expo was a fantastic platform for us,’ remarks Gary Stockenstroom, product manager at Canon South Africa. ‘The calibre of visitors was outstanding and…
Sharpening the edge
For Patrick Aengenvoort, director of print technology specialist ROTOCON, the revolution is already here, driven by intelligent automation, precision engineering and a hunger for…
SUSTAINABILITY
Tight wrap!
In the fluorescent-lit backrooms of South African supermarkets, the quiet hum of packaging machinery is the unseen pulse of produce logistics. It’s where citrus…
PlastiColors and Evonik bring recycling muscle
While much of the packaging industry’s focus has shifted to biodegradable materials, PlastiColors’ technical manager, Carolyn Kellock, is refreshingly pragmatic: ‘Recycling still carries the…
Give your paper and cardboard a second life
This has saved nearly 40 million cubic metres of landfill space, and put paper and cardboard back into the recycling loop as a useful…
Sealing a sustainable future
SealGlobal.Co’s journey began modestly in 1966 as a UK-based subsidiary. Few could have foreseen its transformation into a global leader, revolutionising both historic packaging…
Print’s not dead: the evolving role of paper in a digital world
Papaerless’ often focuses on reducing office paper, but overlooks the environmental advantages of paper-based packaging. Both office and packaging paper come from sustainably sourced…
Cleaning up flexo’s future with water washout tech
For decades, solvent-based systems have been the industry norm, yet their environmental and health drawbacks are increasingly hard to ignore. Hazardous chemicals, flammable substances and…
DIGITAL
Rotocon’s Cracking News July 2020
Dash Labels recently invested in an MPS EF 330 six-colour flexo press, distributed locally by Rotocon. Although lockdown caused unforeseen situations, the Rotocon team…
Seamless automation for ‘zero-touch’ plates
Building on its automation experience in the offset sector, Xeikon Prepress set about developing a modular system that allows step-by-step investment to reach the…
Flexo value chain efficiency matters
TODAY’S printing and converting technologies need to deliver efficiency from packaging specifications, through all production steps to the final product. This end-to-end process is Bobst’s…
SAVA hosts virtual AGM
‘We face possible supply chain challenges, expected price hikes as a result of petrochemical production curtailments in lockdown resulting in demand outstripping supply and…
Rotocon’s Cracking News June 2020
EARLIER this month, Rotocon installed the latest generation RDF 330 digital printed label converting and finishing machine at Impress Print Services. It features a…
Ecoline: the perfect technology & affordability match
ROTOCON has continuously developed its economy line of finishing equipment over the past four years to meet the technology investment needs of smaller labelling…
Packaging Spotlight
Innovia spotlights performance label films
The company is presenting an extensive portfolio that spans pressure-sensitive labels (PSL), in-mould labelling (IML), recyclable shrink sleeves and PVC-free graphic films – all…
HP’s win-win presses take centre stage
By the time the doors swing open at Labelexpo Europe 2025, the HP Indigo stand will already be buzzing with the low hum of…
Valloy to dazzle with next-gen label finishing
Visitors to Valloy’s stand will discover speed, flexibility and smart automation across three standout systems: DUOBLADE NX8, DUOBLADE SF4, and EMBELLIO XPRESS. Together, they…
ROTOCON raises the South African flag at Labelexpo
ROTOCON is set to make history in September as the first South African-based printing technology supplier to exhibit at Labelexpo Europe. As the industry…
Karbach Brewing conjures a winning legend in a can
The winning label wasn’t born overnight. According to Karbach’s senior graphic designer, Greg Jackson, the design took over a year to bring to life…
Entries open for SAPRO Awards 2025
Open to recyclers, manufacturers and brand owners, the competition invites entries across six categories: Flexible Packaging, Rigid Packaging, Agriculture, Household & Leisure, Construction &…