Solenis Acquires Lilleborg from Orkla, Expanding Food and Beverage and Institutional Businesses in Norway

Carlisle Container Company, a corrugated packaging converter founded in 1965, will significantly decrease turnaround times and boost efficiency with the acquisition of an EFI™ Nozomi 14000 LED single-pass inkjet corrugated packaging press from Electronics For Imaging, Inc. The business will install the new press in a facility adjacent to its main plant scheduled to open in early 2023. The Nozomi 14000 LED press is an important next step toward growth for a packaging company that has long appreciated the impact digital can have. “We implemented digital printing in the early days, acquiring our first VUTEk® printer in 2004,” said Carlisle Container CEO Diane Wolf. “Back then, we could print eight to ten 4x8-foot sheets per hour, and over time we updated technology to continue increasing throughput and quality. The Nozomi was the next logical move for us, and it will be a game changer.”

Net sales for the second quarter of 2017 were $1,021.8 million, an increase of $147.2 million, or 16.8 percent, as compared to $874.6 million in 2016. This increase was the result of the acquisition of Dispensing Systems in April 2017 and higher net sales across all of the businesses. Income from operations for the second quarter of 2017 was $75.2 million, an increase of $7.5 million, or 11.1 percent, as compared to $67.7 million for the second quarter of 2016, while operating margin decreased to 7.4 percent from 7.7 percent for the same periods. The increase in income from operations was the result of the net benefit from the acquisition of Dispensing Systems and higher income from operations in each of the businesses. The decrease in operating margin was due primarily to the negative impact from the purchase accounting write-up of inventory of Dispensing Systems and acquisition related costs in the quarter. Rationalization charges were $3.0 million and $5.0 million in the second quarters of 2017 and 2016, respectively. Click Read More below for additional details.

Smurfit Kappa is installing a revolutionary new industrial-scale HP PageWide C500 digital press for corrugated printing which will provide greater customisation and flexibility for customers. The HP PageWide C500 Press, which will be the first commercial HP single pass press in Europe, is HP’s most technologically advanced digital press for corrugated application. The press will be installed in Smurfit Kappa’s Interwell plant in Austria. With a fully integrated stack-to-stack workflow, the press combines digital simplicity with off-set replaceable print quality on both coated and uncoated paper. The cutting-edge technology will provide brand owners with customised packaging solutions that can drive sales across both online and traditional sales channels. The graphic flexibility and quality of the new HP PageWide C500 Press will further enhance the company’s service to drive brand recognition and provide fit-for-purpose packaging. Furthermore, the HP water-based inks facilitate printing on both primary and secondary food packaging without an additional barrier which can comply with even the most stringent global food safety regulations. Click Read More below for additional information.