A subsidiary of Graphic Packaging has completed the acquisition of Spanish carton manufacturer Norgraft Packaging for an undisclosed sum.
Norgraft, which aims at food and household goods markets, operates two converting plants in Maliaño and Requejada, and converts around 25000 tons of paperboard each year.
Graphic Packaging president and CEO Michael Doss said: "The announced transaction is consistent with our strategy to pursue acquisitions that allow us to grow our folding carton volume in attractive geographies and end-markets, improve our cost position, service our customers with excellence, and increase our mill to converting plant integration levels over time.”
Established in 1998, Norgraft Packaging has a workforce of over 200 and specializes in cardboard packaging.
The firm also has pollution risks prevention system that ensures environment and occupational health and safety by manufacturing products under controlled hygienic conditions.
With a workforce of over 10000, Graphic Packaging offers packaging solutions to food, beverage and other consumer products companies.
The firm specializes in folding cartons, paperboard, packaging machinery, package design and recycled paperboard.
In May 2016, Graphic Packaging has acquired Australian folding carton supplier Colorpak, which converts around 38,000 tons of paperboard into folding cartons annually though three facilities in Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand.
Graphic Packaging’s subsidiary Graphic Packaging International has purchased the converting assets of Carded Graphics, a Staunton-based provider of packaging solution to the food, craft beer and other consumer product markets, in October 2015.
| A Graphic Packaging release || October 6, 2017 |||
Leading food company Alliance Group announced today it is investing $54 million in capital expenditure in the co-operative over the next year as its annual road-show is held across the country. Alliance Group chief executive David Surveyor said the success of the business strategy meant the co-operative was in a position to re-invest in continuing to build the company’s operational performance. In addition to a pool payment, the company will have a bonus share issue and reward farmer shareholders by increasing their shareholding in the co-operative. The level will be based upon the supply of lambs, sheep, cattle, calves and deer during the 2017/18 season. “Alliance is now a much fitter co-operative as a result of our focus on lifting efficiency and improving sales and marketing,” said Mr Surveyor. “We are making good progress against our key measures with a stronger balance sheet, improved profitability and better livestock pricing for farmers. “We’re working hard to ensure our improvements are sustainable through further investment, growing our value add and building our organisational capability.: The co-operative was encouraged by its health and safety performance with the Total Recordable Injuries Frequency Rate improving by 42% year on year. “Looking after our people is the right thing to do. We have made good progress, but there is still some way to go. We were unfortunately reminded of that by a serious accident at our Smithfield plant in March.” As part of the strategy programme, Alliance Group has made significant investments in technology and operational improvements, lifting processing and productivity across its plants and incorporating best practice from around the world, said Mr Surveyor. That included new primal cutters and middles technology at the Dannevirke plant, a range of investments to lift the recovery of “5th quarter” products, improving chiller performance, investing in the Pukeuri plant beef chain and packaging innovations. The co-operative expected to make further gains as a result of its recent acquisition of Singapore-based marketing and sales company Goldkiwi Asia, which will be known as Alliance Asia. Alliance is focused on being a co-operative and supporting New Zealand’s best farmers. “We are doing a better job of rewarding loyal shareholders. More frequent minimum price contracts are helping provide our farmers with certainty. However, there is still some work to do in this area and our prime beef performance needs to be lifted.” Alliance is continuing to maximise the schedule price to farmers, he said. Meanwhile, James Ogden is to retire as an Alliance director at the end of his term of appointment on 30 November. He will be replaced by Peter Schuyt. Mr Schuyt is an experienced independent director on a range of New Zealand businesses including Tatua Co-Operative Dairy Company, TSB Bank Ltd and Foodstuffs North Island Ltd. He has also held senior executive roles at the New Zealand Dairy Board, Fonterra and the NZ Post Group. Mr Schuyt is a Chartered Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. The annual roadshow programme, covering the North and South Islands, began in Dannevirke on 2nd October and finishes in Fortrose on 19 October.
| An Alliance release || October 6, 2017 |||
The New Zealand Government has achieved its third fiscal surplus in a row with the Crown accounts for the year ended 30 June 2017 showing an OBEGAL surplus of $4.1 billion, $2.2 billion stronger than last year, Finance Minister Steven Joyce says.
“The 2016/17 Crown accounts are a direct demonstration of the hard work of New Zealanders since the Global Financial Crisis and the benefit of a strong economic plan that is delivering consistent growth,” Mr Joyce says.
Core Crown tax revenue was $75.6 billion for the 2016/17 year, up 7.4 per cent from the previous year with all major tax types increasing.
“The 12.3 per cent growth over last year in company tax, a 7.1 per cent growth in GST, and a 7.4 per cent growth in personal income tax, are a direct consequence of the confidence and growth of Kiwi companies and the growth in jobs.”
Core Crown tax revenue growth of $5.2 billion outpaced core Crown expenditure growth of $2.4 billion.
The final OBEGAL result for the year is $363 million better than predicted by Treasury at the time of the Pre-election Fiscal Update, largely due to core Crown expenditure being $502 million less than forecast.
“This better result should be seen as a one-off. Treasury advises that much of this expenditure reduction reflects timing differences and is likely to reverse out in the years ahead,” Mr Joyce says.
The country’s net debt has reduced in nominal terms by $2.4 billion from last year, to $59.5 billion. Net debt has dropped to 22.2 per cent of GDP.
“This is the first time net debt has reduced in actual dollar terms since the GFC and the Christchurch earthquakes,” Mr Joyce says. “It’s a significant milestone in the country’s economic recovery from those twin shocks.”
Mr Joyce says that the 2016/17 full year result should be interpreted with caution, and not seen as automatically flowing through into higher surpluses than forecast in the years ahead.
“Treasury has based its forecasts on current economic settings and some reasonably solid growth predictions for the years ahead. A number of commentators have noted a softening of growth indicators in recent days.
“The Government’s future surpluses will be needed to meet the cost of the significant investments we have committed to as part of the next four Budgets including the Government’s $32.5 billion infrastructure programme.
“We also need to keep reducing debt over time to prepare for the next rainy day event.”
| A Beehive release || October 5, 2017 |||
The recent spate of toughened glass shower screens, pool fences, balustrades and overhead glass spontaneously exploding in homes across the Australia and New Zealand has prompted the need to issue a safety warning to building and homeowners.
This year, two different Victorian apartment blocks have experienced exploding balcony balustrade panes. In Perth this June, a shower screen suddenly shattered while a four year old boy was taking a shower. Similarly, a Sydney mum called the ambulance in September 2016 after a shattered shower screen cut her three month old baby’s face. In Sydney this January two sisters, one eight months pregnant, were sitting next to a pool fence when it suddenly shattered. Shoppers at Robina Town Centre in Queensland were startled when a shopfront window unexpectedly exploded in June this year[1].
In New Zealand there have been a number of instances where glass has for no apparent reason to explode such as over an escalator in Wellington, entrance canopy glass in Christchurch and Dunedin.
Apart from physical impact or damage to glass edges, the most common cause of glass explosions in toughened (tempered) glass is a phenomenon called ‘Nickel Sulphide (NiS) inclusion’.
To protect employees, family, friends, guests and even passers-by from spontaneous glass explosions, Solar Gard and Speciality Window Films suggests the application of a safety film, which essentially creates a membrane that holds the glass together if it shatters.
Glass with applied Solar Gard safety film can be brought up to Grade A safety standard under Australian / New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 2208:1996, Grade A safety glass in human impact situations. It is a very tough, clear polyester film less than 1mm thick with a safety-strength adhesive. The combination of film and adhesive helps hold the glass together if it breaks, so instead of pieces falling onto persons or property, they remain stuck to the film.
“The recent incidents of random glass explosions are alarming. While toughened glass is designed to fragment into small cube-like pieces when broken, it can still pose a serious injury risk as the cubes can ‘clump’ together and sharp edges can be present, says Mr Ross Eathorne Managing Director Speciality Window Films.
“There is no way of predicting which installed products in your home could fail,” Eathorne continues. “So when it comes to glass, it’s best to err on the side of caution because the risk of injury to anyone nearby is so extreme. Safety film presents a permanent, invisible and cost-effective solution to the unpredictable and dangerous threat of toughened glass explosion.” Says Eathorne
With the recent introduction of much tougher Health and Safety regulations in New Zealand, employers and property owners have a responsibility to provide a high level of safety protection
Homes, offices and government buildings around the world use safety film to help protect against broken glass from bomb blast, extreme weather or spontaneous explosion. It can be applied to any glass surface, internally or externally, and comes in a range of different colours and thicknesses (the thicker the film, the stronger the substrate it’s applied to becomes). Solar control, UV reduction safety film is also available.
What is Nickel Sulphide (NiS)?
Invisible to the human eye, NiS is a tiny particle that can form inside glass during manufacture. NiS particles naturally expand during the lifespan of the glass, and usually never cause a problem. Toughened glass is about four times the strength of normal glass. Its strength comes from a balance of tensile and compression forces put into the glass during manufacturing. Sometimes the expansion of NiS particles disrupts the balance of these forces inside the glass, causing spontaneous explosion of the ENTIRE pane.
Central Wellington Apartment building 12th May 2016
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/303649/glass-balcony-sheets-fall-from-wellington-high-rise
1- Christchurch Public Hospital February 2016
2- Willis Street Escalators September 2015
3- Dunedin mall March 2015
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/334867/mall-glass-failure-not-structural
[1] Link to story and footage of the exploding glass balustrades in Carlton and Brunswick, Victoria, 2017
Link to story regarding the Perth shower screen incident, June 2017
Link to story regarding the Sydney shower screen incident, September 2016
Link to story regarding the pool fence explosion in Sydney, January 2017
Link to story regarding shopfront window explosion in Robina, June 2017
Distributed in New Zealand by:-
Specialty Window Films
3D/89 Ellice Road
Glenfield Auckland
Tel (09) 441 0040
Contact:- Ross Eathorne
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
About Solar Gard
Solar Gard positively impacts lives with products that protect, save and renew. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Solar Gard makes industry leading architectural and automotive window films, photovoltaics and custom coatings.
A division of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets, Solar Gard’s architectural solar control window films are proven carbon negative and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Solar Gard products are sold in more than 90 countries under the Solar Gard®, Panorama®, Quantum® and Solar Gard Armorcoat® brands. For more information, visit www.solargard.com.au
About Saint-Gobain
Located in 64 countries and with almost 200,000 employees, Saint-Gobain, world leader in habitat, designs, manufactures and distributes building materials, providing innovative solutions to meet the challenges of growth, energy-saving and environmental protection. World leader in high performance plastics, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics is headquartered in Aurora, Ohio (USA). The company employs 4,500 employees in 16 countries. Its product offer includes films, foams, coated fabrics, bearings, seals and fluid systems. For more information, visit www.saint-gobain.com and www.plastics.saint-gobain.com.
Bringing a whole new meaning to “speedy recovery
We all know Formula 1 is a test bed for a variety of technologies that will eventually trickle down to the street. Now, McLaren is taking its go-faster know-how and applying it somewhere a bit unexpected – health care. The body armor you see here was created in response to a client’s request for a device that would help keep his organs protected after undergoing surgery. It’s called Invincible shield, and it protects the rib cage through the use of high-failure strain Dyneema fibers, as well as woven fabrics and a highly-toughened resin system. The construction and materials pull from McLaren’s F1 experience, and includes the same fibers used as side-impact crash protection in the race car. Essentially, this armor is made from the same stuff that’s going into next year’s F1 competitor.
The end result is something lightweight, but tough and rigid enough to protect the client. The armor was designed to be discreet as well, and was perfectly tailored to the client’s body to be hidden under a shirt. Responsible for its creation was McLaren’s Applied Technologies division, which apparently has a hand in developing health care products. “From digital therapeutics, to tailored human performance programs and bespoke medical devices, our aim is to innovate health care solutions that can be tailored for individual patients,” says Dr. Adam Hill, McLaren’s Chief Medical Officer. Yeah, I didn’t know McLaren had a Chief Medical Officer, either.
Continue reading for the full story here on TopSpeed || October 5, 2017 |||.
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242