Whoever ends up becoming the new owner of the OI Glass business in Australia & New Zealand, will face tough demand conditions over the next two to three years, writes industry analyst Paul Allen, in this exclusive report for PKN.

Sydney-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Propac Industrial has been snapped up by well-known packaging industry figure Mark Emmett, who is also the owner and MD of Adelaide-based OEM HMPS.

Australia's containerboard sector is facing an unprecedented crisis of fibre supply, with the ongoing bushfires wiping out huge swathes of trees used for local manufacture of kraftliner, which is used as the outer layers of high-strength corrugated boxes.

The industry’s media hub PKN Packaging News is growing, appointing a new editor, Ian Ackerman, who will work alongside current managing editor and publisher Lindy Hughson, associate editor Wayne Robinson, multi-media journalist Doris Prodanovic, and national sales manager Sharon Amos.

The Jan/Feb issue of PKN is out now, featuring the packaging industry trends to look out for in 2020, and including our exclusive Machinery Matters supplement.

ASX-listed anti-counterfeit technology company Dotz says sales are on the horizon but have yet to materialise for its products. In its report for the fourth quarter the company revealed it had spent US$649,000 and received US$50,000 in income.

Unilever has posted an underlying sales growth for the full year 2019 of 2.9 per cent, slightly down on the previous year’s growth of 3.1 per cent.

A Polish soft fruit packaging producer has chosen Futamura’s NatureFlex films for the windows in its new world-first soft fruit tray lids.

Research from the US has found a composite film could help reduce the amount of foodborne illness outbreaks. The film combines an antimicrobial layer to a clear, polyethylene plastic, commonly used to vacuum-package meat and fish.

In a move hailed as a circular economy game changer and praised by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Planet Ark, Nestlé has announced it will invest AU$3bn (CHF2bn) to shift from virgin plastic to food-grade recycled plastics.

Packaging and print businesses impacted by the fires will be able to claim a tax-free grant of up to $50,000 in a new initiative from the federal government.

Pact Group will divest its Contract Manufacturing division, in a move which CEO Sanjay Dayal says will simplify its portfolio and sharpen its focus on the core packaging business.

Joe Foster of O.F Pack has been recognised with an international Lifetime Achievement in Packaging Award for this year’s WorldStars.

Convenience and personal control will be the biggest consumer trends of 2020, according to Euromonitor International's latest report. It suggests while consumers aim to strike a balance between the two, brands must balance trust, security and delivering products that add value.

Visy is reportedly squaring off against two private equity firms in the battle for Owens-Illinois (OI)’s Australian and New Zealand assets.

PKN and stablemate Food & Drink Business will be hosting our third Women in Packaging Breakfast Forum, in partnership with AIP, during the Australasian Packaging Conference 2020, on 2 April at Crown Promenade in Melbourne.