The Canadian title Graphic Arts Media writes that researchers from Cambridge University in the UK, who were investigating why spider silk was so strong, have developed a new way to create a polymer film material from plant proteins that could replace many single use plastics for applications such as packaging.

Print Business reports that Gelato, the distributed online print network, has raised $240 million in a new funding round to help the company expand in Asia and North America, as well as to move into 3D printing and short run personalisation. The key to the company’s success apparently is its API software.

ME printer has an interview on current trends with Vinay Krishnan of AFRA, a distributor of print finishing and packaging equipment based in the UAE, with over 4000 installations in the Gulf plus East and West Africa. The company has just introduced a highly automated Etirama narrow web press to the region.

ME Printer also reports that the Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone is offering a number of support packages, including business licenses and help obtaining work visas, to entrepreneurs to bolster its support for the publishing sector and to help grow emerging and medium-sized projects.

From the US, Ink World reports that Smurfit Kappa is to invest $22 million to expand and modernise its corrugated plant in Culiacan, North-West Mexico. This will include installing a new corrugator and an automatic Rotary Die Cutter, which should be up and running by the end of 2021.

According to Indian Printer and Publisher, Fujifilm will be offering the Revoria PC1120 production colour press to the Indian market, where it will be sold and serviced by Fujifilm India’s local partner Insight Print Communications. It’s a six-colour dry toner press able to run produce up to 120 A4 pages per minute.

Print21 writes that the results for the financial year to June from Australia’s biggest print business, IVE, were better than expected, with the company achieving $100.2m EBITDA on revenue of $656m despite the pandemic. The company is predicting further growth next year and is looking at more acquisitions as well as a move into packaging.

However, Print21 also reports that most commercial printers in New Zealand are currently idle with the country back in a level 4 lockdown due to escalating covid infections. The lockdown is stricter than in Australia but, as the story points out, New Zealand’s printers are better prepared than earlier in the pandemic.

Staying with Australia, Sprinter has a story on Complete Displays, based in Melbourne, which has adopted a policy of refusing entry to customers and staff who have not been vaccinated. The story includes findings from an Ai Group survey that found over half of business supported some degree of mandatory vaccination.

Meanwhile, The Gapp Magazine, based in South Africa, points out that there’s only three weeks until the Propak West Africa show in Lagos, Nigeria, which promises to re-energise the packaging, printing, plastics and food processing industries. The event also includes a conference as well as a digital networking platform.

Africa Print writes that Printing SA is looking for part-time lecturers to cover a range of courses, including prepress, printing, packaging, flexible packaging, print finishing and and soft and hardcover bookbinding. Many in our industry complain that young people aren’t entering the print industry so this seems like an ordeal opportunity to help train that next generation.