• Pamarco Global Graphics acquires the assets May 15 of Consolidated Engravers Corp., Charlotte, N.C. Pamarco, based in Roselle, N.J., manufactures anilox and embossing rolls for converting, as well as gravure cylinders and sleeves and laser-engraved rubber print rolls. PGG also plans to open a Canadian plant and other international manufacturing facilities.

• Adding PET film capacity: Mitsubishi Polyester Film LCC breaks ground for a new production facility in Greer, S.C. As a wing on its existing 1 million-sq-ft plant, the new addition will boost annual capacity by more than 20,000 tons of Hostaphanw products. Startup is set for early 2003.

• The Genesis of inspection: Ultimate Packaging, a flexo printer based in Grimsby, U.K., installs an AVT PrintVision/ Genesis automatic web-inspection system on its Alpha CI-flexo press from Bobst Schiavi. The $10 million converter for retailer customers such as Sainsbury, Tesco, Asda and Iceland runs webs up to 46 in. wide at speeds to 1,200 fpm.

• De-emphasizing the corrugated biz: Chesapeake Corp., Richmond, Va., completes the sale May 18 of its corrugated containers businesses—Chesapeake Packaging and Capitol Packaging. The former Chesapeake subsidiaries, which consist of 10 corrugated container plants in seven states, become part of Inland Paperboard and Packaging, Inc., a subsidiary of Temple-Inland Inc. Chesapeake will use the proceeds of the sale to reduce its long-term debt. It has 54 locations in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

• Connemara Converting adds duplex slitter: The Bensenville, Ill.-based contract converter's new 95-in. wide Black Clawson duplex slitter/rewinder complements its existing sheeting and rewinding equipment. Connemara specializes in a range of materials that can be converted to widths as narrow as 2 in. and rewinds up to 95 in.
• Finland-based packaging-material giant Huhtamaki Van Leer installs what is said to be the world's fastest triplex laminator from Polytype, Ltd. The inline, dry system converts triplex laminates in one pass at speeds up to 1,640 fpm. It is equipped with two high-performance coating heads, support roll dryers and laminating stations. The shaftless unwinds and the rewind are for flying splice operation at production speed. MIS equipment for process and drive control was integrated by Polytype and Circonix.

White linerboard will continue to be a success story in European corrugated materials over the next five years, says U.K. researcher Landell Mills Marketpower. Italy is the leading user with around 25 percent share, more than Germany and France. Central Europe's share of total white linerboard sales is expected to double to 5 percent by 2004.

Western European flex-pack demand marches on, says a new study by U.K.-based PCI Films Consulting Ltd. The group concludes that sales of paper, film and foil substrates will grow by more than 14 percent over the 2000-2005 period, and this despite an increasing trend to downgauging and eco-legislation encouraging cuts in packaging use.

Overall, the total market will top 2.92 million metric tons four years from now. Leading materials will continue to be polyethylene and oriented polypropylene films, various papers and aluminum foil. In fact, three-quarters of all 2000 flex-pack sales in Western Europe were film-based constructions. PET, EVOH, PVC and cellophane together account for only 10 percent of the substrate market.

"Consolidation in the industries that supply raw materials and converted substrates to the Western European flex-pack market is going to be the key issue facing end-user customers over the next five years," says PCI director Simon King. "We've seen a reduction in substrate supplier choice but also consolidation bringing a degree of price stability to the market. Intense competition between suppliers, low profitability and pressures downstream to reduce packaging costs will continue this trend."