Syrian pharmaceutical manufacturers target export growth amid cost advantages

    Syria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector is maintaining domestic supply stability while positioning itself for renewed export growth, according to Joseph Bahri, Managing Director of Bahripharm.     Bahri said the country currently has around 90 licensed pharmaceutical manufacturers, with approximately 60 to 70 operating actively despite the challenges faced during the past decade. He …

Star Paper Mill Inks Milestone signs partnerships with Sweden & Austria at Make it in the Emirates 2026 in Abu Dhabi

        Star Paper Mill signed two international trade partnerships during Make it in the Emirates 2026 in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade. The agreements were signed with Austria-based Henzel Sales and Sweden-based Ekman & Co. AB to support the …

UPM and BASF collaborate on recyclable fiber-based packaging solutions

      UPM and BASF have announced a collaboration aimed at supporting the development of recyclable fiber-based packaging solutions for food and non-food applications. The partnership combines UPM’s barrier and barrier base papers with BASF’s Joncryl® HPB barrier coating technology to create paper-based packaging structures designed to replace conventional mixed-material and polyethylene-laminated formats.   …

Kodak launches SONORA UltraXR process-free plates for packaging and commercial print applications in EAMER

    Kodak has announced the launch of its new KODAK SONORA UltraXR Process Free Plates across the EAMER region, covering Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, with applications targeting packaging, commercial, and newspaper printing sectors using offset technologies.     The new plates will replace SONORA XTRA-2 and XTRA-2 for Newspapers Process Free Plates …

HEIDELBERG and Ricoh mark 15 years of partnership in digital printing

      HEIDELBERG and Ricoh are marking 15 years of partnership in digital printing, centred on the Versafire digital printing systems and hybrid print production technologies.     The collaboration began in 2011 with the launch of the first Versafire systems, marking HEIDELBERG’s entry into the digital printing market. Since then, the companies have …

Uganda Launches Packaging Centre of Excellence to Bolster Regional Trade and Quality Standards

        KAMPALA – The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, has officially inaugurated the Packaging Centre of Excellence (PCOE). Launched during National Science Week 2026 at Kololo Independence Grounds, the facility aims to address the technical “presentation gap” currently hindering Ugandan manufactured …

2PointZero completes majority acquisition of ISEM Packaging Group for AED 704 million

    Abu Dhabi-based 2PointZero Group has completed the acquisition of a 60.8% stake in Italy-headquartered ISEM Packaging Group for AED 704 million, marking its formal entry into the global packaging sector.     The transaction was executed through a combination of primary and secondary capital and establishes packaging as the group’s sixth consumer-focused vertical. …

Boxon establishes local industrial packaging manufacturing and supply operations in Morocco

    Boxon has introduced local industrial packaging operations in Morocco, aiming to strengthen supply chains through regional production and reduced lead times. The company has established a warehouse and production setup, enabling delivery of both standard and customised packaging solutions produced within the country.     Following its earlier expansion announcement, the company moved …

Michelman introduces bio-based barrier coatings for paper packaging applications

    Michelman has introduced two bio-based, plastic-free coatings, Nuvita Life 4002 and Nuvita Life 4605, for fiber-based retail food packaging applications. The coatings are designed to provide barrier performance while supporting recyclability and compostability in paper packaging structures.     Nuvita Life 4002 is a heat seal coating that provides oil and grease resistance …

Rotocon opens label and packaging facility and flexo demo centre in Johannesburg

    ROTOCON has opened a 2,000 sqm purpose-built facility and demo centre in Longmeadow, Johannesburg, bringing flexo printing technology, engineering capability and customer support into a single location. The company relocated from its previous site in April as part of a planned expansion of its regional operations.     The investment is supported by …