With the acquisition of the Italian ink manufacturer La Sorgente Spa, Siegwerk further expands its domestic business in Italy while strengthening its local coverage, infrastructure and service for packaging printers.

Siegwerk Druckfarben AG & Co. KGaA, one of the leading international suppliers of printing inks for packaging applications and labels, has signed a contract to purchase the Italian ink manufacturer La Sorgente Spa. The family-owned company is located in Poppi (Arezzo), Italy, and manufactures high-quality water-based flexographic inks for paper & board applications as well as solvent-based inks for flexible packaging. Founded in 1929, the company is one of the most important ink suppliers for flexographic printing in Italy today.

With this acquisition, Siegwerk further expands its product portfolio for packaging printers while concretely strengthening its local footprint in the Italian market. “La Sorgente Spa is a well-established ink expert for paper & board as well as flexible packaging applications with a strong reputation in Italy. Its ink solutions fit perfectly into our product portfolio,” says Dirk Weißenfeldt, Vice President Flexible Packaging EMEA at Siegwerk. The purchase will enable Siegwerk to significantly expand its presence while building up its infrastructure and workforce to further grow in Italy.

The deal includes the transfer of all technical expertise, product portfolio and manufacturing equipment belonging to La Sorgente Spa. Siegwerk will continue to produce and serve customers from the production site in Poppi. As member of the Siegwerk family, La Sorgente Spa will remain a separate entity maintaining its own brand and product names. “The integration of the acquired products into Siegwerk’s ink offering will enable customers to benefit from a more comprehensive product portfolio and a wider technological expertise”, concludes Christopher van Laack, Vice President Paper & Board EMEA and Liquid Food Packaging at Siegwerk. Both companies will work closely together to ensure a smooth integration of business without any interference for current customers of both companies.

“We are delighted to have found in Siegwerk a great partner and new owner for our company. Siegwerk will integrate our inks into a significantly larger organization thus advancing our current products on the global market,” says Mario Magni, Owner and Chairnan at La Sorgente Spa. After the closure of the deal, the family will continue to serve as the management team for the present Italian operation.

The acquisition of La Sorgente Spa follows other strategic investments that Siegwerk has already completed during recent years to enhance its position as a full-range provider of inks for the packaging market.

Both parties have agreed not to disclose any financial details.

Photo (from left to right): Christopher van Laack (Siegwerk), Mario Magni (La Sorgente Spa), Carla Magni (La Sorgente Spa), Francesco Magni (La Sorgente Spa), Federica Magni (La Sorgente Spa), David Charquet (Siegwerk).

About La Sorgente Spa

The company was founded in the early 1900s. Beginning in the 1970s, La Sorgente Spa took advantage of the-growing packaging market and turned its attention to flexographic and rotogravure inks for printing on paper, cardboard, tissue and plastic film. The company also produces inks for adhesive tapes, where the company is a leader in Italy and an exporter  around the world.La Sorgente Spa has a reputation in its home country for quality and customer service. This reputation can be seen in the proper  certifications and strong knowledge in areas related to quality, the environment, and sustainable, compostable inks. Reliable customer delivery and individualized customer service has helped to build a successful company. La Sorgente employees nearly 50 people at its head office and production site in Poppi, Italy, located at the edge of the National Park of the Casentino Forest.

Further information about La Sorgente is available at www.lasorgenteinchiostri.com.

About Siegwerk
Siegwerk, a sixth-generation family-owned company, is one of the leading international manufacturers of printing inks and individual solutions for packaging, labels, and catalogs. With more than 180 years of experience, the company has solid expertise in and knowledge of many printing procedures. A global manufacturing and service network ensures customers consistently high-quality products and services. In keeping with the company’s philosophy “Ink, Heart & Soul,” Siegwerk seeks long-term cooperation with its business partners. Siegwerk employs some 5,000 people worldwide in more than 30 country organizations and is headquartered in Siegburg near Cologne. Further information on Siegwerk can be found at www.siegwerk.com

As a new member of the MIT FRAUEN IN FÜHRUNG initiative, Siegwerk joins an alliance of Cologne-based companies committed to greater diversity at management levels. The focus is on career advancement for women and thus the creation of a gender-oriented corporate culture.

Siegwerk, one of the world’s leading suppliers of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications and labels, yesterday announced its membership in the Cologne-based alliance MIT FRAUEN IN FÜHRUNG (With Women in Leadership). The local initiative specifically promotes gender parity and career advancement for women and offers companies in and around Cologne a unique platform for exchanging experiences on gender-oriented management. Siegwerk’s formal acceptance into the alliance took place during the ceremony “FRAUEN EMPOWERMENT – Fakten schaffen!” at Sparkasse Köln Bonn. Ulrich Voigt, Chairman of the Board and new patron of the alliance, and Christine Kronenberg, initiator of the initiative welcomed Siegwerk as another family-owned company and the first manufacturing company in the Cologne alliance.

“Diversity, equality and inclusion are the drivers of successful and satisfied teams. Colorfully mixed teams bring together the most diverse perspectives, enabling disruptive thinking and breaking out of old patterns,” explains Dr. Nicolas Wiedmann, Chief Executive Officer of Siegwerk. “Expertise knows no gender, background or personal orientation. And as a company in a classically male-dominated industry, I can only say we need more diversity and urgently more women, at all levels.”

As part of its new sustainability agenda, Siegwerk has set itself the goal, among other things, of doubling the proportion of women at management level by 2025. Joining the Cologne-based corporate alliance FRAUEN IN FÜHRUNG (Women in Leadership) once again underscores this commitment and is intended to specifically help improve structures and the working environment and ultimately thus attract more women to management positions at the Siegburg headquarters. “We are pleased to be part of this unique initiative and to exchange ideas with other companies on gender-oriented management and measures for the systematic advancement of women,” adds Wiedmann. “For me, diversity is a clear leadership issue and for this reason I have also made it my personal mission to sensitize managers to the relevance of diversity and to consistently raise awareness within the company. In this unique network, we are therefore very happy to exchange ideas and learn from each other.” Siegwerk sees itself as a pioneer in its industry and is ready to actively tackle change, put its own structures to the test and adapt the organization accordingly.

The Cologne Alliance WITH WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP was founded in 2016 by Female Resources, a management consultancy in the field of gender management, to specifically promote development opportunities for women in companies in the region. With a network of 15 different companies from the Cologne area, the alliance represents a unique platform for local business to exchange ideas across industries about gender-oriented HR policies and the advancement of women in particular, and to further drive change in society.

“We are pleased to include Siegwerk, another leading company in the region, in our circle that is committed to actively improving the proportion of women in management positions,” says Christine Kronenberg, founder of Female Resources and initiator of the alliance WITH WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP. “I am particularly pleased with Dr. Wiedmann’s personal commitment to working for more gender fairness, diversity and equal opportunities in the company. This commitment from the top of the company is exactly what is needed for sustainable change.”

Siegwerk recognizes that diversity, in combination with equality and inclusion, can make a valuable contribution to the success of individuals and the company as a whole. Diverse teams have been shown to increase individual productivity and creativity. Based on their different skills and different perspectives, employees of diverse teams are enabled to jointly develop new approaches to solutions and sustainable innovations. For example, scientific studies show that companies with more diverse leadership teams bring more innovative products and services to market than those with homogeneous leadership teams. At the same time, diverse leadership teams statistically achieve above-average business success. “In this context, a diverse workforce and supportive work environment are not only important aspects for retaining employees, but above all for becoming a company that is attractive to women and to potential applicants,” Wiedmann adds. A diverse workforce is important to the majority of those looking for a new job when deciding on their new employer.

The company wants to reposition itself in the medium term in order to further increase its attractiveness as an employer, especially for female specialists and managers, and to make greater use of the potential of diverse teams. To achieve this, Siegwerk is focusing on education within the company to create awareness of everyone’s collective responsibility. Among other things, this includes reviewing current promotion and hiring processes, conducting training on unconscious bias, or defining new personnel-related key figures and reporting them transparently. In this regard, managers in particular are called upon to personally contribute to making the organization a diverse and inclusive workplace.

By participating in this local initiative, Siegwerk hopes to gain targeted, practice-oriented insights into strategies and measures for implementing successful gender management and, consequently, for creating an attractive working environment in which all those who want to make a career can do so. You can find out more about the Cologne Alliance WITH WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP here: https://mitfraueninfuehrung.de/.

You can find out more about Siegwerk’s sustainability agenda HorizonNOW here.

About Siegwerk
Siegwerk, a sixth-generation family-owned company, is one of the leading international manufacturers of printing inks and individual solutions for packaging, labels, and catalogs. With more than 180 years of experience, the company has solid expertise in and knowledge of many printing procedures. A global manufacturing and service network ensures customers consistently high-quality products and services. In keeping with the company’s philosophy “Ink, Heart & Soul,” Siegwerk seeks long-term cooperation with its business partners. Siegwerk employs some 5,000 people worldwide in more than 30 country organizations and is headquartered in Siegburg near Cologne. Further information on Siegwerk can be found at www.siegwerk.com

Louisville, KY – Flexo Wash is honored to welcome Isaac Box as our new Field Service Technician. Isaac joins our expanding service team, now with a total of six members.

Isaac has vast experience with customer service and has direct knowledge of the manufacturing service industry, especially with his work as a quality technician. Isaac looks forward to servicing all the machines in the wide Flexo Wash network and meeting all of our customers across the country.

In his role a field service technician, Isaac will be working in North America, Mexico and Canada. Isaac can be reached at ib@flexowashus.com or call 888-493-5396.

For over 25 years, Flexo Wash has been helping our customers print better. Their products will extend the life of anilox rolls and sleeves, gravure cylinders, flexo plates, flexo plate sleeves, press parts and rotary screens, while decreasing the make-ready downtime between job runs. Flexo Wash provides “Leading Cleaning Technology” and they are the only company in the world to offer cleaning systems for every need. Visit our website at www.flexowashus.com, email us at info@flexowashus.com or call 888-493-5396.

Labelexpo Americas returns to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois in September, with early bird tickets now available. 

Tarsus Group, organizer of the Labelexpo Global Series, has announced that attendee registration is now open for Labelexpo Americas 2022. The show takes place between 13-15 September 2022 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. A special early bird entry price of $60 is available up to 28 August 2022. 

Labelexpo Americas this year features a full two-day conference program and two masterclasses organized by the Label Academy on Digital Embellishment and Self-Adhesive Materials. An early bird rate for of $396 is available for a single day conference pass and $636 for both days if booked before 28th August. The masterclasses cost $700 each. 

Show features include the Digital Embellishment Trail, which will allow attendees to see the latest state of the art in areas such as high build inkjet varnishing, digital metalization and laser die cutting. Each participating company will have samples available. 

Other highlights include the Global Awards ceremony on the opening night of the show, which will be followed by an industry reunion party hosted by Labelexpo Americas.

In the run-up to Labelexpo Americas 2022 a series of regional label industry roadshows will take place. 

Tasha Ventimiglia, show director, Labelexpo Americas, commented, ‘Our whole team is very excited to be finally welcoming the industry back to a Labelexpo. Labelexpo Americas 2022 will be the first time since the start of the global pandemic that many suppliers have had the chance to showcase their latest technology developments and we are thrilled to see the amount of working equipment that will be running at Labelexpo this year.’

Added Ventimiglia, ‘Labelexpo Americas 2022 will be the venue for international suppliers to connect with our industry in person, and  we are expecting a big international audience led by delegations from FINAT, the European label association, and other world label associations, as well as a major presence from Latin/South America.’

Linnea Keen, president TLMI, commented, ‘TLMI is very excited to be back in person for Labelexpo. Four years is too long! We are working closely with the Labelexpo team to put together an interesting program centered around Circularity, Sustainability and Label Converting. We look forward to seeing you all in September at Labelexpo.’

For more information about Labelexpo Americas 2022, follow Labelexpo on Twitter at @Labelexpo or visit the Labelexpo Americas website.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö reinforces its commitment to the PSA (Pressure Sensitive Adhesive) industry worldwide by launching its biggest-ever global range of sustainable release papers for silicone coating.

The expanded and harmonized range contains three main product families, and offers release papers based on sustainable, renewable fibers, spreading from 41 g/m2 up to 215 g/m2. Products feature various technologies and finishes to match any release liner application, even the most demanding and specified one.

The ACTI-V® product family includes supercalendered Glassine release papers based on proprietary technology, ensuring the highest efficiency and reliability in silicone coating. ACTI-V® Industrial products, suitable for double side silicone coating, feature ideal dimensional stability for highly technical release liner applications.

The SILCA™ product family, primarily manufactured to suit the needs of North American markets, comprises both Glassine and SCK (supercalendered kraft) release papers, as well as HPL (High Performance Liner) combining surface performance of glassine with yield of SCK.

The SILCO™ product family incorporates Clay Coated release papers for direct silicone coating, as well as Machine Glazed and Machine Finished papers, designed as a base for poly-coating.

The global release papers range offers the right match for any PSA release liner application, from PSA labeling to specialty tape, medical, industrial, or PSA Graphics applications.

Beyond release liners for PSA applications, Ahlstrom-Munksjö offers LamiBak™ silicone base papers, specially designed and certified for food contact and baking products, as well as a selection of Glassine, SCK and CCK liners for use in the manufacturing of fiber composites materials.

“Thanks to several release paper manufacturing sites in Europe, North America, and South America, we can offer global reach, opportunity of backup, and higher security of supply to the PSA industry worldwide,” explained Marco Troglia, Vice President, Release Liners.

“All Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s release papers are produced from renewable and responsibly sourced natural fibers. Our portfolio includes product options based on bleached, unbleached, and post-consumer recycled fibers,” commented Marco Martinez, Product and Sustainability Manager, Release Liners.

To help increase circularity in the labeling industry, Ahlstrom-Munksjö was one of the founding members of CELAB (Toward a Circular Economy for Labels). CELAB is a global industry coalition dedicated to building a sustainable self-adhesive labeling industry and creating greater circularity by enhancing and promoting matrix and release liner recycling worldwide.

Find out more:

Acti-V® Glassine release papers

Silca™ Glassine, SCK, HPL release papers

Silco™ Clay-coated release papers

Silco™ MF, MG coating base papers

Acti-V® Release Liner Technology

Ahlstrom-Munksjö in brief
Ahlstrom-Munksjö is a global leader in fiber-based materials, supplying innovative and sustainable solutions to its customers. Our mission is to expand the role of fiber-based solutions for sustainable everyday life. Our offering includes filter materials, release liners, food and beverage processing materials, decor papers, abrasive and tape backings, electrotechnical paper, glass fiber materials, medical fiber materials, diagnostics and energy storage solutions, as well as a range of specialty papers for industrial and consumer end-uses. Our annual net sales is about EUR 3.1 billion and we employ some 8,000 people. Read more at www.ahlstrom-munksjo.com

Member of the Executive Committee

Responsible for more than 12,000 employees in 29 countries

Committed to maintaining a diverse, motivated and inclusive team

Thomas Ott, 54, has been appointed CEO of the Flexible Packaging and Engineered Materials business units at Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, earlier this year.

Born in Vienna, Thomas looks back on an impressive international career, including time spent in Italy and the USA. He began his career at Mondi in 1995 as a financial controller and took on leading positions in various business sectors in the following years. His last job was with the packaging manufacturer Amcor in Switzerland.

As CEO of Mondi Flexible Packaging and Engineered Materials, Thomas is responsible for around €4 billion in turnover with a team of more than 12,000 employees in 29 countries. He succeeds Peter Orisich, who has recently retired.

According to the industry expert, developing sustainable, recyclable packaging solutions and effective measures against climate change are currently the primary challenges. Commenting, Ott said: “Mondi’s entire business activity is driven by our commitment to sustainability. As part of our Mondi Action Plan 2030 (MAP2030), we aim to make all Mondi products reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. We are also taking action on climate with MAP2030 Climate Action Roadmaps and committed to a science-based greenhouse gas emissions Net-Zero target by 2050.”

To achieve this, Thomas is counting on a diverse, motivated and inclusive team: “Safeguarding all forms of diversity throughout the organisation is – and will remain – one of our primary tasks,” he points out.

Thomas lives and works in Vienna. He is married and has three children.

www.mondigroup.com

There’s something about Denmark and the Danes – a kind of intellectual bonding that manifests itself in commercial cooperation and mutual assistance.  Nick Coombes visited Grafisk Maskinfabrik in Birkerød and spoke with company CEO Uffe Nielsen to find out more.

Grafisk Maskinfabrik A/S, or GM as it is more usually known, began life in 1980 manufacturing electronic controls for a range of different engineering companies, and as such developed a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce that was able to turn its hand to more than just electronics.  By 1983 the decision was made to diversify the business and GM engaged in manufacturing in its own right, and began to develop a range of slitters, die-cutters, and sheeters for the narrow web sector.  In the mid 90s, fellow Danish company Nilpeter requested the expertise of GM to develop finishing lines for digital print, and this became the start of a journey towards fully automated tool free laser-based finishing systems.

According to GM’s CEO Uffe Nielsen: “There is something of a Danish hub in manufacturing, which from a country of only 5 million people makes us rather special – in fact it’s a policy that is actively encouraged by the Danish authorities who are keen to establish a degree of independence and a high-quality pedigree in design and manufacture.  And it’s not just in industrial products – look at Danish furniture, glassware, and other consumer items – they have a style of their own, and a reputation for quality.”

Over the next 15 years, GM prospered but also noticed the growth of digital technology in the label market – digital technology that included printing but little else.  “Having cut our teeth in manufacturing with simple but cost-effective converting equipment, we spotted a niche for something more ambitious in the way of a complete finishing line.  Flexo label presses offered this single pass to finished product, digital presses didn’t, and we took the opportunity to fill that gap,” explained Nielsen.

To make such a leap required massive additional funding, and with the aid of Dansk Ejerkapital, GM turned itself almost overnight from a small artisan workshop into a modern production outfit that has seen staff numbers rise from 60 to 140, and sales increase by almost 30%.  But moving into finishing required the assimilation of new techniques and technology, including surface treatment of the digitally printed web prior to it being further processed.

“We knew of corona treatment but little more than that until we investigated the market and found the pioneers and technology leaders were not only Danish, but only two hours away from our HQ.  To say the rest is history exaggerates the point, but when you have Vetaphone’s vast wealth of knowhow and experience to draw on, in a common language and the same time-zone, and with an R&D philosophy that mirrors our own, why would we look elsewhere?”  he added.

The cooperative partnership effectively began in 1998 and has thrived ever since.  With run lengths seemingly in permanent decline as brand owners shy away from large inventories, what label converters need today is a flexible production capability that offers maximum on-shelf impact.  “We buy with our eyes,” said Nielsen, “so labels need to attract attention as well as supply vital information, much of it governed by international legislation.  The label is probably the hardest working element in printed packaging, so ensuring that it is always of top-quality is essential – re-runs are wasteful and costly, so all production elements need to perform reliably – and guaranteed correct surface treatment on some of today’s tricky substrates is the difference between profit and loss.”

With a global user base to support, GM is also grateful for the international back-up offered by Vetaphone and its sales and service network.  Today’s competitive marketplace makes no allowances for sustained periods of downtime in production, and this applies to printing and converting as much as any other process.  Printed packaging is the largest sector of the print market and is predicted to continue its rapid growth as more of the world moves into buying branded goods, so getting it right first time, every time, is critical.

But the Covid-19 pandemic has seen a major change in business habits and processes.  Long periods of lockdown prevented sales and support staff from travelling to see customers in person, and GM, along with Vetaphone, has invested heavily in showroom and demonstration facilities that allow online presentations of technology that no exhibition could manage.  Speaking for Vetaphone, CSO Jan Eisby commented: “The likelihood of most of our potential customers ever visiting us in Denmark is slim – so, with the lack of trade fairs to exhibit our technology we set about creating a means of taking Vetaphone technology out to the world.”

This chimes well with Uffe Nielsen, whose fully equipped demo facility at Birkerød has added scope to the company’s sales and marketing approach.  “With our extensive range of equipment these days, the ability to hold live online demos is a great sales tool.  Whether potential customers are interested in a general overview of our technology of something more specific, we have the facility to accommodate their needs,” he said.

Knowing the two companies and seeing their facilities and capabilities makes this whole ‘Danish hub’ concept come to life.  Both exude an air of assured competence based on an in-depth understanding of their respective technology and attention to detail both internally through R&D and manufacturing, but also externally by listening carefully to each customer’s specific requirements.  As Eisby concluded: “We are very proud of our heritage as a company and as a nation, and if this translates into providing a quality product and quality service to our customers in partnership with other manufacturers, that sounds like a winning formula to me!”

Today, both companies are acknowledged as market leaders in their respective sectors of operation, with the ongoing commitment to R&D and quality control that are requisites for Industry 4.0.  As the demand for more sophisticated packaging continues to grow, close cooperative partnerships of this type will be essential to satisfy the demands of brand owners and legislators alike.

www.gm.dk

www.vetaphone.com