FPINNOVATIONS AND UNIGRAPH PARTNER IN RESEARCH STUDY
Quebec-based FPInnovations and Unigraph have teamed up for a key research study delving into linting and piling.
FPInnovations of Pointe Claire, Quebec, brings together FERIC, Forintek, Paprican and the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre of Natural Resources Canada to create the world’s largest private, not-for-profit forest research institute.
Created in 1925, the Paprican Division is a research and technology organization with an international reputation for excellence. The high-priority technical challenges of the pulp and paper industry drive its research programs. These priorities include product quality and value, cost-competitiveness, environmental protection and sustainability.
Paprican is currently forming a research alliance with Unigraph International of Delson, Quebec, a major Canadian supplier of offset fountain solutions and other press chemicals. The goal of the alliance is to validate a newly developed linting and piling tester for predicting and enhancing offset pressroom performance by better understanding how paper, fountain solution and press conditions contribute to non-image-area linting and piling.
More info: Dr. Joe Aspler, principal scientist, FPInnovations – Paprican at 514-630-4100, ext. 2414 (joseph.aspler@fpinnovations.ca), or Tony Manfred, supervisor – Print Quality Laboratory at 514-630-4100, ext. 2374 (tony.manfred@fpinnovations.ca). Or visit www.fpinnovations.ca.
HEIDELBERG “SILVER LINING” SEMINAR PACKED WITH GREAT IDEAS
The seminar and demo, held last month at the press manufacturer’s headquarters in Mississauga, was aptly titled “Where is the Silver Lining in Today’s Market?”
Donna O’Reilly, V. P., Commercial Financial Services, RBC Royal Bank, got things started by emphasizing the partnership aspect of banking.
“Never be shy about telling us everything about your business, including debt. The more we know about your shop and its history and future goals, the more we can help you. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than having one of our customers succeed,” she stresses.
“To be successful, you must be forward-looking, you must have a plan,” she adds. “And that plan should look several years into the future. Where do you want to be and how will you get there five years from now?”
Next up was Peter Aston, manager, Business Development, Heidelberg Canada. He pinpointed three key areas of importance for today’s successful printer, namely people, processes and tools. Aston stresses that, to succeed in these challenging times, printers must perform thorough reviews of all operations where virtually every procedure is open to question. “Re-organize, re-structure and re-deploy because the market will continue to change, even if you don’t,” he says. For more story details, please visit www.graphicartsmag.com.
INTRODUCING SOME “GREEN GIANTS”
C. J. Graphics of Toronto recently demonstrated environmental leadership by installing a solar hot water system at its Park Lawn Drive facility. The installation will enable the company to produce 60% of its annual hot water needs in a sustainable fashion.
Brian Armstrong, president of sustainability pioneer, Printer Gateway, headquartered in Toronto, is still continuing to save about 10,000 trees each year, primarily through gang printing. The company also saves over 20,000 hours of press-related electricity yearly and has drastically reduced its use of plates, printing inks, fountain and cleaning solutions and so on.
Our regular columnist, John Zarwan has just published an in-depth research study the “Environmental Impact of Printing Plates.” The study, supported by Fujifilm and Kodak, helps printers make a more informed choice when purchasing plates, while comparing the relative environmental impact between different categories of plates.
INX International Ink Co. recently introduced six key initiatives as mandatory goals in part of the company’s sustainability agenda – energy and utility conservation, waste reduction and landfill elimination, water conservation, product design for the environment, materials sourcing and supply chain management as well as social responsibility.
If you’re doing something to lessen your carbon footprint, please drop me a line at our editorial department.
