Visy has developed a new box lid for fresh produce that does away with tape and stapling as well as reducing manufacturing costs, which can be passed on to customers, according to the company.

Around 70 per cent of the exhibition space for Auspack 2009 has now been sold. Organisers say the show will not only showcase a significant number of new products and technologies from all areas of packaging and processing, but will also bring together leading experts from around the world.

Colorpak says it has become the first folding cartons business in Australia to receive chain of custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC).

EskoArtwork says it will demonstrate its expanded offering of applications for signs and displays at this month’s Fespa World Expo Asia Pacific 2008. The company’s demonstrations will include SignUp, its nesting workflow application for digital sign production.

At next month’s India Label Show in New Delhi, Nilpeter A/S and Proteck Machinery will introduce the newly formed joint venture company, Nilpeter India. The companies say through the joint venture they expect to introduce a locally produced press to the Indian market early 2009.

Filipino based multinational San Miguel Corporation has recently announced a consolidated net income of P20.9bn, nearly 200 per cent higher than the same period last year. The company’s packaging business, Yamamura Packaging also reported a substantial jump in profits from last year.

Some 15 months into an agreement between the Australian Industry Group and the Australian Institute of Packaging, seven half day courses have been delivered in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The AIP says the training courses have focused on introductory technical information for packaging, an immediate need.

The long awaited independent review of the National Packaging Covenant (NPC) showed the overall recycling rate for Australian packaging was 56 per cent in 2007 and it is likely the Covenant’s target of 65 per cent will be met by 2010.

Martin Automatic will be exhibiting one of its leading MBS splicers at the forthcoming India Label Show in New Delhi.

Victorian based label producer the Labelmakers Group has become the first Australian printing house to invest in a Muller Martini Alprinta 74V web offset printing press.