Jan 31, 2018  -  Saudi Arabian packaging company Noor Carton is reporting successful production using its two Rapida 106 coater presses. KB Rapida Saudi.  The company erected its new plant in 2015, and a six-colour Rapida 106 with coater and extended delivery has been in production since then.

Jan 30, 2018  -  40-foot standard containers are the most frequently used sea containers worldwide. With internal dimensions of roughly 12 by 2.3 by 2.4 metres, they have a loading volume of 65m3 and a cargo load of up to some 26 tonnes. Unloading these containers is heavy work, still mainly carried out manually in the world’s ports.

Jan 30, 2018 -  Inventors and their inventions are essential to keeping the composites industry vibrant and ever improving writes Dale Brosius for CompositesWorld. 

Jan 30, 2018  -  The latest investment offering for inspection industry disruptor Invert Robotics has closed after attracting considerable interest from a number of high net worth and institutional investors from across Australia and New Zealand.

Invert Robotics provides non-destructive inspection services using state of the art mobile climbing robots. Invert Robotics’ climbing robots enable precise and accurate remote inspection of non-ferromagnetic surfaces such as stainless steel, carbon fibre, aluminium and glass. Invert Robotics’s patented robots are installed with high definition cameras and sensor technology to allow for equipment to be assessed for maintenance and for preventative analysis on a remote basis. Inspectors are fed real-time video during the inspection that allows for immediate and highly accurate analysis.

The device is already being used by the major Australian and New Zealand dairy companies and co-operatives such as Fonterra, Synlait and Murray Goldburn, as well as a number of global food and beverage brands. It is also attracting interest across other sectors and throughout the food and beverage manufacturing industry in Europe and Asia such as FrieslandCampina and Heineken.

The Company has also captured the attention of those working in the lucrative aviation inspection market and is poised to make a European partnership announcement soon regarding its successful development of further advanced robot technology. The company is also looking at potential opportunities in the chemical industry, in addition to further work with energy, oil and gas companies.

Following an almost million dollar crowdfunding campaign through the Sydney-based platform Equitise, a further NZ$6.4 million has now been raised from a limited sophisticated private investor round. Shareholders now include the former CEO of Macquarie Group Ltd, Allan Moss, and Inception Fiduciary Pty Ltd.

These investments add to the considerable funding received from government and private venture capital sources soon after the company was founded by its now Chief Technical Officer, James Robertson.

Since 2015/2016, Invert Robotics has experienced exponential growth; for the 2018/19 Financial Year, its revenue is expected to further quadruple, with significant contributions from European operations.

“Unlike other inspection methods using dyes, drones and optical or laser devices, Invert Robotics’s technology provides 360-degree diagnostics and does so in up to half the time of traditional inspections”, said Invert Robotics’ Managing Director Neil Fletcher.

“The accuracy, efficiency and the value-adding environmental and safety benefits of robotic technology makes it an obvious choice as global consumer demand for product safety, brand integrity and transparency grows,” Fletcher said.

Given the company’s rapid growth, in addition to its Australasian base in Christchurch, Invert Robotics have opened an office in the Netherlands and is poised to open premises to operate in Germany and Denmark.

Source: invertRobotics   ||  January 30, 2018  |||

Jan 26, 2018 - British industrialist Sanjeev Gupta is eyeing a move to Holden’s former automotive manufacturing site in Adelaide, as part of plans to build electric vehicles in Australia.  According to reports, South Australian treasurer Tom Kousantonis said in a letter that Gupta’s company, GFG Alliance, had recently approached the state government with plans to buy some of the factory’s assets.

Jan 25, 2018  -  The Democratic Unionist Party has backed a crossing between Northern Ireland and Scotland, proposed in response to Boris Johnson's suggestion to build a bridge between Britain and France.

A bridge across the Irish Sea was proposed by Scottish architect Alan Dunlop as a direct response to the "Boris Bridge" suggested by the UK's foreign secretary, which would see a 22-mile-long crossing built between Britain and France after Brexit.

Jan 24, 2018  - The electric vehicle race shows no signs of slowing, with Swedish truck manufacturer, Volvo Trucks, announcing it will start selling electric trucks as early as 2019.  According to Volvo Trucks, the first units will be medium-duty vehicles that will be placed into fleets in European urban environments.

Jan 24, 2018  -  The Indian market for avocados currently consists of some Indian produce and a major share of New Zealand Hass avocados. Thanks to promotions and in-store sampling, Indian consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits of Hass avocados. Therefore, demand for New Zealand avocados is increasing.

The Indian importer IG International specialises in the marketing of New Zealand Hass avocados. The company is also going to introduce new varieties with different packaging formats from Peru. Peruvian avocados are necessary to continue the momentum of the New Zealand season, which will soon be coming to an end.

Like the avocados from New Zealand, the Peruvian avocados belong to the Hass variety. The Peruvian Hass avocados differ from those from New Zealand with regards to different ripening stages and a cheaper price. The Peruvian season allows IG International to ensure a year round supply of avocados. As soon as the Peruvian season ends, the New Zealand season will commence.

"The main customers of IG International are supermarkets, restaurants and hotels. The category for avocados is increasing year by year. IG currently holds a market share of 42% in the market for avocados," says Shubha Wadhawan, CCO,IG International Pvt. Ltd.

"Most avocados are consumed in the western regions of India, followed by the North and South, though avocado consumption is on the rise in the South as well. Due to the price of avocados, most consumers belong to the upper middle class," she added.

"Not withstanding the strong demand for the Avanza New Zealand Avocado throughout Asia, we remain committed to our distribution partnership within India and the growth of the category. These are exciting times for the avocado within India. It is our desire is to build a strong brand positioned on quality and the versatility of this product to an increasingly health conscious consumer,” says Tony Ponder of Avanza, the New Zealand company that supplies the avocados to IG International.

Godrej Nature’s Basket has been India’s pioneering food destination from more than over 100 years. "We believe in creating lasting experiences and go an extra mile to serve our customers better. To make their journey an enjoyable one, we make sure to give them the best quality avocados, sourced from IG International. Avocado is the best selling category at our stores. We look forward to the Peruvian season to ensure the round year supply," says Avinash Tripathi, Buying and Merchandising Head, Godrej Nature’s Basket.

Visit IG International at Fruit Logistica: Hall 7.2a A-05

| A FreshPlaza release   ||  January 23, 2018   |||

Jan 24, 2018  -  Amcor has revealed ambitious plans to make all its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.The company, which manufactures a wide range of packaging including PET bottles and films, has claimed that it’s the first global packaging firm to make such a pledge.

Jan 24, 2018  -  Unilever is the latest big name to weigh in on the plastics packaging debate calling for the consumer goods industry to step-up its efforts to tackle ocean pollution.

The company also called for a circular economy for plastics. Unilever’s chief executive Paul Polman urged more companies to pledge to make its plastic packaging 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Unilever made this commitment last year.