German press giant Koenig & Bauer joined competitor Heidelberg in posting impressive numbers for the first half of 2018, with security business and increased orders in packaging printing boosting order intake by 17.2% to €705.3m. Cash flow rose from minus €20m to €17.4m.

Prominent industry figure Mike Boyle has been appointed managing director at HP South Pacific, responsible for business operations in Australia, New Zealand and the surrounding islands.

Packaging company Orora posted strong growth for the year ended June 2018 with profit after tax up 12% to $208.6 million and sales revenue up 5.2% to $4.2 billion.

The annual Flexible Packaging & Labels Manufacturers Association (FPLMA) technical forum to be held in Melbourne later this month will feature a range of sessions on automation and integration across the printing and packaging industries.

Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) Australia has once again taken out the MBE Worldwide Marketing Excellence Award for 2017, ahead of 31 other countries.

The organisers of next month’s Visual Impact 2018 at Sydney Olympic Park have put together a strong program of workshops to help visitors navigate latest industry trends and exploit new opportunities.

Jock Martin of Barossa Digital in South Australia has won Roland DG Australia’s 30-year anniversary ‘Buy and Win’ competition, open to customers who bought a participating Roland DG device during May and June.

Australian packaging giant Amcor is buying US flexible packaging leader Bemis for $9.2 billion with the deal expected to close in 2019. 'New Amcor' will be incorporated in Channel Islands tax haven Jersey and list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Organisers of this year’s national Women in Print (WiP) series say tickets are selling fast and there's only a limited number still available. Guest speaker is gender parity advocate Amna Karra-Hassan (pictured).

Press giant Heidelberg has started off the 2018/2019 financial year with solid growth in net sales, citing high demand for its newly established pay-per-use subscription model and the launch of the Primefire digital press.

The inaugural Print21 + PKN LIVE event was a rousing success, with a full house turning out to hear industry experts discuss the best ways to push back the boundaries of packaging print.

Industry associations Visual Connections and ASGA have teamed up to launch a new education initiative aimed at promoting career opportunities in the printing industry to students in high schools, TAFEs and universities.

UV-curing inks can mess with printing plates and compromise run lengths, sometimes cutting plate durability substantially, writes industry sustainability consultant Laurel Brunner.

Industry identity Kellie Northwood will be a guest speaker at this month’s LIA Queensland/Heidelberg Graduate of the Year Awards Night in Brisbane.

Lindy Hughson, Publisher of Print21 and PKN News, opened the inaugural New Frontiers in Packaging Print as the first co-branded event from Yaffa Media's new magazine stablemates today at Sydney's Darling Harbour.

Paper merchants Spicers, Ball & Doggett and Direct Paper have all announced price rises of between 3%-8%, citing increases in pulp, energy costs, shipping and the depreciation of the Australian dollar. It's the third increase this year and more are on the way.