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Before depositing, you have to make sure that the mould is empty to provide excellent quality of your sweets. Before depositing, you have to make sure that the mould is empty to provide excellent quality of your sweets. Bi-Ber has been supplying camera systems for checking empty moulds “made in Berlin” for almost 25 years now. More than 100 systems are in use around the world. As a result of permanent further development, four mechanical basic versions are currently available, each for different mould widths up to 1050 mm.

All systems recognize contaminations in each alveolus down to a size of 1 mm³. Special solutions, updates of existing systems and, of course, upgrades for existing moulding plants are also possible.

Bi-Ber vision for empty mould check are Windows-based and equipped with modern GigE or USB3 colour cameras. They have a uniform multilingual firmware and modern software interfaces and functionality. The systems are suitable for moulds of all usual materials: polycarbonate, metal, silicone.

For more information send an email to sales@bilderkennung.de,

call +49 30 8103 22260 or see

Sappi, a leading provider of sustainable woodfibre-based packaging materials, is expanding production of its Fusion Topliner grade to its flagship mill in Gratkorn/Austria. The Fusion Topliner – a white virgin fibre liner for high-quality corrugated packaging – will also continue to be manufactured at Sappi’s Ehingen mill in Germany.

With this project, Sappi is not just expanding its production capacity in the corrugated board business. By offering the same product quality from both mills, Sappi is bringing production closer to its customers in order to guarantee a sustainable and short supply chain in the heart of Europe. Volume availability will be increased month by month to support the expected growth of the customers and to satisfy large requirements in the corrugated board business.

The Fusion Topliner, now the most widely used corrugated liner made from pure virgin fibre, is recommended for applications such as premium quality consumer goods packaging and POS displays where high visual impact and differentiation are key. The product also stands out with its strength and versatility as well as its special characteristics for print quality and finishing.

At the ISM in Cologne, Luker Chocolate, the B2B Colombian, crafted at origin chocolate manufacturer will present their oat milk chocolate and white oat milk chocolate center stage.  

Since introducing oat milk to their offering in late 2020, Luker has seen oat milk products contribute 35% of all new business inquiries in 2021 worldwide. Luker’s 43% Balance Oat M!lk chocolate mixes the exquisite flavour of Colombia’s Cacao Fino de Aroma. Loved by manufacturers and artisan chocolatiers for its creamy texture, sweet aroma and low bitter flavour, the chocolate B4B manufacturer is also expanding its offering to include 36.6% White Oat M!lk chocolate. Now, chocolatiers worldwide can create exquisite plant-based white chocolate products to keep up with the growing white chocolate market, anticipated to reach USD 19.7 bn by 2026.

An alternative to the typically marketed dark chocolate, the popularity of oat m!lk has sky-rocketed over the last year. Consumers looking for non-dairy chocolate, which is still indulgent, have turned to oat m!lk products to satisfy their taste buds, with sales surging more than 70 per cent in 2020, according to Mintel. Due to oat m!lk’s creamy consistency, free-from consumers can indulge in a range of both milk and white chocolate covertures, without sacrificing taste.

The chocolates are also gluten free, adding further compatibility for free-from diets. Plant-based chocolate has also seen a growth of opportunity in the wellness food market. The wellness market is projected to have grown 15 in 2021, and thanks to the lack of health and planet implications in free-from diets, this food sector is set to grow exponentially.

The Barry Callebaut Group achieved strong sales volume growth of 8.9% to 610,048 tonnes during the first three months of fiscal year 2021/22 (ended November 30, 2021). While this was achieved against a weak comparison base, it was well ahead of the Group’s pre-Covid-19 volume in 2019/20 (585,620 t). According to the company, organic volume growth was 8.1% in the period under review, excluding the first-time consolidation of Europe Chocolate Company (ECC) as of September 2021.

The chocolate business showed particularly strong volume growth of 9.6%, clearly outpacing the underlying global chocolate confectionery market (+ 3.1%; source: Nielsen volume growth excluding e-commerce – 25 countries, September to October 2021, data subject to adjustment to match Barry Callebaut’s reporting period; Nielsen data only partially reflects the out-of-home and impulse consumption). All regions and key growth drivers contributed to these strong results: Gourmet & Specialties (+ 33.8%), Emerging Markets (+ 11.0%), Outsourcing (+ 4.5%). Global Cocoa reported positive volume growth of 6.0% in an ongoing challenging market environment.

Sales revenue amounted to CHF 2.032 bn, up 14.0% in local currencies (+ 14.3% in CHF) in the first three months under review.

A new design, simple navigation and real added value: Since January 2022, Südpack has been online with its new website, one that shall set new standards in communication, particularly in terms of user-friendliness and the depth of information. The goal of the website relaunch is to provide a special kind of information experience, and to also adapt the positioning of the Südpack brand due to the sharp changes in market requirements.

Throughout the ambitious relaunch project, the basic idea of the customer journey was the primary focus. The new online concept is therefore based on a brand-new page structure with an intuitive, simple user interface and appealing content that is easy to reach.

Peter Pfeilschifter, CEO and Managing Director Food Solutions, has decided to leave Hochdorf Swiss Nutrition AG to take on new professional challenges. As Delegate of the Board of Directors, Ralph Siegl will take over the CEO function.

Peter Pfeilschifter started as Managing Director Food Solutions in 2018 and took over as CEO one year later. He was also Managing Director Baby Care since 2020. Before joining Hochdorf, the trained economist and organizational scientist headed Uckermärker Milch GmbH in Prenzlau/Germany.

Delegate of the Board of Directors, Ralph Siegl will take over as Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2020 and is Chairman of the Market and Strategy Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee. Ralph Siegl is an independent management consultant and partner of Experts for Leaders AG in Zurich. His previous positions include CEO of Confiseur Läderach AG and Managing Director of the Läderach Group from 2006 to 2018. Prior to that, he held various management positions at Nestlé in Switzerland and Australia for ten years, most recently as Vice President Export with responsibility for the Milk Powder, Baby Care and Chocolate segments, among others.