Bobst has enhanced its middle-range folder-gluers with the implementation of the Sphere machine interface, which it says is a decisive step into the future of folding-gluing.

The joint venture Koenig & Bauer Durst says its first VariJet 106 B1 inkjet folding carton press is installed at a beta site in Europe, and will be running by the end of the month.

Bobst has acquired 70 per cent of the equity of Dücker Robotics, which specialises in the use of robots in both loading and palletising in the corrugated board sector and in the folding carton industry.

The world’s biggest packaging company, Amcor, has downgraded its full year profit forecast by five per cent, as consumers rein in their spending around the world due to inflationary pressures.

The Australian arm of ePac Flexible Packaging is launching an in-house design service, aimed at supporting brands of all sizes to optimise packaging design and branding.

Ball & Doggett is launching ecoporium, its new sustainable packaging online resource for brands, printers and converters, at a special free event in Melbourne on 1 June. The launch features a quartet of five minute keynotes, followed by a Q&A session. Places are limited to 200.

Press giant Koenig & Bauer, and packaging solutions developer Sealed Air Corporation have signed a non-binding letter of intent to expand their strategic partnership for digital printing machines in packaging.

Smithers says flexible mono-material plastic packaging film will grow at 4.1% CAGR for the next five years, with pharma, personal care, and fresh food to see the highest gains.

Mars Bars, Milky Ways and Snickers are now being wrapped in recycled paper, developed and printed by Amcor, replacing the plastics wrapping the popular confectionary products have always had.

Fibre-based packaging is set for sustained growth as a key packaging material, with corrugated, folding carton, liquid paperboard, flexible paper and moulded fibre all forecast for an upswing.

HP has today unveiled its new HP Indigo 200K Digital Press, which it says is designed to give digital flexible converters the competitive edge with better productivity, on-demand delivery, no minimum orders, designs of one, reduced energy consumption, and minimal waste.

Opal’s new $140m, high-tech, corrugated cardboard packaging facility is on track to be operational by October, when it will pump out up to 400 tonnes of finished flexo printed corrugated boxes every day.

Top executives from Miraclon, the home of Kodak Flexcel solutions for the packaging industry, are touring Australia and New Zealand, reconnecting with customers.

Ferag is the new distributor of the XSYS portfolio of flexographic printing plates and platemaking equipment in Australia and New Zealand.

MCC and Amcor were the two big winners at the annual Flexo Packaging and Label Manufacturing Association awards, each walking away with a hatful of gongs after dominating their categories.

The Flexible Packaging and Label Manufacturers Association conference is underway, with delegates treated to the biggest line-up of overseas speakers this event has ever hosted.