Smurfit Westrock has completed an upgrade costing more than EUR 11m (USD 12.3m) at its Anzio corrugated packaging plant near Rome, installing a Bobst Mastercut 2.1 six-colour flatbed die-cutter. The line adds more than 20m square metres of capacity for printed corrugated, shelf-ready and display packaging and raises hourly output by over 20%. The company plans additional shifts to raise utilisation of the new equipment.
Why this mattersMore print and die-cutting capacity near Rome strengthens Smurfit Westrock's supply to food, personal care and retail display customers in central Italy.
- Investment exceeds EUR 11m (USD 12.3m) at the Anzio plant near Rome, Italy
- New line uses a Bobst Mastercut 2.1 six-colour flatbed die-cutter with a working width over 2 metres
- Added capacity exceeds 20m square metres of corrugated packaging
- Hourly production efficiency rises more than 20 percent
- Plant employs about 120 people and serves more than 300 corporate customers
- Equipment suppliers include Bobst, Emmepi Group, New Aerodinamica and Koenig & Bauer Celmacch
Indian packaging manufacturer Canpac Trends has signed for a new seven-colour Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 press for its Tirupur plant, its tenth Rapida order from the German manufacturer in ten years. The company is expanding its production network from six to 12 sites in the coming quarter as part of a wider capacity build-out.
Why this mattersRepeat, decade-long press orders from a single fast-growing Indian converter signal sustained capital investment in FMCG and e-commerce packaging capacity in the region.
- Canpac Trends has ordered its tenth Rapida sheetfed press from Koenig & Bauer since 2017
- The new seven-colour Rapida 106 with coating tower and UV package will be installed at the Tirupur plant
- Canpac is expanding from six existing sites (Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Tirupur, Kolkata, New Delhi, Silvassa) to 12 sites in the coming quarter
- Canpac's production footprint now spans over 1.35 million square metres
- Canpac Trends, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Ahmedabad, serves more than 600 global and regional brands
UK carton printer R Howard Carton-Pro has installed a Koenig & Bauer Rapida 105 press alongside an Allpro 110 folder gluer, reporting a capacity increase of up to 45 per cent. The Allpro 110 runs at speeds up to 25,000 pieces per hour on complex six-corner cartons, replacing an older folder gluer.
Why this mattersIllustrates carton converters using automated make-ready and colour control to cut waste and add capacity without new floor space.
- R Howard Carton-Pro is based in Peterborough, UK
- Managing director David Braun estimates capacity has risen by up to 45 per cent
- The Rapida 105 is a seven-colour plus coater combi press configured for UV and conventional inking
- The Allpro 110 folder gluer runs up to 25,000 pieces per hour on four- and six-corner cartons
- Make-ready waste has fallen to good copy within 150 sheets
- The Allpro 110 replaced an ageing Signature-brand folder gluer
Australian marketing and packaging printer IVE Group has commissioned two Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 X sheetfed offset presses, one seven-colour and one ten-colour, at its new 42,000 sq m Kemps Creek hub in Sydney. Both run at up to 20,000 sheets per hour, the first sheetfed offset presses in Australia at that speed level, and mirror the company's existing press fleet in Victoria to build matching packaging capacity in New South Wales.
Why this mattersThe installation lets IVE Group serve national brands from two mirrored high-speed packaging print sites, sharpening competition in Australian commercial and premium packaging print.
- Two Rapida 106 X presses commissioned at IVE Group's new 42,000 sq m Kemps Creek facility in Sydney.
- Both presses run at up to 20,000 sheets/h, the first sheetfed offset presses in Australia at that speed level.
- One press is a seven-colour hybrid with double coater, triple extended delivery and DriveTronic SPC simultaneous plate changing.
- The second is a ten-colour perfecting press with coater, used for work such as magazine covers.
- IVE Group is ASX-listed and employs more than 2,100 people across 22 sites.
- Planning for the Kemps Creek installation took three years.
- Managing Director Matt Aitken says the investment aims to serve national brands and cut time-to-market.
- IVE Group traces its origins to 1921.
- IVE Group managing director Matt Aitken said the investment decision process with Koenig & Bauer began three years ago
Packrite, a North Carolina-based corrugated packaging supplier, has invested in a Kodak Magnus Q3600 Titan platesetter and Kodak Sonora process-free plates to bring litho label prepress in-house for the first time. The purchase forms part of a wider investment that includes installation of a new eight-colour Koenig & Bauer press. No deal value was disclosed.
Why this mattersIn-sourcing prepress and press capacity lets a corrugated converter tighten quality control for food and pharma customers, a trend other converters may follow.
- Packrite is based in High Point, North Carolina, and supplies corrugated packaging.
- The company installed a Kodak Magnus Q3600 Titan Platesetter with the Multi-Cassette Unit configuration for automated plate loading.
- Kodak Sonora process-free plates eliminate plate processing chemistry and water use from the workflow.
- The wider investment includes a new eight-colour Koenig & Bauer printing press.
- This is the first time Packrite has brought printing in-house.
- CEO Michael Drummond said the move targets food and pharmaceutical packaging customers requiring speed, quality and consistency.
Koenig & Bauer reported first-half 2026 order intake of EUR 709.3m, up 16.9% year on year and the highest in eight years, with the order backlog reaching a record EUR 1,121.7m. Group revenue rose 1.4% to EUR 558.2m and operating EBITDA improved 20.5% to EUR 14.1m, while free cash flow improved by EUR 62.7m to EUR -21.0m.
Why this mattersRising order intake and backlog signal recovering demand for printing and packaging machinery after a period of cost pressure and tariff uncertainty.
- First-half 2026 order intake reached EUR 709.3m, up 16.9% year on year, the highest in eight years
- Order backlog hit a record EUR 1,121.7m, up 2.3% from EUR 1,096.3m a year earlier
- Group revenue rose 1.4% to EUR 558.2m from EUR 550.4m
- Operating EBITDA improved 20.5% to EUR 14.1m from EUR 11.7m
- Free cash flow improved by EUR 62.7m to EUR -21.0m from EUR -83.7m
- A 3% price increase was implemented from 1 July 2026 in the P&P segment to offset cost pressures
Advance Paper Box Ltd, a Winnipeg folding carton manufacturer, has ordered a Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 41-inch seven-colour press with coater, described as the largest single capital investment in its 50-year history. The press, which includes AI-supported colour control and inline inspection, is due for delivery in early 2027 and will become the company's flagship line, expanding capacity for brand-owner customers across North America.
Why this mattersThe order shows independent North American carton converters continuing to invest in multi-colour, data-driven presses to meet brand owners' multi-SKU packaging demands.
- Advance Paper Box Ltd is an independent folding carton manufacturer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
- The company has operated for more than 50 years.
- It has purchased a Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 41-inch seven-colour press with coater.
- The press is described as the largest single capital investment in the company's history.
- Delivery is scheduled for early 2027.
- The press features Instrument Flight, an AI-supported automated colour control system.
- Customers had requested more colours, faster turnaround and job analytics, driving the press specification
- Koenig & Bauer has manufactured printing presses since 1817
- The press specification was driven by customer requests for more colours, faster turnaround and job analytics.
- The Rapida 106 will produce the majority of Advance Paper Box's folding carton output once installed.
AuraVeo, a connected-packaging platform from Koenig & Bauer, has launched a QR-based digital experience on coffee packs for speciality brand El Caficultor, owned by Indian EcoTrade S.L. Scanning the pack unlocks origin storytelling and a 10% discount offer designed to convert one-off retail buyers into direct subscribers, with the technology built by creative agency Appetite Creative. The initiative will be shown at London Packaging Week on 16-17 September 2026.
Why this mattersConnected packaging that captures first-party consumer data offers brands a route to bypass retail intermediaries and build direct subscription revenue.
- AuraVeo is a connected-packaging platform operated by Koenig & Bauer.
- El Caficultor is a speciality coffee brand owned by Indian EcoTrade S.L.
- The rollout covers four SKUs of El Caficultor's 100% Arabica line: Cerrado Dulce, Sidamo, La Vereda and Selva Negra.
- Scanning the pack's QR code offers a 10% discount on a recurring coffee subscription.
- The technology will be showcased at London Packaging Week on 16-17 September 2026.
- Appetite Creative designed the label system, placing the QR code within the front-of-pack country map illustration.
Koenig & Bauer Vision & Protection and Bosch Secure Authentication have jointly launched ava, a platform combining product authentication, brand protection and traceability technologies for packaging. It is being presented at Luxe Pack Monaco from 28 to 30 September 2026, aimed at luxury goods, watch, jewellery and spirits producers.
Why this mattersCombining printer-side security expertise with digital authentication software gives brand owners a single platform instead of fragmented anti-counterfeiting solutions.
- Koenig & Bauer Vision & Protection and Bosch Secure Authentication jointly developed the ava platform.
- The platform is presented at Luxe Pack Monaco, 28-30 September 2026.
- It targets producers of luxury goods, watches, jewellery and spirits.
- One featured application, Ovjera, authenticates products via image recognition of surface structure without a QR code or serial number.
- Two further applications, Atheneum and Aegis, embed invisible steganographic security features into the print image or lacquer layer, readable via smartphone app.
- The companies plan to eventually combine all ava security mechanisms into one integrated end-user application.
