Page 23 - PWM_DECEMBER2022 EBook

GLOBAL NEWS

Engraver’s winning Fedrigoni has promised its
IN BRIEF

design comes to life n e w M a te ria Vi v a
Metamorphosis range of
paper products can mimic
many of the qualities that
An apprentice hand design I changed a few things make plastic the norm for
engraver has seen her work from my original drawing, packaging. Fedrigoni said
come to life at Baddeley mostly enhancing the dark the mono-material
Brothers as a die-stamped Metamorphosis range, which is made entirely from paper -
Christmas card after winning and light areas to make stand and is therefore recyclable, “aims to replace plastic while
guaranteeing its properties”. These properties include
a competition aimed at keep- out and be more striking.” papers with mould-resistance, water-resistance, grease
ing the craft of engraving She engraved the plate and stain-proofing, heat-sealability, and stretchability.
alive. London-based over the course of a month in Micaela Di Trana, marketing and R&D VP of Fedrigoni Paper,
Baddeley Brothers teamed her spare time. said the papers were the product of a 20-year chain of
with the Hand Engravers The competition was research into more ecologically friendly products. Fedrigoni’s
Association on the competi- new thermoformed cellulose pulp brand Éclose will simi-
tion, with the winning entry The copperplate of design judged by Baddeley’s direc- larly aim to replace thermoformed plastic packaging.
coming from Megan Rigby, tors together with Hand
who has been engraving for came up with the design by Engravers Association direc- James Cropper has posted a
£200,000 operating loss for
four years and is an appren- accident really, I had tor Sally Dodson and artist the first half of the year,
tice at Rebus Signet Rings. sketched a reindeer head for printmaker Linda but expects to return to
Rigby saw her reindeer practice and then when I saw profitability in H2 on the
design printed using the his- the Christmas card competi- Farquharson. back of strong sales growth
toric die-stamping process tion I decided to add the holly Baddeley director Charles – and the business has
and made into Christmas as a frame underneath so it Pertwee said the firm had also spent £700,000 on
cost of living payments to
cards earlier this month at would have a better composi- been pleased to sponsor the help its employees. The Cumbrian paper maker had already
Baddeley’s factory in South tion on the page and add a Hand Engravers Association flagged that its profits would be badly impacted due to the
Woodford. more festive element. Christmas Card competition soaring price of energy and raw materials. Group sales in the
six months to 24 September were up just over 23% to
She told Printweek: “I “When engraving the for the second year running.
£61.6m, but rising input costs resulted in a £2.5m reversal of
the prior year’s operating profit at the same stage. The firm
Bell & Bain to donate £14,000 broke even at the adjusted pre-tax profit level, while the
pre-tax loss including exceptionals and the IAS 19 account-
ing charge was £857,000.
Glasgow commercial way to help Glaswegians dur- thing to eat.”
printer Bell & Bain has ing the crisis. The donation has come on Unite members at UK
announced it will donate “I’ve been troubled,” he top of the company’s dona- Smurfit Kappa sites are
£14,000 worth of food said, adding that many in the tion of £5,000 on 13 understood to be balloting
vouchers to local families business, himself included, November to The Celtic over strike action as they
over the next six months to knew from past experience Foundation, the charitable reportedly want a 10%
help them get through the exactly how hard it could be annual pay rise. The
Scottish Sun said it had
cost of living crisis. Stephen to live through poverty. “You arm of Celtic FC, for its been told by a Unite source
Docherty, chairman of Bell & want to get help to so many Christmas appeal. Bell & that there could be a
Bain, told Printweek that he people, but it’s hard to do. Bain likewise donates its 24-hour strike held “across the country” this month if a pay
and managing director Karen There are kids going to print services for the founda- deal cannot be reached, and if members of the union work-
Baillie had been looking for a school that have not had any- tion’s fundraisers. ing at the paper-based and corrugated packaging manufac-
turer agree. The newspaper reported last week that nego-
tiations between Unite officials and bosses at Smurfit Kappa
Seltex invests in wide-format were due to continue Friday. Unite confirmed to Printweek
that it was in pay talks on Friday afternoon. Smurfit Kappa
said it was not commenting when approached by Printweek.
Global wallcoverings both gravure and digital pro-
brand Seltex has invested in cesses. Real median weekly pay for full-time employees fell by
a new Agfa Anapurna wide- The north London-based 2.6% in 2022 when adjusting for inflation, according to fig-
format H3200i LED hybrid family business, which was ures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Without
adjusting for inflation, median weekly pay for full-time
printer to help it to meet established in 1985 and has employees increased by 5% to £640 in 2022, according to the
growing demand for shorter been a customer of Agfa for new ONS figures. The rising inflation rate was cited as a
runs and interior design per- more than 10 years, took major factor contributing to the difference between nomi-
sonalisation.Specialising in nal and real wages. The figures back up findings from ECA
the commercial and high-end Seltex brand in hybrid install delivery of its new machine International’s Salary Trends Report, which showed UK
workers have suffered their largest decrease in real wages
residential markets, Seltex across the world, and works in mid-October. The since 2000. The survey showed real salaries in the UK have
mostly supplies the hospital- machines are fitted with air- decreased 5.6% in 2022, while forecasting another 4%
ity sector, including hotels, directly with architects and cooled UV LED lights with decrease in 2023.
cruise ships, and restaurants interior designers. It uses minimum energy output.

www.printweekmena.com December 2022 PrintWeek MENA 23