North State Flexibles goes 10-color: The Greensboro, N.C., converter purchases a Novoflex® CI-flexo press from Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp. While it's the tenth 10-color press from W&H delivered to a U.S. company, the buy represents North State's first purchase from the Lincoln, R.I., pressmaker. The 52-in.-wide Novoflex uses gearless direct drive for infinitely variable repeat lengths and rapid changeover. NSF, formerly Rexam Flexible Packaging, is a pioneer in the standup-pouch market.

W/S Packaging Group buys out JV: Labelmaker W/S, Algoma, Wis., buys the assets of Blake Printery, San Luis Obispo, Calif., a joint venture which created a flexographic division operating under the name CALabel. Blake Printery will now operate under the leadership of president Mike Glavin. CALabel became a major West Coast production facility for W/S and has since won several national awards from TLMI and FTA. It is reportedly one of the few U.S. label printers to offer both p-s and sheetfed glue-applied labels from the same plant.

Name change No. 1: To underscore its growth in services, York, Pa.-based C-P Converters takes on the new name of C-P Flexible Packaging. The 41-year-old company, serving snack food, bakery, confectionery and other markets, also expands its capabilities by adding a second 8-color Vision-Max CI-flexo press from Paper Converting Machine Co. and a new Stanford Products LLC slitter/re-winder. These assets follow the installation of a Comexi 100%-solids laminator and the company's first Vision-Max press, both of which went online last year.

Name change No. 2: Thermo Web Systems, Auburn, Mass.-based converting-equipment supplier, becomes Kadant Web Systems following the spin-off of its parent company as an independent firm, Kadant, Inc. The 70-year-old vendor supplies doctoring and related accessory equipment for the paper and converting industry.

PROMA Technologies expands metallizing capacity: Paper-metallizing output at the Franklin, Mass.-based converter increases by 35 percent with the recent installation of a second metallizer and additional slitter/rewinder. Metallizing equipment from Applied Films, Longmont, Colo., and an Atlas slitting system from U.K.'s Valmet Converting help boost annual production to 27,000 tons—reportedly the world's highest capacity of any paper-metallizer plant. PROMA produces a line of specialty metallized papers, holographic papers and metallized security papers.

Paperboard food packaging will benefit from improved graphics and stronger moisture barriers in the years ahead, says a new Freedonia Group market study. Rapid growth is expected for both aseptic and gabletop cartons.

Dayton, Ohio-based High Definition Flexo Consortium moves toward establishing a certification program by which high-definition flexographic printers could differentiate themselves.

The move has been driven both by member interest as well as numerous inquiries from print buyers and designers seeking a list of flexo printers demonstrating a quantifiable level of expertise in the field.

HDFC has already filed for and been approved the use of a certification mark. In addition, the group is investigating the suitability of an audit program via Leapfrog Consulting for the needs of its flexo-printer members.

The program is said to offer a method of auditing a printing supplier's processes and facilities to ensure that package design and brand identity is maintained in the printing process. It also provides a way to review the package development, printing process specifications and plant-process organization and workflow. Leapfrog says auditors can identify areas of strength and areas for improvement in the package-printing development process.

For more information, 937/293-8381, www.hdflexo.com