Page 25 - PWM2024_September Ebook

GLOBAL NEWS

Geostick extends Retail paper roll and label
IN BRIEF

capabilities with BOBST specialist Schades has
bought Hamilton Adhesive
Labels out of administra-
tion in a last-minute pre-
pack deal. Completed on 3
Geostick Group, a leading streamlining operations due September, the deal has
label converter in Europe, to the close integration of seen Schades’ Ripley-
has developed a strong part- flexo, digital, and converting based UK subsidiary buy
the entirety of Hamilton’s
nership with BOBST over technologies. Now, moving a assets, including inventory, intellectual property and cus-
several years. The decision to step further with the tomer contracts, with no redundancies made. The acquisi-
invest in another All-in-One DIGITAL MASTER 510, we tion was completed on a tight timeline, with Hamilton fil-
solution, this time a will be able to transfer more ing notice of its intention to appoint administrators on 22
August. Once word reached Schades, the deal was complete
DIGITAL MASTER 510, is Second investment in BOBST complex flexographic work within nine days, with Schades buying the firm from
part of the company’s strat- to this digitally oriented pro- administrators Rochelle Schofield and Michael Dillon of
egy to explore new applica- Printing Center in Uithoorn, duction process. This will Leonard Curtis. The extent of Hamilton’s financial difficul-
ties are not yet clear, and notice of the administration had
tions for existent customers, the press effortlessly handles result in even greater effi- not yet been publicised on The Gazette or Companies House
and to attract new clients, as a mix of jobs – from very ciency and higher sustaina- at the time of writing.
well as to optimize opera- small to larger run lengths –
tions across its facility. The with just one operator thanks bility.” The price of First Class
stamps will increase by 30p
Netherlands-based printing to all production processes With this investment, next month. In a statement
company has been highly sat- in-line, producing finished Geostick expects to achieve released on 6 September)
isfied with the performance labels in one pass. significant milestones Royal Mail said that from 7
of the DIGITAL MASTER Commenting on the expan- quickly, including producing October 2024, the price of
First Class stamps will rise
340, installed less than two sion, Cees Schouten, 45,000 linear meters in one to £1.65. The price of
years ago, and the support Geostick’s COO, stated, day over just two shifts. Most Second Class stamps will
provided by BOBST. “Being an early adopter of the importantly, this high output remain unchanged at 85p.
Royal Mail said it has sought to keep price increases as low
Currently producing over All-in-One solution has can be managed by a single as possible in the face of declining letter volumes, infla-
30,000 linear meters per day allowed us to remain com- operator overseeing the tionary pressures, and the costs associated with maintain-
at the Geostick Digital petitive and sustainable, entire one-pass process. ing the Universal Service. It added the new price of First and
Second Class stamps remained below European average
Landa announces more deals prices of £1.73 for First Class and £1.33 for Second Class.
“Letter volumes have fallen from 20 billion in 2004/5 to
around 6.7 billion a year in 2023/4.”
Landa Digital Printing has sold more than 70 presses Poland.
announced a further raft of including a number of repeat The location for the second Print and mailing company
customers following its suc- orders from existing custom- press has not yet been dis- FDM Document Solutions
cessful showing at Drupa, ers. Smurfit Westrock was closed. has appointed Alan
including two presses for formed by the merger of pack- “This is an exciting and sig- Cruickshank as its new
Smurfit Westrock’s European aging giants Smurfit Kappa nificant announcement for business development
operations. Gil Oron, CEO at and WestRock which com- us,” said LDP chief business manager. With a career
the Israeli digital press manu- pleted over the summer. The spanning more than 40
facturer, said that the firm’s group was already running a officer Sharon Cohen. years, Cruickshank started
Nanography technology was Landa S10 press at one of Landa has also signed a in the newly created role at
being “fully adopted by the Westrock’s US plants. multi-press deal with Chinese Canning Town, London-
market” now. “Print volumes Installation of one of the two group Grandprint Shengda, based FDM Document Solutions on Tuesday (3 September).
are growing and they’re grow- new 11,200sph S11 presses is which will become its first FDM said Cruickshank brings insight and experience from a
ing fast,” he stated. close to completion at a commercial print customer in variety of roles including agency side, as owner of a print
Oron said the firm has now Smurfit Westrock plant in China. and digital print business, within multichannel communi-
cations, and most recently within data-driven marketing.
K&B partners with Tessitura He has previously worked for businesses including PDV,
Communisis, ProCo and RNB Group. Cruickshank will take
responsibility for attracting new client opportunities.
Koenig & Bauer is team- interconnected production
ing up in a new partnership environment that doesn’t A reduced Second Class postal service appears increasingly
with industry expert likely as Ofcom reports on its progress in reviewing potential
Tessitura, an innovative limit customers to a single reform of Royal Mail’s Universal Service Obligation. The
software developer within manufacturing brand. regulator set out two primary options for modernisation of
Steuber group. This collabo- Tessitura’s Odeon- the USO at the beginning of the year, and has now assessed
ration’s goal is to bring Platform, which serves as the responses and feedback that was gathered subse-
unprecedented levels of flex- quently. On 5 September, Ofcom said that it would now
ibility, efficiency, and trans- the backbone of this collabo- assess whether a possible solution would involve Second
Class letters being delivered within three working days, but
parency to production Koenig & Bauer’s partnership ration, is designed to intelli- not on Saturdays. First Class deliveries on six days a week
processes through the vari- gently connect all printing would be unchanged. Such a move could potentially save
ous functions available in between Koenig & Bauer Royal Mail £300m a year. Respondents also raised concern
Koenig & Bauer’s myKyana and Tessitura is built on a and finishing machines in a about Royal Mail’s quality of service,
portal.The partnership shared vision of an open, company.
www.printweekmena.com September 2024 PrintWeek MENA 23