Film and flex-pack converter Pliant Corp. opens a 10,000-sq-ft research and development expansion at its Chippewa Falls, WI, plant. The new R&D facility will focus on the development of advanced polymer-packaging solutions for the US armed forces.

East York, Ontario, Canada-based A-1 Label invests in in-line silicone and adhesive-coating equipment to manufacture its own pressure-sensitive materials prior to label printing. The Cohesio system was supplied by ETI Converting Equipment (www.eticonverting.com). The converter reportedly has seen 30 to 50 percent savings in various p-s laminates. The ETI technology allows companies to print on the reverse side of label stocks, before coating the adhesive, and laminating the structure with a silicone-coated release liner.

Equipped with a new Kodak MatchPrint inkjet-proofing solution, Kodak ThermoFlex Narrow platesetter and Kodak Prinergy PowerPack workflow system (www.graphics.kodak.com), Cumming, GA-based ProLabel, Inc., can now produce quality high-end work with increased productivity to meet tight deadlines. These benefits have translated into new business opportunities for the printer specializing in prepress and production of pressure-sensitive labels. ProLabel, a $12 million company, has been in business since 1989. The firm's 40 employees handle prepress and production for food and beverage, health and beauty, and chemical-industries labels.