Lake Zurich, Illinois-based ACCO Brands Corporation, one of the world’s largest designers, marketers and manufacturers of branded academic, consumer and business products, recently announced the launch of GBC^® Nearline Punch and Bind, a key accessory that dramatically improves the end user’s overall workflow from printing to finishing mechanically bound documents.

The Nearline Punch and Bind is composed of three units: a Plockmatic VFX Vacuum feeder, a GBC StreamPunch VFX and a GBC eWire VFX. The newly engineered feeder from the Plockmatic Group provides increased ease of use for the operator and enhanced feeding performance across a wider range of media. The GBC StreamPunch is a fully automated punching unit, is the first in the world to offer a “double punch” capability and utilizes various die sets with selectable pins, including crease and perforation dies. Lastly, the GBC eWire component is the first inline wire binding solution utilizing twin loop wire spools, which are available in three colors and six sizes.

“As a leader in inline technology, we have taken this proven technology and created a nearline solution that offers greater flexibility for any print production environment,” said Jim Sawyer, senior director, sales and marketing North America. “With its small footprint and wide range of features, GBC’s Nearline Punch and Bind is the perfect fit for every printing environment.”

The Nearline Punch and Bind is available in the US and Canada. For more information about the Nearline Punch and Bind, visit https://www.gbc.com/binding/automated-solutions/nearline-solutions/.

The International Association of Diecutting and Diemaking (IADD) will host a Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. The event, co-located with SuperCorrExpo^®, will honor and recognize award recipient, Clint Medlock of Stafford Cutting Dies, Inc.

“The Lifetime Achievement Award is the most prestigious award our Association has,” said IADD President Gino Gualtieri of Central Die Supplies Inc. “We are all looking forward to gathering with close friends and colleagues to celebrate the many contributions Clint has brought to the diecutting and diemaking industry.”

The IADD Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual’s significant and enduring contributions to the diecutting converting industry. Nominations for the recipient of this award are submitted by IADD members, and a committee comprised of past IADD award recipients makes the final honoree selection.

Medlock has been involved with IADD for more than 30 years and in that time has held many leadership positions. He was instrumental in the development and creation of the IADD Odyssey Expo, a biannual tradeshow and innovative concept in technical training featuring a hands-on Techshop, where training programs come alive in an actual working diemaking and diecutting facility inside the exhibit area.

The event will be held at the Rosen Plaza Hotel located at 9700 International Dr. and begin with a cocktail reception under the stars, followed by dinner and award presentation. Festivities are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and will conclude around 8 p.m.

For tickets and more information, visit www.iaddstore.org/events.

Label Congress 2021, by Labelexpo Global Series, is open for registration. The event will be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont (Chicago), Illinois, between Sept. 29 and Oct. 1, 2021.

Label Congress 2021 will be built around two days of conference sessions featuring leading edge presentations and discussion panel sessions, followed on the third day by a Label Academy master class on self-adhesive materials.

For more information, visit www.labelexpo.com/congress.

Metsä Board, Norwalk, Connecticut, recently appointed Nathan Pajka to their newly created sustainability specialist role. Pajka will work with sales and marketing to help customers with sustainability information, data and education relating to Metsä Board’s lightweight paperboards and how they can help customers reduce their carbon footprint.

Additionally, Pajka will work with Metsä Board’s Product Safety and Sustainability team in Finland to offer a range of sustainability services and serve as Metsä Board’s sustainability expert in the region.

For more information, visit www.metsaboard.com.

Bobst North America has announced Katie Graham as its new regional marketing and communications manager. Graham has a track record of successfully building marketing strategies that produce results in B2B environments.

“With an impressive marketing background of proven growth performance as well as years of experience in our industry, Katie is both a skilled professional and very familiar with our market,” said Jessica Ciccarelli, general manager for Bobst North America.

For more information, visit www.bobst.com.

The board of directors at AWT Labels & Packaging, Minneapolis, Minnesota, a provider of labels and flexible packaging solutions, has announced that Bruce Hanson will be joining the company as chief executive officer, effective immediately. During his 25-year career, Hanson has held numerous strategic leadership roles at RR Donnelley, most recently as president of the labels and forms business unit.

Hanson said he is thrilled to be joining the team at AWT and grateful to find shared core values that focus on the customer, employees and shareholders. AWT’s reputation as an innovative, customer-centric organization has led to tremendous growth over its long history, and Hanson is eager to build upon that heritage by broadening value for its clients.

Michelle Zeller, president of AWT Labels & Packaging, said Hanson joins at an exciting time for the company as it continues to experience rapid growth and further deepen its strategic value and enhanced client experience.

For more information, visit www.awtlabelpack.com.

Roland DGA Corporation, Irvine, Calif., a provider of large-format inkjet printers, printer/cutters and other advanced digital devices, has introduced two ways for prospective and existing customers to see the company’s latest technologies. Visitors to the Business Builder page at the Roland DGA website can request a personalized virtual product demonstration or view cutting-edge devices in a 3D showroom with the click of a mouse. These new online options – alongside Roland DGA’s Business Builder roadshow, dealer showrooms and returning tradeshows – create opportunities for qualified buyers to see Roland DG products in action.

Roland DGA’s virtual product demonstrations, currently available for the IU-1000F high-volume flatbed printer, VersaUV® LEC2 UV printer/cutters, VersaUV® LEF2 benchtop flatbed printers, and TrueVIS™ series printers, are intended for those in the later stages of the buying cycle. Site visitors can simply complete and submit an online request form to request a virtual demo of any of the above-mentioned inkjets.

The new 3D showroom – a virtual equivalent of the physical showroom at Roland DGA’s corporate headquarters – allows visitors to take a “tour” and get a 3D look at the company’s newest and most popular product offerings. Visitors can click on any of the devices to rotate the machine, get a close-up view, access videos and additional information, and request free print samples.

“We want to make it easy for people to see Roland DG products, get a feel for the impressive capabilities of our machines, and select the perfect Roland DG device for their specific business requirements,” said Dave Edmondson, Roland DGA’s director of business development and product management. “If you’re unable to visit our booth in person at an upcoming trade show or attend one of our Business Builder roadshow stops, you can set up a virtual product demonstration or check out our new 3D showroom from the comfort of your home or office.”

To learn more about Roland DGA Corporation, visit https://www.rolanddga.com.

Sun Chemical, a member of the DIC group, Parsippany, New Jersey, will increase prices of its packaging and commercial sheetfed inks, coatings and adhesives in North America starting July 1, 2021.

With the ongoing inflation of global raw materials, and the rise of international and domestic costs, Sun Chemical has chosen to implement price increases in order to continue to secure said raw materials.

Sun Chemical is a producer of printing inks, coatings and supplies, pigments, polymers, liquid compounds, and application materials. Together with DIC, Sun Chemical has annual sales of more than $7.5 billion and more than 20,000 employees supporting customers around the world.

For more information, visit www.sunchemical.com.

Consumer concerns and tightening regulations have intensified the drive for more sustainable and safe packaging. At the same time, improving performance and efficiency are important. To answer the demand, Espoo, Finland-based Metsä Board, a producer of premium fresh fiber paperboards, has introduced a collaborative 360º Service approach to deliver measurable benefits throughout the packaging value chain. From easy recyclability to brand impact, production and supply chain efficiency, reducing environmental impact and beyond, this new service complements its premium paperboard offering.

Successful circular economy solutions require innovation and knowledge-sharing partnerships. Mika Joukio, CEO at Metsä Board, said the market is moving very fast, so partnerships are needed and companies who can collaborate, develop and test new solutions at speed will win. At Metsä Board, the company knows its materials – premium lightweight paperboards – inside out.

The Metsä Board 360º Service approach is based on the extensive paperboard and packaging expertise gained from decades of collaboration with global technology providers, research institutes, brand owners, converters, printers, corrugators, and logistics and IT providers.

The new 360º Service approach consists of five options:

• Sustainability Service to ensure compliance and maximize the sustainability of paperboard packaging.
• Packaging Design Service to provide better consumer experiences with less environmental impact.
• Technical Service uses Metsä Board’s in-depth technical expertise to help improve converting efficiency and packaging performance.
• R&D Service offers extensive testing capabilities and possibilities to explore new opportunities in joint R&D projects.
• Supply Chain and Digital Service enables responsive, sustainable and reliable paperboard supply across the globe.

For more information, visit www.metsaboard.com.

In 2021, POLAR-Mohr Maschinenvertriebsgesellschaft GmbH & Co. KG, Hofheim, Germany, a maker of guillotines, paper cutting machines, diecutting machines and joggers, is celebrating a special anniversary: 115 years.

Founded in 1906, POLAR has risen from a regional manufacturer to a global presence in the field of cutting and die-cutting. The success of the company is based, among other things, on its many innovative solutions. Today, POLAR is synonymous with durable, precise and modern cutting machines. In addition to high-speed cutters, the product portfolio includes components and systems used to optimize cutting and diecutting processes. This includes network integration and efficiency-enhancing automation concepts.

Throughout the anniversary year, POLAR will present and introduce such products as the AirGo Jog, which automates the loading and jogging process.

The company extends an anniversary offer for orders from now up to and including October 2021. When purchasing a POLAR high-speed cutter of the N PRO HD model with a cutting width of 78 to 176, customers will receive the POLAR Compucut Control software free of charge. With Compucut^®, it is possible to create cutting programs outside the high-speed cutter. Compucut^® uses prepress data (CIP 3/4) to create cutting programs automatically and transfers these either directly to network-capable cutting machines or to the external cutting program administration (ESPV). Every cutting machine integrated into the network can access the cutting programs stored in the external cutting program administration. An optional barcode scanner makes it possible to automatically load the assigned cutting program.

All POLAR high-speed cutters will be delivered with the anniversary badge until the end of the year.

For more information about the offer, visit www.polar-mohr.com/115Years. The anniversary is being celebrated in the online shop (www.mohr-shop.com) with special offers. For example, customers receive a discount of 11.5% on all orders throughout June.

For more information, visit www.polar-mohr.com.