The PIAA welcomed news that the government will introduce industrial relations legislation to scrap award reviews and boost oversight of the Fair Work Commission. A PIAA delegation has been in Canberra this week lobbying for changes to IR law.

ASX-listed Spicers - formerly PaperlinX - says the 'challenging' Australian commercial print market hit sales revenue in the six months to December 2016.

Packaging company Amcor says it's set to deliver another year of strong earnings growth in 2017 despite a 6% fall in half-year profit. “Our business remains very well placed for the current global environment and for the long term."

For the second year in a row, Canon has won the Buyers Laboratory’s (BLI) A3 MFP Line of the Year award. Canon was also awarded MFP Picks for the imageRunnerAdvance C5535i and the imageRunner Advance C5550i.

Printers facing massive jumps in their energy bills may be forced to cut staff members in a bid to reduce costs. "It’s got to be paid for somehow and you can’t pass that increase on to customers...we’ll need to look at our staffing levels," says Peter Lane, owner Lane Print Group.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has hit back at the PIAA’s criticism of the Fair Work Commission (FWC), the national workplace relations tribunal. "The real end game here is to reduce print workers’ wages and conditions," says Lorraine Cassin (pictured), AMWU print division.

Packaging group Orora increased its first-half profit by 12.3 per cent to $92.1 million despite rising energy prices in Australia. Orora also confirmed it’s signed an agreement to acquire The Garvey Group and Graphic Tech businesses for US$54 million.

Fuji Xerox’s long-awaited Versant 180 and 3100 sheet-fed digital presses have made it to Australian shores, with some big improvements that include in-line finishing units and all-in-one booklet-making to automate processes.

German press giant Heidelberg recorded healthy third-quarter results and revealed plans to accelerate its digital transformation with a new division that will develop, manufacture, and supply digital technologies and products for new business models.

UK-based engineering and industrial group Langley Holdings has posted a record profit for the year and says it has now paid off the group’s 2012 acquisition of Manroland Sheetfed. Profits before tax were up 15% to €122.7million on revenue of €900.9 million.

Ive has appointed Dearne Cameron as CEO of Pareto Fundraising, the specialist fundraising division that the ASX-listed print group acquired last year. Cameron succeeds Pareto co-founder Paul Roberts, who will transition to the role of senior consultant.

Some high profile environmental awards in the graphics industry have been quietly discontinued over the past couple of years but a notable exception is Kodak's Sonora Plate Green Leaf Awards, which recognise customers who cut the environmental impacts of their businesses.

They were all there, the heavy hitters of the printing industry; the big web printers, the high-end sheetfed offset packaging makers, as well as leading supply siders. All came to the Banjo Paterson restaurant in Sydney to pay tribute to one of the industry’s true gentlemen, Steve Dunwell, (pictured).

Printing Industries says its members are 'blown away and horrified' by news that Australia Post CEO Ahmed Fahour is being paid $5.6 million a year. "He's not worth it because he's not delivering," says PIAA CEO Andrew Macaulay.

The digital sector is on the rise for label converters, with European brand owners to invest in five percent more digital solutions in the coming year. The latest report from trade association FINAT indicates solid growth in digital among printers in Europe, according to Thomas Hagmaier, president.

The market launch of Heidelberg's Primefire 106 - its first industrial digital printing system in B1 format - is running on schedule with a US packaging printer beginning the pilot phase. The new system provides 'dependable offset-like quality with the benefits of digital printing.'