In order to ship summer produce like peaches, tomatoes, and berries safely, it’s important to partner with a packaging company that understands the unique needs of agricultural packaging. Each crop requires special handling and unique packaging design in order to ensure food safety and minimize loss. The following considerations are key to ensuring successful shipping from farm to store. •Ventilation: allows heat to escape and accelerate cooling •Protection: reduce loss through successful package design •Water Loss Reduction: maintain freshness by reducing the potential for water loss. Click Read More below for additional detail.

Smurfit Kappa’s SupplySmart service has reached 50,000 supply chains, taking optimisation of packaging to a new level. The industry-leading service uses evidence-based analytics and insights, to work with businesses to benchmark risk and optimise efficiency in their supply chain. SupplySmart is the first service of its kind that combines big data from over 50,000 supply chains in over 30 countries with creative solutions, expert knowledge and years of practical experience. The service enables businesses to reduce logistics costs, streamline production and lower packaging costs without compromising on performance. Click Read More below for additional detail.

Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l. today announced it will again raise prices by a further €50 per tonne (£40 / tonne) on all recycled paperboard grades sold in the Company's European regions. The price change is effective with shipments on or after 17th July 2017. "Demand for raw materials has continued to rise throughout the year as a result of China's "National Sword" initiative, new capacity within the paper packaging sector, and the European economy currently being stronger than we have seen in recent years. The resultant continued increase in raw material costs are again unsustainable and we now have no choice but to pass these increases through into the market," said Phil Woolley, Director - Paper Europe.

Intertape Polymer Group Inc. announced the completion on July 1 of the previouslyannounced transaction to acquire substantially all of the assets of Canadian Technical Tape Ltd. (d/b/a “Cantech”), a North American supplier of industrial and specialty tapes based in Montreal. The expected aggregate purchase price is approximately $67 million (as updated from the previously-communicated purchase price of $63 million due to certain purchase price adjustments), subject to further post-closing adjustments. All amounts in this press release are denominated in US dollars. Click Read More below for additional detail.

Sappi Limited is pleased to announce that it will bolster its Packaging and Speciality Papers Business through the acquisition of the barrier film technology of Rockwell Solutions Limited (Rockwell Solutions). The transaction will mean that Rockwell Solutions will become a subsidiary of Sappi Europe. Sappi is one of the world’s leading producers of speciality papers and carton board with a strong presence in meeting the increased global demand for sustainable barrier paper solutions. Commenting on the transaction, Thomas Kratochwill, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Packaging and Speciality Papers for Sappi Europe said “By gaining access to the barrier film technology of Rockwell Solutions Sappi will be able to accelerate the development of our own solutions and be able to offer our customers an even wider range of barrier coated packaging solutions.” Click Read More below for additional detail.

Stora Enso has today signed an agreement to divest the business and assets of its Swedish subsidiary Stora Enso Re-board AB, a producer of rigid paperboard for expositions and displays, to Culas AB, which is partially owned by the current managing director of Stora Enso Re-board AB, John-Åke Svensson. “Stora Enso’s focus within packaging is on developing and delivering fibre-based solutions throughout the value chain. Re-board delivers a niche product and we believe that a new owner can better give this business the attention it deserves and develop it further,” says Peter Torstensson, SVP and Head of Corrugated Nordics, Stora Enso’s Packaging Solutions division. Click Read More below for additional detail.

The project consists of building a state-of-the-art recovery boiler by 2020 and a new steam turbine by 2022. This equipment will reinforce the industry-leading position that Smurfit Kappa Nettingsdorf currently holds, by virtue of having the lowest energy consumption in the paper industry. The new boiler will produce energy out of biomass, reducing CO₂ emissions at the Nettingsdorf mill by 40,000 tonnes, which represents a 1.5% reduction in Smurfit Kappa Group’s total CO₂ emissions. Smurfit Kappa recently announced in its 2016 Sustainability Development Report that it has already cut CO₂ emissions by 23%, well on the way to meeting its 2020 target of 25%. Click Read More below for additional detail.

An Elkhart-based manufacturer of cardboard boxes already working to expand its operations in Elkhart is expanding elsewhere through a merger with another box-maker. In a deal announced Tuesday, July 7, Welch Packaging Group is merging with American Corrugated Products, a Columbus, Ohio-based company that specializes in packaging for the automotive industry. “American Corrugated Products has a mix of custom packaging solutions built on strong design capabilities which fits the Welch model like a glove,” Welch founder and CEO Scott Welch said in a statement. “This expands the talent, design and niche products that we can bring to our customer while broadening our automotive industry expertise. American Corrugated Products customers will greatly benefit from Welch’s geographic coverage and product capabilities.” Combined, the companies have 900 employees across six states. Welch Packaging was founded in Elkhart in 1985 and has facilities in Elkhart, Marion, Indianapolis, Chicago, and three Ohio plants in Columbus, Cleveland and Toledo. American Corrugated has plants in Jackson, Mich.; Evansville; Morehead, Ky.; Columbia, Tenn., and Dyersburg, Tenn. A statement from Welch Packaging did not specify how or if the companies’ leadership would be consolidated or how the merger might impact the people currently working at the companies. Calls and emails to a Welch company spokesperson for comment were not returned Tuesday afternoon. Welch Packaging has grown significantly in the last few years through the acquisition of other box-making companies. In May 2014, it acquired Go Packaging LLC in Lombard, Ill., and in March 2014 it bought Marion-based Indiana Corrugated. In November 2013, officials announced the acquisition of Nova Packaging, also in Marion. http://www.elkharttruth.com/news/business/2015/07/08/Elkhart-s-Welch-Packaging-group-merges-with-Ohio-based-American-Corrugated-Products.html