Page 25 - PWM2025_OCTOBER EBOOK

GLOBAL NEWS

Heidelberg plans A collection of over 250
IN BRIEF

further Shift events rare Bibles dating back to
the 16th century are head-
ing to auction in the
Cotswolds later this
month. Chorley’s auction
Heidelberg has pro- Micropress installed the UK’s house will present the
nounced its Shift summit a first latest spec Heidelberg array of historic Bibles,
prayer books and other
resounding success and plans Speedmaster XL106 with religious works, which
to run the event again next Plate to Unit automation ear- were collected over the past 50 years by a couple. The col-
year. The two-day event was lier this year. The press is an lection showcases Bible printing and bookmaking through-
out history, Chorley’s director, Werner Freundel highlighted.
held earlier in September “Together, these volumes chart the evolution of Bible print-
Shift summit in September eight-colour perfecting
with more than 200 interna- ization. Heidelberg will model. The firm has also ing from the 16th to the 19th century, and demonstrate the
evolution of religious devotion and the artistry of book-
tional guests in attendance. therefore continue the for- extended its factory and making - illustrated with woodcuts, decorative bindings,
Dr David Schmedding, mat due to the extremely upgraded its digital printing and gilded craftsmanship,” Freundel said. Included are
Heidelberg’s chief technol- Bibles in Latin, Welsh and German, with some filled with
positive feedback. The indus- setup. pressed flowers, handwritten family trees and centuries-
ogy and sales officer, said the try can already look forward Cross told Printweek: “It old prayers.
manufacturer had created a to Shift 2026!”
unique platform with Shift, The conference part of the was a good event, I liked the James Cropper has cele-
brated 180 years in busi-
“where participants can net- event featured practical, real- focus on software as well as ness with a family fun day
work, discuss the topic of world examples of printers’ hardware and I think that’s at its Burneside mill in
Cumbria. The event was
digital transformation and own experiences, with definitely a new direction held on 21 September, with
gain inspiration for solu- Micropress Printers joint and what’s needed. I really around 250 attendees and
tions”. managing director Rob Cross enjoyed it.” multiple generations
involved – including an
“We want to support our taking to the stage to talk He said other participants appearance by honorary
customers as partners with about the Suffolk company’s were interested in how UK president Sir James Cropper, whose son Mark is chairman of
the group. Sir James is the great-great-grandson of the
all our process expertise and experience in adopting auto- printers were developing firm’s eponymous founder. CEO David Stirling quipped that
experience in process digital- mation, robotics and AI. their offering. after “cramming a whole weekend’s rain into Saturday” the
weather turned out to be perfect with bright blue skies.
EUDR execution delayed again Activities spanned the firm’s heritage in paper making –
with the first coloured paper made at the mill in the 1850s
– to today’s state-of-the-art advanced materials used in a
multitude of applications including clean energy.
Implementation of the now set to be extended to 30 have also tried to focus on
European Union’s controver- December 2026. simplification from different De La Rue Authentication
sial Deforestation Regulation A European Commission angles. But unfortunately, we purchaser Crane NXT is fur-
t he r exp andi n g its
(EUDR) has been delayed for spokesperson for the envi- have concerns regarding the European presence with
a further year, with IT issues ronment told Printweek: IT system, given the amount another strategic acquisi-
cited as the reason for press- “The EU Deforestation of information that were put tion. US-headquartered
Crane NXT has agreed a
ing pause on the rules yet Regulation is a key initiative into the system. That is why, deal to initially acquire a
again. EUDR’s original dead- to fight deforestation. And with the co-legislators, we significant stake in Italy’s
line of December 2024 had we are committed to con- will seek for a postponement Antares Vision Group, prior to ultimately taking over the
whole business. The total enterprise value of Antares Vision
already been pushed back to tinue to fight deforestation. by one year of the entry into is around ¤445m (£388m). Antares Vision makes specialist
30 December 2025. This is “During the last year, we application of the EUDR.” inspection and detection systems used in a wide range of
industries to ensure product safety and quality control. The
Canon UK goes fully electric group also provides track and trace software to help prevent
counterfeiting that gives users visibility of products
throughout the supply chain.
Canon UK has replaced its reduce the business’s Scope
whole fleet of engineers’ 1 operational emissions by Hybrid Software has continued its acquisition journey with
the purchase of software consultancy Conics. The deal was
vehicles with electric and approximately 50%. completed for an undisclosed amount during Labelexpo
hybrid cars, to deliver Canon has committed to Barcelona, where the companies demonstrated their prod-
towards its sustainability achieve net zero emissions ucts together for the first time. Based in Ypres, Conics will
objectives. The rollout, by 2050, with fleet overhaul continue to operate out of its current offices and to deliver
which began in June, was Zero Emissions Day milestone a move in the right direction its software development and consultancy services for the
printing and packaging industry. The firm will join Hybrid
completed in September in remaining 28% hybrid. Software as an independent business unit within the com-
partnership with Skoda. It to meet its goal. Free home pany’s portfolio, meaning there are no planned changes to
means its predominantly Canon’s engineers work EV chargers were offered for branding or staffing, a company spokesperson told
diesel-powered fleet are now across the country and the engineers choosing an elec- Printweek. Conics has 13 employees, which will take Hybrid
72% electric and the transition is expected to tric vehicle as an incentive. Software’s total number of staff up to 288.

www.printweekmena.com October 2025 PrintWeek MENA 23