Essel Propack builds its US presence with latest acquisition.
Essel Propack Ltd. has acquired a Minnesota-based supplier of disposable medical devices in a $1.2 million deal that gives the India-based firm a more solid presence in the US medical device market. Essel Propack, through its US subsidiary TACPRO Inc., purchased Plymouth, MA-based Catheter and Disposables Technology...

Drytac's new "Make A Stand" graphics kit.
Drytac developed "The Make A Stand Graphic Production Kit" to allow graphics producers to print and finish a graphic banner for most standard banner stand units, without purchasing complete rolls of print media and laminate films. The kit includes a 10-foot roll of Drytac's Printable Eclipse, a 100-percent opaque...

VT, Nevamar announce contest.
Hackettstown, NJ -- Nevamar Company and VT Industries, in partnership with the NKBA, have launched a new design competition for the kitchen and bath industry, the manufacturers announced. In the competition, entitled the "Over the Counter(Top) Design Competition," Nevamar and VT Industries are challenging NKBA professionals and...

Kuehn Bevel creates dealer selling niche.
Randolph, NJ -- Kuehn Bevel has introduced "a new way to sell laminate countertops" with decorative bevel-edge moldings, creating "Bevella"-brand countertops marketed directly to consumers and sold through kitchen and bath dealers, the company announced. According to Kuehn Bevel, based here, its Bevella countertop marries a dealer's...

Wilsonart marking 50th anniversary.
Temple, TX -- Wilsonart International, the Temple, TX-based manufacturer of laminate, solid surfaces and related surfacing products, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. The company, which started with a handful of employees in an industry crowded with competitors, has evolved into an industry leader with a...

Finishing touches.
In just about any business, value-added services can fatten the bottom line. Many wide-format imagers have discovered just such a gold mine in finishing capabilities. By providing their customers with mounting, laminating, and framing services, they give their clients even more reason to patronize their shops, while also adding...

Finishing's new beginning: eco-friendly powder coating gives finishers an alternative to traditional methods.
When local and federal policymakers began passing stricter "Clean Air" legislation in the late 1990s, finishers from across the country were faced with yet another headache. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] That's because complying with the EPA's fresh batch of regulations meant companies would have to invest in...

Laminates include patterns, woodgrains.
Nevamar, Decorative Products Div. (Booth 15190) offers a collection of 19 patterns and woodgrains in Armored Protection high-pressure laminate and matching LamMates thermalfused melamine panels. The Armored Protection line includes: Way Cool Encounter, a design that features space critters in a sky pattern in high chroma blue hue; Funky...

Biodegradable packaging systems offer an alternative.
Some biodegradable packaging materials have become competitive alternatives to conventional food packaging materials. Among the alternatives, polylactate (PLA) and poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) have strong potential for food packaging applications, thanks to some of their properties that are competitive with those of conventional packaging materials. The use of PLA...

Biodegradable packaging systems still offer an alternative.
The development of biobased and biodegradable packaging materials has progressed rapidly within the last decade, and some of these materials have become competitive alternatives to conventional food packaging materials. Among the alternatives, polylactate (PLA) and poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) have high potential for food packaging applications, thanks to some of their...