Future Links April 15th

Cellink plans to take bioprinting to new heights
3D printing human tissue for organ transplants and drug research is still in its infancy. The bioprinting company Cellink plans to change that. It is taking the first steps on a long road that could eventually lead to a future where organ shortages were no longer a problem and where no animals were harmed in the testing of drugs and cosmetics.
More at Inverse

KBA to unveil the Rapida 75 PRO at drupa 2016
KBA will showcase the new Rapida 75 PRO at drupa. This new half format press closes the gap to the highly automated Rapida 76. The Rapida 75 PRO features the same hard- and software solutions as medium-format Rapidas and thus offers a raft of extra features and improved user-friendliness. It will be displayed live at drupa as a five-color version with coater and LED-UV.
More at Graphic Repro Online

Certification for print professionals rewards continuous improvement
Continuous learning and improving are key in the dynamic and highly competitive printing industry. To achieve that Printing Industries of America had developed the Improvement Professional in Print (IPP) certification program. This new certification validates the expertise of printing industry professionals who help companies achieve operational excellence using lean manufacturing and other process improvement practices.
More at What They Think

TricorBraun acquires Packaging Design Group
TricorBraun, a leading distributor of rigid packaging in North America, is expanding its reach. The St. Louis-based company is acquiring the Packaging Design Group (PDG), another distributor of rigid packaging, to expand its market exposure. TricorBraun said PDG’s extensive knowledge and experience along with their customer service focus made the company an attractive partner.
More at Plastic News

Large retail chains making life hard for mid-sized Australian print shops
Retailers such as Harvey Norman and Officeworks have the printing pie firmly in their sights, the chains offering print services to the public for highly competitive prices and undercutting business for local printers, according to a news article by ProPrint. Business operations manager at Bullprint Kaushik Ajmera says ruthless pricing models and fierce market competition from printing giants have kicked small to mid-sized printers to the curb, and adjusting prices won’t help them to keep up. Instead, they need to adjust their business model.
More at ProPrint

First bioplastic bottle for fruit juices developed
The results of the European project PHBOTTLE are ready to be presented. The project developed the first prototype of packaging for juices made from PHB, a biodegradable bioplastic material obtained from organic residues of the wastewater from the juice industry. The bottle is the result of four years of R&D work in the framework of the European project PHBOTTLE, pioneer in its field in the development of the concept of circular economy.
More at Packaging Europe

FDA offers guidelines to avoid labeling and packaging errors
In November 2015, a packaging error for birth control pills lead to a lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company by women who believe they became pregnant as a result of a packaging error. Packaging and labeling are thought to be the cause of 33 % of medication errors, claims the 2006 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Preventing Medication Errors. To minimize the hazards, FDA has published the first of three guidelines for industry, ‘Safety Considerations for Product Design to Minimize Medication Errors.’ The second guidance will focus specifically on drug container labels and carton labeling.
More at Packaging Digest