• Ten-color gearless press applications grow: St. Louis-based Packaging Concepts, Inc., a converter of flex packs and specialty bags, and package printer Poly Print, Inc., Tucson, AZ, have each purchased new Emerald 10-color, gearless CI-flexo presses from Uteco North America (Atlanta). This latest press will be the fourth Uteco system for Packaging Concepts and will soon be installed at the company's new 135,000-sq-ft facility. The Emerald press is the first Uteco for Poly Print. It will be in-stalled at that company's new 77,000-sq-ft facility, scheduled to open next April.
• Israeli converter unites gravure/offset: Teradion, Israel-based Tadbik installs an innovative Drent Goebel Novaprint 680 press that combines gravure and offset printing with UV-drying stations and chilling rolls. Two UV-gravure units and six offset units print on thin films for shrink sleeves, IMLs and blow-mold labels. Tadbik and its daughter, Fairfield, NJ-based Logotech, use the press to serve clients around the world.
• RIT "approves" donation: As part of its support for higher education, Kodak Polychrome Graphics donated the Kodak Approval NX Digital Color Imaging System that it displayed at Graph Expo 2004 to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The Ap-proval NX uses the latest in thermal-imaging technology to produce versatile and accurate digital-halftone proofs.
• TLMI adds nine new members: The Naperville, IL-based Tag & Label Mfrs. Institute approved the membership of nine new converter, supplier and international members at its annual meeting in Palm Springs, CA. New converter members include Combined Printing Specialties, Inc., Tucson, AZ; Group DC, Quebec, Canada; Inovar Packaging Group, Inc., Arlington, TX; and Labels West, Inc., Woodinville, WA. New supplier members are Alden & Ott Flexo, Mount Prospect, IL; Color Resolutions Intl., Fairfield, NJ; and efi, Foster City, CA. New international supplier members include Matan Digital Printers Ltd., Israel; and GEW (EC) Ltd., Surrey, UK.
• Tailored sleeves: Shrink-film converter Ameri-Seal, Inc., Chatsworth, CA, expands its contract-sleeving division, doubling business since its launch last year. Ameri-Seal can also apply sleeves directly onto clients' packages as a new service to its clients.
• With a population greater than the US and Europe combined, China's demand for all forms of modern packaging and package-printing equipment appears insatiable, says a new study by UK-based researcher Pira Intl. Consumption will grow at rates of more than 8–12 percent a year, depending on the sector, well into the next decade.

The Flexographic Technical Assn. (FTA), Ronkonkoma, NY, commissions its first market research study focusing on the flexible packaging segment of the flexo-printing industry.

The goal of FTA's study is to supply a precise industry snapshot that will aid organizations with decision-making and product strategies. Data will be collected from flex-pack and unsupported-film converters, industry suppliers, end-users and packaging buyers via Web-based questionnaires; fax and email broadcasts; and extensive personal interviews and focus groups. The end result will take the form of a detailed report revealing industry trends, namely in the area of consumer behavior, brand management, product development and globalization, FTA says.

"The FTA has pinpointed a very clear void in terms of this kind of focused market research. As a result, we have decided to fund this initiative, to help our members as well as the flexo industry," says FTA President Mark Cisternino.

The targeted completion date for the FTA flex-pack market study is June 2005. FTA will release initial findings during the FFTA Annual Forum March 20–23, 2005, in Orlando, FL, and at CMM Intl. 2005 in Chicago.