News

Polish packaging print shop Arka-Druk in Lapy near Bialystok has begun production with the world’s first Promatrix 106 CS die cutter. At an open house event at the end of March this year, other Polish printers witnessed this world premiere with practical demonstrations and were provided with comprehensive technical information. The Promatrix 106 CS is the first machine to result from the partnership concluded last fall between Chinese manufacturer Masterwork Machinery Co. Ltd. (MK) and Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). The machine is being sold exclusively by Heidelberg.

Serbian print house, Birografika MB, has installed one of Mark Andy’s award-winning Performance Series P3 presses at its headquarters in Subotica. The P3 has a 250mm web width and is fitted with seven UV flexo print stations. Installed at the end of January, it is the first Mark Andy Performance Series press in Serbia. According to company officials the Mark Andy was chosen for its combination of easy and quick make-ready, short web path for low wastage, and its ability to hold tight register at high speed.

Soma has announced details of its third annual Flexo Challenges Conference in June that will include presentations from key industry personnel linked to live printing and converting demonstrations on its Optima press and new Venus III Turret rewind system.

Wiking Graf is the latest Polish label converter to install a Mark Andy Performance Series press. The family owned business, based in Lodz in central Poland, is an established Mark Andy user, with the new press joining an LP3000 and an XP5000 press, along with a variety of other flexo and digital print capability, and a full suite of finishing technology.

Xeikon announced that Monika Olbricht has joined the company as Sales Director, Document Printing, Europe. Olbricht will take responsibility for sales and business development for Document Printing in Europe as well as the commercial launch of Xeikon’s Trillium technology, planned for later in 2015.

Eagle Systems, Inc., a U.S. based developer and manufacturer of foil enhancement equipment, today announced that they have opened a new European office in Warsaw, Poland. The company also announced the appointment of Pawel Kusinski, as Managing Director of Eagle Systems Europe, effective immediately. With hundreds of cold and hot foil system installations worldwide, increasing demand has necessitated the company to expand its corporate sales and marketing operations, while offering a local response center in the heart of Europe. Located in Central Europe, Poland shares its border with seven countries. Warsaw, which resides in the heart of Poland, is less than three hours from London, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Moscow or Athens by plane.

Over 50 printers and converters gathered at a recent flexographic printing conference organised by Soma Engineering in Tychy, Poland, in October 2014. The theme of the conference was print consistency and customer service and featured presentations by key suppliers at a local hotel in conjunction with Chespa, a Soma Globe Alliance member and demonstrations at Pabex, one of its most important customers in the region who has recently installed a third Soma press.

Russian folding carton print shop PROMIS based in Nizhny Novgorod has invested in new equipment from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). The company has augmented its production operations with an additional six-color Speedmaster XL 75 with coating unit and UV technology and a new Diana X 80 folding carton gluing machine. PROMIS is so satisfied with its first Speedmaster XL 75-6+L UV that it has installed a second identical press just 18 months on. The initial press features the 100th printing unit from the Speedmaster XL 75 series delivered to Russia and other CIS countries.

The final award ceremony of the 19th international packaging design competition Mladý Obal/Young Package took place on May 30. All awards were finally given away to young artists from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Originally, a term TAKE AWAY was related to packaging of meal from fast food. However, today it isn't only about quick lifestyle and junk food. The question of this year's competition is: How to pack it nicely, originally and functionally at the same time?

X-Rite announced that they are sponsor of the Russian Printing Standard 2014 GOST R 54766-2011 (ISO 12647-2) Competition, which is organized by St. Petersburg Graphic Art Union, and is designed to help promote a national standard of quality for printers across Russia.