Computer-operated vacuum and blow systems are said to make the printing process more efficient. Ultra Litho in Johannesburg has therefore commissioned the German press manufacturer KBA to install such a system in its new press, a 32 metre long Rapida 105.The system, called Piab Vacuum & Blow System, has been developed by the Swedish engineering company Piab and can be operated both from a PC on the printer's console as well as manually at the feeder and the delivery unit. According to the company, it is possible to reduce the make-ready time significantly by saving previous settings, thereby resulting in increased productivity.

High-end performance in a small, lightweight machine that is easy to use and inexpensive to run. This, says the manufacturers AB Ph. Nederman & Co, will make their new machine, the P300, a success in many markets.

A specially designed point extractor improves the working environment in car workshops. Dangerous isocyanate fumes are extracted using Nederman's specially designed extractor and workshops no longer need to build special, enclosed spaces for dangerous substance management.

The Finnish Junttan is Europe's leading manufacturer of hydraulic pile driving rigs and also a major supplier of drilling rigs. The latest model, the PM 18-30, is a medium sized drilling rig combining heavy duty performance with ease of transportation and high flexibility in handling.

A new winder and wire section are currently being installed at Holmen Paper's Hallsta Paper Mill plant in Hallstavik, some 100 km north of Stockholm. With this the company will have come approximately halfway in an investment which, in terms of infrastructure, is the largest made at the mill for almost 30 years and financially speaking is the largest since its establishment in 1915. With the investment in a totally new PM 11 and the extensive modernisation of paper machine 12, Holmen Paper will have invested almost SEK 4 billion over a five year period. The result will be one of the world's most modern plants for high quality newsprint and machine-finished magazine paper. The company is aiming at the more demanding end of the consumer market. The investment will also be a magnificent example of an advanced and complex building project. In February-March, 650-850 fitters will be working alongside the mill's 1,000 permanent employees during a 70 day long shutdown in order to be ready in time for a test run in April. The formal inauguration will take place in September 2002.

It should be possible to move vehicles weighing up to 5 tonnes in a simple and environmentally friendly way, e.g. indoors in design departments, production areas and workshops. This is the opinion of Famek AB, which is now launching the battery-operated Stringo 550 vehicle mover. The vehicle is ready for transportation within a five second loading time.

Stora Enso has seen a strong increase in the demand for ovenable board in Europe. The baking sector is taking advantage of ovenable board´s benefits such as its versatile heating options, excellent printing properties and recyclability, the company states. 

Consumers with "good resources" - young, urban and highly mobile - as well as active decision-makers are becoming increasingly important targets for communication. And increasingly difficult to get hold of. With a new web-based tool called Wireless Opinion CAMI Wireless Opinion aims to make life simpler for all companies involved in market research.

An EU directive is soon to be implemented concerning obligatory hole deviation measurement when bench drilling for blasting in quarries.  The Swedish company Transtronic AB has developed a Windows-based system, Devibench, that will make such measurements easy and accurate. This electronic system, which comprises a bench probe and a robust PC, is said to provide increased safety, lower drilling costs, more even surfaces at the bottom of boreholes, and reduced vibrations.

The world's biggest pasta producer, Barilla, has adopted Stora Enso's CKB board (Coated Kraft Back) as packaging for mainly its short pasta products. Decisive factors for the choice of material were product safety coupled with good organoleptic and technical properties of the board. No tastes or odours may transfer from the package to the product. Barilla's products are sold in more than 100 countries.