Beyond The Headlines: HP’s partnership to harness AI for Nutella labels, Seaman Paper Company’s new acquisition

This week in industry news, HP and Bria partnered with Eurostampa to create Nutella labels with AI, while Seaman Paper Company acquired Julius Glatz. Meanwhile, Neopac India won a Star Award from the Indian Flexible Packaging & Folding Carton Manufacturers Association (IFCA).

In brief: Collaborations and launches

HP, a digital printing company, and Bria, the visual generative AI solution built for enterprise, collaborated with Eurostampa on their 8th Envelope project. The Envelope project is an innovative initiative where creative design challenges are met through collaborations between brands, technology providers and students from top universities to push the boundaries of label design by experimenting with new and existing technologies, materials and printing. Eurostampa’s eighth iteration, Envelope 8, focused on harnessing AI to create Nutella labels, pushing the boundaries of personalization and artistic expression through technology. The integration of Bria’s platform with HP SmartStream Designer’s “HP Spark” technology enabled the creation of 9,000 unique Nutella labels. This achievement demonstrates AI’s potential to transform the variable data printing industry.

Yield Engineering Systems (YES), a manufacturer of process equipment for semiconductor advanced packaging, announced that SkyWater Technology has chosen the YES RapidCure polymer dielectric curing systems for their implementation of the M-Series fan-out wafer level packaging technology in partnership with Deca Technologies. Shrinking line width and spacing in advanced packaging drives new polymer materials that require low temperature curing. The YES RapidCure tool, based on a license to the process created by Deca Technology, is a combination of ultraviolet (UV) and direct thermal exposure that reduces process cycle time. RapidCure enables YES customers to reduce thermal budgets for the organic and inorganic thin films used in semiconductor front end, packaging and display applications. The RapidCure process consists of UV pre-treatment to provide preliminary cross-linking of the polymer, followed by controlled thermal curing.

The new packaging will soon be rolled out for Vasant’s entire range.Nexe Innovations, a compostable and innovative materials company, announced a second delivery (three different SKUs) to Ekocups, an online seller and Amazon retailer. This partnership provides a strategic opportunity for Nexe Innovation to enter the US market. The Nexe fully compostable, single-use beverage pod has several key competitive features protected by patents, including innovative technology that increases the filter area, allowing for more volume per pod and increased coffee extraction, which improves taste and richness.

Vasant launched its new and revamped packaging. The announcement came as part of the latest and ongoing campaign, “Pyaar Toh Hona Hi Tha,” which features the Bollywood star Anil Kapoor as the brand ambassador. The revamped packaging mirrors a vibrant and heartfelt theme, blending tradition with a modern touch. The updated design reflects a modern aesthetic while staying true to the brand’s core values of delivering quality and trust.

In brief: Acquisitions and ventures

Seaman Paper Company acquired Julius Glatz, a company specializing in papers based in Neidenfels, Germany. The acquisition of Glatz and its subsidiaries bolsters Seaman Paper’s longstanding presence in Germany and adds to its global expertise and technological capabilities. Terms of the transaction remain confidential. Glatz’s business divisions and production facilities will continue to operate and will be strategically supported and expanded. Julius Glatz will remain a legally independent entity, and the Glatz brand will be preserved to further strengthen its market position globally from its German base. 

Toppan Holdings entered into an agreement with Sonoco Products Company to acquire Sonoco’s Thermoformed and Flexible Packaging (TFP) business for approximately US$1.8 billion on a cash-free and debt-free basis and subject to customary adjustments. This acquisition is highly complementary, combining the sales network, customer base and solution development capabilities of Sonoco’s TFP business in North and South America with the technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities of Toppan Group’s global packaging business. On a pro forma standalone basis, TFP had revenue of approximately US$1.3 billion in 2023.

McLaren Packaging’s corrugate business entered into a new joint venture with VPK Packaging UK & Ireland, part of the Belgian VPK Group. The new company will be called McLaren Corrugate Limited and will be formed through the combination of the corrugate production facility in Port Glasgow and VPK’s site in East Kilbride, both in the UK. McLaren Packaging Limited will have operational management control over the new business and the other businesses will be unaffected by this change.Kheoni’s tube design combined sophisticated branding elements with an eco-conscious aesthetic.

In brief: Trade shows and awards

LOG Pharma Primary Packaging will showcase its barrier eco line for innovative and generic drug companies at Pharmapack Europe 2025, which will take place on January 22–23 in Paris, France. The new eco line packaging solution reduces production costs of eco-friendly barrier bottles and offers optimal moisture and oxygen protection for pharmaceuticals. Leveraging LOG’s proven expertise in innovative pharma-grade polymers and technologies, the barrier eco bottles enhance its range of barrier packaging solutions. LOG has used innovative pharma-grade Health + resins, powered by Dow. Combined with gas barrier properties, this development has allowed LOG to reduce bottle weight by up to 30% without compromising on the Water Vapor Transmission Rate.

Neopac India, a provider of tube packaging for cosmetics and health care and part of the Hoffmann Neopac Group in Switzerland, received a Star Award from the IFCA. For the 2024 competition, Neopac India was recognized in the “Structural Innovation and Graphic Design” category for a personal care tube developed for Kheoni Forest Bathing Natural Skin Lotion. The award-winning tube exemplifies eco-friendly packaging innovation, featuring Neopac’s PaperX laminate, a specialized material that replaces 80% of the plastic in the tube sleeve and reduces overall plastic content by 32%. The packaging is enhanced by an EVOH-infused thin plastic layer. The PaperX laminate reduces plastic usage and makes the tube 11% lighter than traditional 5-layer co-ex tubes with 500 microns.