The November/December issue of PKN is out now, featuring a look back at the highlights of 2019 and including our exclusive Machinery Matters supplement.

Spicers is buying rival merchant Direct Paper as part of its strategy to move into new areas, with the deal giving it an increased presence in packaging papers and boards.

PKN stablemate magazine Food & Drink Business has released its Top 100 Food & Drink Companies report for 2019. In collaboration with market research firm IBISWorld, the report offers a scorecard ranking by revenue of Australia's heaviest hitters in food and beverage.

Health and wellness products have featured heavily in the annual Product of the Year Awards. From the 35 categories, 13 fell within the health category as either snacks, foods, digestive and gut health, supplements and oral care.

Intermediate bulk container and PE drum specialist Schütz Australia is investing in technology and facilities to better service the Australian market. Its newest plant, and 55th global site, officially opened in Yatala last week. PKN was there.

Digital print solutions developer Durst has opened a new direct subsidiary to serve Australia, New Zealand, and the Oceania region with its wide format, labels, packaging and textile inkjet systems.

National Recycling Week has seen industry join with Planet Ark to promote recycling, including TerraCycle, which launched more than 100 new zero-waste solutions in Australia.

Federal and state environment ministers have developed a new National Waste Policy Action Plan, and aim to ban exports of waste by 2022, in moves applauded by APCO.

Oji Fibre Solutions will invest around $100m towards a new automated cardboard box plant development in Christchurch, which will replace its existing operation.

Digital flexible packaging operation ePac is investing some US$100m with HP for a new fleet of 24 HP Indigo 20000 digital presses.

In a move that signals its intentions to expand its Asia Pacific operations, SIG is set to acquire Visy Cartons from Visy Pak Operations, a subsidiary of Pratt Consolidated Holdings, for $70 million.

Global glass giant OI’s Australian and New Zealand operations are up for sale, in a deal that promises to be the biggest local manufacturing transaction since Nippon stealthily scooped up the Orora Fibre Packaging business. Writing exclusively for PKN, Paul Allen of Margin Partners provides insights into the upside for potential buyers.

Australian coding and labelling specialist Matthews Australasia has launched a new online toolkit aimed at supporting Australian manufacturers who supply products to any of the major supermarkets.

Two major co-packing companies – LJM NSW and Multipack – have merged to create market-leading NSW pure play co-packer Multipack LJM.

Technology developer EFI is launching PackCentral, an online web-to-pack solution, which it says will enable packaging converters to digitally transform their businesses and grow profitability through new revenue streams and reduced sales costs.

In a sign of the growing e-commerce market, Amazon is opening its third fulfilment centre in Australia – its first on the west coast.