For many applications, printed paper is all wet—literally. Outdoor posters, disaster supplies, maps, labels for fresh vegetables or frozen foods and other products and packaging can get damp, limp or degraded. Teijin Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, announced development of a water-resistant, strong-when-wet printing paper made entirely with the company’s ECOPET recycled polyester fiber (derived from used [...]

Royal TenCate, Almelo, The Netherlands, and BASF, the global German chemical company, have formed a partnership to build the market in thermoplastic automotive composites. The two recently added Owens Corning, Toledo, Ohio, to the strategic alliance. Owens Corning produces fabrics and glass fiber reinforcement for composite systems. BASF offers comprehensive knowledge about thermoplastic resins; TenCate [...]

Australia’s STA (formerly ACASPA) has received a sizeable grant for workforce development. By Chris Nolan Australia’s high dollar has pushed local labor costs to relatively high levels internationally, which has affected manufacturing competitiveness and led to industry pressure to modify employment laws, including minimum wage rates. Many disagree, if not always for the same reasons. [...]

Roland DG Corp. announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Bangkok, Thailand, for its digital printing equipment. The company’s first to be located outside Japan, the new production center, primarily for manufacturing large-format inkjet printers, is expected to strengthen the company’s capabilities. The facility became fully operational in October 2012.

Two years ago, PrinterEvolution, the Colorado-based printer manufacturer, introduced its Evo33 repurposed dye-sub printer to a market in need of a less expensive, high-performance alternative to more costly industrial printers. Since its debut, PrinterEvolution has improved the speed and resolution of the Evo33 printers, as well as introduced orange and violet gamut expansion inks that [...]

Ultraflex Systems announced that Bill Bieger is the company’s new Eastern Territory sales manager for states Conn., D.C., Del., Mass., Maine, N.H., N.J., N.Y., Pa., R.I., Va., Vt., and Ontario, Canada. Bieger has more than 20 years in color output solution sales in software and inkjet industries.

ORAFOL Europe GmbH announced the merger of ORACAL USA and ORAFOL Americas effective July 1 to form ORAFOL Americas Inc. The merger positions the combined company as a leading manufacturer of PSA films, reflective materials and industrial tapes in the Americas.

The Cooley Group, Pawtucket, R.I., announced it will develop, manufacture and distribute its 100-percent recyclable, non-PVC banner and signage media solutions utilizing ColorPRO Technology for use with HP latex and UV inks. Initial products will include an HDPE-reinforced banner and Tyvek™ (up to 126 inches wide) with an expected availability in late summer 2013. ColorPRO [...]

Mutoh America Inc. announced the expansion of its print media line with the addition of Mutoh Banner, Mutoh Ready2Print and Mutoh Vinyl media. Mutoh Banner is designed for indoor and outdoor applications with high durability requirements; Ready2Print is a pre-grommeted and pre-welded gloss banner media designed for creating finished signs faster and more efficiently; Vinyl [...]

The Swiss manufacturer of digital cutting systems Zünd announced new software for its Zünd Cut Center (ZCC) designed to optimize workflow from file to finished product. The ZCC Digital Cutting Software prepares cutter-ready files in commonly used design programs, including RIP and nesting programs, without additional manipulation.