BETHLEHEM, PA—The drive and tensioner wheels of FLEXI-DISC® Tubular Cable Conveyors are now equipped as standard with patented sprocket tips that can be replaced at up to 90 percent lower cost than one-piece sprockets, it was announced by David Boger, president of Flexicon Corp.

Each replaceable tip consists of two halves that bolt onto each spoke without the need to remove the sprocket, reducing downtime during maintenance.

The tips also form a pick-up face having greater surface area and seating stability than the contact patch of one-piece sprockets, significantly extending cable life by reducing contact pressure between the slug and the spoke.

Further, a wear indicator molded into the sprocket tip enables operators to determine when the tips are due for replacement, averting wheel damage and resulting damage to the cable-disc assembly.

Friction between the discs and relatively small number of sprocket spokes can result in spoke damage that, in turn, damages the costly cable-disc assembly. Both issues can now be avoided through preventative sprocket tip replacements at roughly 10 percent of one-piece sprocket replacement costs.

The new wheel design can be retrofitted to all previous models of FLEXI-DISC Tubular Cable Conveyors with no modification.

FLEXI-DISC Tubular Cable Conveyors gently slide bulk materials through stainless steel tubing using polymer discs attached to stainless steel cable. The conveyor is powered by a drive system that circulates the cable-disc assembly between two wheel housings at opposite ends of the circuit.

Flexicon also manufactures flexible screw conveyors, pneumatic conveying systems, bulk bag dischargers, bulk bag conditioners, bulk bag fillers, bag dump stations, drum/box/container dumpers, weigh batching and blending systems, and engineered plant-wide bulk handling systems with automated controls.

Contact Flexicon Corporation, 1-888-353-9426, sales@flexicon.com, www.flexicon.com

James Cropper, a global market leader in Paper & Packaging and Advanced Materials, has set new quality standards for recycled materials with the release of Rydal Eco, a revolutionary sustainable paper innovation.

Rydal Eco is an uncoated board, made entirely from recycled paper fibres, that performs like a coated board. It delivers a superb printing surface with whiteness levels equivalent to virgin fibre material. This provides sharper print, more vivid colours, cleaner die-cutting, and better registration when using finishing techniques such as varnishing and debossing – and all of this is achieved without felling a single new tree.

Designed with luxury goods in mind, Rydal Eco offers incredible versatility to both brands and converters. Its luxurious tactile feel makes it ideal for a wide range of applications, from cosmetics, and wines to fragrance packaging, while its precision-engineered converting characteristics mean it is compatible with diverse production techniques including lithography, silk screen printing, die stamping, laser cutting, foil blocking, and more.

Gareth Fisher, Sales Director at James Cropper hailed the launch, saying, “This is the latest step in our 180-year commitment to asking the question: ‘What if?’ In 1845, it was ‘what if we bought a mill?’ In 1921, it was ‘what if we installed a steam turbine to power our business and the surrounding village?’ And today, it’s ‘what if we combined the tactility of recycled fibre with the print and finishing quality of virgin fibre? What if uncoated paper could perform like coated paper?’ The answer to both of those questions is Rydal Eco, a transformative sustainable solution for converters.

“We’ve never been afraid to break new ground in the pursuit of excellence to ensure we deliver the highest quality materials to our customers. We’re not interested in business-as-usual materials. We want to make paper and moulded fibre better, raising the bar for the entire industry. We’re proud to be a company that asks, ‘what if?’ And we’ll continue to dream big and push the boundaries of paper production and materials.”

Rydal Eco is produced in alignment with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), supporting companies looking to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains. Other products in the Rydal packaging collection make use of James Cropper’s CupCycling® technology, which upcycles used coffee cups into premium packaging, as part of the company’s mission to lead the way in sustainable material development. James Cropper is renowned for its innovative use of fibre recovered from used coffee cups, cup offcuts, worn denim, office waste, and other industrial sources.

To learn more about James Cropper and its legacy of paper-based innovation, visit www.jamescropper.com.

Coca-Cola FEMSA has chosen Sidel’s Super Combi for its carbonated soft drinks (CSD) line in Jundiai, Brazil increasing overall line productivity and operating at 39,000 bottles per hour (bph).

Coca-Cola FEMSA, one of the largest Coca-Cola franchises in the world, serves more than 270 million people with a portfolio of 134 beverage brands, including carbonated soft drinks, water, juices, teas, and energy drinks. Operating 56 manufacturing plants and 249 distribution centres across Latin America, the company ensures widespread access to its diverse range of beverages.

As the carbonated soft drink (CSD) market in Latin America experiences expansion, driven by shifting consumer preferences especially among younger audiences and wider economic recovery, Coca-Cola FEMSA is poised to meet this growing trend.  With the installation of Sidel Super Combi at the Jundiai plant, Coca-Cola FEMSA has boosted its productivity to meet this rising demand for CSD beverages.

Increased speed and flexibility

Coca-Cola FEMSA opted for Sidel’s Super Combi for its CSD operations following the successful installation of the solution at the company’s water line at the Bauru plant.

The Sidel Super Combi is an innovative, all-in-one solution that integrates five key units – preform feeder, blower, labeller, filler/capper, and cap feeder – into a compact smart system. This design offers up to a thirty percent reduction in footprint compared to standalone equipment, making it an ideal choice Coca-Cola FEMSA which was seeking effectiveness and space savings. Sidel’s new solution replaced the existing wet block equipment and seamlessly integrated with the remaining production set up.

Following the installation of the Super Combi, the line now operates with a speed of 39,000 bottles per hour – an unprecedented level of productivity for FEMSA’s CSD operations.It can also handle up to ten bottle formats from 0,2 to 2L, while dramatically reducing the overall footprint of the line with a more efficient use of space within the facility.

Cutting-edge compact design 

Engineered as a closed and compact system, the Sidel Super Combi minimises contamination risks by reducing the number of transfer points and potential exposure to contaminants. The Super Combi also helps make lightweight PET bottles by reducing transfer distances and minimising mechanical stress, allowing for thinner bottles.

Coca-Cola FEMSA Super Combi also utilises Sidel’s BlendFILL system which integrates the mixer and filler tanks into a single unit, streamlining operations. This innovative design reduces the overall footprint lowering operational costs and system complexity. It also contributes significantly to decreasing CO2 consumption throughout the production process while saving the water consumption in each cleaning cycle^[1].

Sidel also installed the Evo-ON Care and Performance apps, allowing the drinks manufacturer to optimise line performance with actionable recommendations to solve efficiency losses. This advanced app can increase Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) by making it easy to track, understand, and address machine inefficiencies, ensuring that production units meet their performance targets.

Coca-Cola FEMSA utilises 100% recycled PET (rPET) preforms in its bottle production, and the Sidel Super Combi is fully compatible with rPET. This innovative solution ensures optimal resource utilisation, supporting sustainability goals without compromising performance.

Seamless collaboration

The sales, project, and service teams from Sidel and Coca-Cola FEMSA worked closely together from the start. This teamwork made it possible to get everything up and running quickly and hand it over smoothly to the customer service and operations teams. 

Find out more about Sidel’s Super Combi and how you can access this kind of support for your business on the

HELMOND, The Netherlands (April 17, 2025) – Cyklop, a global packaging leader, is partnering with Evertreen to plant 1,000 trees in 13 countries as a major Earth Day 2025 initiative. Evertreen is an international organization dedicated to combating deforestation and supporting global reforestation efforts.

Working together, Cyklop and Evertreen are creating the Cyklop Forest, which is a living symbol of Cyklop’s long-standing commitment to sustainability. Cyklop is planting trees in the following countries (the company operates facilities in all 13 countries as well as 14 others): Belgium, Brazil, British Columbia, England, Germany, France, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Thailand, The Netherlands, the United States of America.

This year, Earth Day is being celebrated around the world on Tuesday, April 22. The date marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.
Cyklop’s collaboration with Evertreen reinforces its dedication to environmentally conscious innovation. The company will support the planting of 250 trees every quarter over the next year. This equals 182.00 tonnes of C02 being offset. Cyklop is committed to making a tangible contribution to environmental restoration, carbon capture, and social development in regions most affected by climate change and deforestation.

The ongoing results and environmental impact of the Cyklop Forest can be tracked publicly via the company’s Evertreen dashboard.
“Planting the Cyklop Forest is not just a symbolic gesture – it is a direct extension of our core values and our commitment to sustainability in the packaging industry,” said Marc Berger, chief marketing officer for Cyklop. “By working with Evertreen, we are reinforcing our responsibility to address global climate challenges. This initiative reflects our belief that sustainability must be woven into every level of business, from the materials we develop to the ecosystems we help protect.”

A Legacy of Sustainability

Cyklop has long integrated sustainability into its operations, products, and global facilities. With more than 500 patents and operations in 27 countries, the company continues to lead through green innovation. Here are just a few of the ways Cyklop is creating lasting environmental impact:

• Plastic Recycling in Italy and Malaysia: Cyklop manufactures Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) for strapping material in Italy and Malaysia. The company collects more than 18,000 tons of plastic per year to turn into straps. Cyklop’s PET straps are made of 80 percent recycled material and are 100 percent recyclable after use.

• Solar Panels in Spain: In June 2024, Cyklop Spain fully commissioned its manufacturing plant with solar panels in Les Franqueses, Barcelona. This impressive step toward energy self-sufficiency led to addressing 70 percent of the company's consumption at peak sun hours at full capacity. With this initiative, Cyklop promotes energy self-consumption by limiting the use of air conditioners, significantly contributing to the reduction of its carbon footprint. This initiative has resulted in a more comfortable environment for office and production employees.

• Heat Reduction in Germany: The Cyklop energy management plan in Germany is ISO 50001 certified. The energy team regularly meets every month to discuss the various aspects of energy consumption and energy data that have been identified and to discuss further improvement activities. In 2020, the team set the specific energy consumption baseline for the year and defined corresponding targets. Since then, the Cyklop German team has been able to reduce the energy consumption for PET production by 20 percent. In addition, this team has implemented technical measures, such as heat recovery. In 2022, the German team set out to recover wasted heat from the PET strapping production facility and heat the 5,000 square-meter logistics hall. This resulted in saving approximately 350,000 kilowatt hours of heating energy per year, which was previously generated by burning heating oil.

• Reverse Logistics Process in Brazil: In 2022, Cyklop began collaborating with a customer organization that consciously and economically disposes of waste generated from production activities. This project provides a destination for the PET strapping waste collected and used by the customer’s manufacturing units. The customer then sends the discarded straps from its production process to Cyklop for the regulated inspection, grinding and selection of the materials. Ninety percent of the raw material is used for the manufacturing of new strapping rolls and is returned to the customer.

These measures empower Cyklop customers to reduce material usage, minimize waste, and transition to recyclable, eco-conscious packaging options without sacrificing performance. Here are some ways that Cyklop helps its customers to adopt more sustainable practices for their packaging materials:

• Replacing plastic with elastic or string in bundling applications.

• Using paper tape and paper strapping tape which are fully recyclable.

• Reducing the volume of the stretch film with pre-stretch (up to 450 percent) or by wrapping with thinner film, like Cyklop’s nano film, which uses up to 70 percent less plastic.

• Understanding that safely securing goods can often be done using less packaging material.