PFFC - December 2008 - (Page 14) NEWS CLIPS uFMS USA, Hoffman Estates, IL, is moving to a new, larger facility that will house sales, technical support, and some manufacturing, as well as a large inventory of products for quick delivery. uMario Cotta America, Cincinnati, OH, a supplier of slitting equipment, opens a new branch in central New York state to service Northeast and East Coast customers. uThe Flexographic Technical Assn., Ronkonkoma, NY, is accepting entries for its 2009 Excellence in Flexography Awards Competition. Judging takes place Jan. 25–27, 2009, with winners announced May 3 at the Annual Forum & INFO*FLEX Exhibition in Orlando, FL. uAmcor Flexibles, Mundelein, IL, announces the opening of a 5 million, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at AF Sligo, Ireland. The facility covers 25,000 sq ft and features new printing, pouchmaking, and slitting equipment in a classified cleanroom environment on a greenfield site. Reportedly, it embraces best environmental practices with modern building methods such as solar panels, low energy lighting, and rain water harvesting. uThe winner of the MetalFX, West Chester, OH, Technology 2008 Student Design Competition is Brad Mackie, a Des Moines, IA, native and second-year graphic technologies student at the Des Moines Area Community College. This is the last such competition, as Ciba has decided to close the MetalFX business effective December 19 because it does not fit with Ciba Coating Effects’ core business. uRegistration is open for the NPE2009 International Plastics Exposition, reports the Society of the Plastics Industry, Washington, DC, producer of the triennial event. NPE2009 is scheduled for June 22–26 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Information on fee amounts, package plans, and discounts is available upon clicking the “Register” button at www.npe.org. Registrants for any educational program receive complimentary trade show admission. What’s happening at your company? Send your news to yolanda.simonsis@penton.com. Flexo Homework Gets Good Marks CHARLOTTE, NC | Parking permits at Fort Mill High School (FMHS), Fort Mill, SC, were ready before the start of school this year, thanks to flexo teacher Jerry Howell and student Scott Forsyth. Using label stock donated by Raflatac and the printing facilities of Flexo Trade Services, Howell and Forsyth printed 3,600 permits in one day. Forsyth, like all FMSH flexo students, received much of the training that made this project possible thanks to the donation of a FlexSys Press Simulator to FMHS by Harper Corp. of America. “Projects like this are great real-world experiences for our students,” says Howell. “It gives them great pride to see their work used for official and professional purposes, and it drives home the importance of flexo in our daily lives.” Chris Averitt, program director at Flexographic Trade Services in Fort Mill, SC, and student Scott Forsyth take a break while printing Fort Mill High School’s new parking permits. US SOLVENTS DEMAND (million pounds) % Annual Growth Item Total Demand Transportation Paints & Coatings Printing Inks Cleaning Products Other 2002 11,210 2,564 2,322 1,327 878 4,119 2007 11,475 2,673 2,361 1,325 927 4,189 2012 11,800 2,740 2,400 1,320 985 4,355 02–07 0.5 0.8 0.3 — 1.1 0.3 07–12 0.6 0.5 0.3 -0.1 1.2 0.8 Solvent Study Is Here CLEVELAND, OH | Demand for chemical solvents will rise less than 1%/yr to 11.8 billion lb in 2012, according to Solvents, a new study from The Freedonia Group. Gains will continue to lag the overall economy, as manufacturers of coatings, printing inks, and adhesives work to reduce the VOC content of their products, adds the report. However, opportunities exist in such areas as specialty solvents, environmentally friendly “green solvents,” and conventional solvents that feature favorable toxicity and air pollution profiles. For more information visit www.freedoniagroup.com. © 2008 by The Freedonia Group New Film Line Easy To Manage COLDWATER, OH | Accutech Films recently purchased a seven-layer line from Gloucester Engineering Co. The line adds to Accutech’s coextrusion and specialty film production capability and increases its production lines to 15. The new 64-in.-wide, high-barrier film line features an extruder extraction system that allows screw removal with the die in place. Reportedly, Gloucester’s integrated control system manages everything from layer ratios to Automatic Profile Control, cage and collapser adjustments, and web tension control. “Gloucester Engineering has been a critical partner in our success over the years; our relationship runs deep,” says Accutech president Nick Ruchty. “The quality equipment and the service team that backs it make our decision to purchase machinery from Gloucester an easy one.” uGloucester Engineering Co. | www.gecextrusion.com PFFC-ASAP 340 AT O W RK 14 | DECEMBER 2008 WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM http://www.freedoniagroup.com http://www.npe.org http://www.gecextrusion.com http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM
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