With increasing demand in the printing industry for equipment that enables more frequent and faster job changes on press, Flint Group officially launches the new rotec® ULW Bridge to join the lightweight family of sleeves and adapters. The rotec® ULW Bridge is an ultra lightweight polyurethane adapter offering up to 65% reduction in weight compared to similar products in the market – a significant weight decrease improving safety and handling for press operators. Developed together with customers, this new generation adapter has been validated in applications on plate-mounting equipment and on presses running up to 450 m/min for the last 1-2 years. Ralf Venema, Flint Group General Manager explains: “Our Product Development Team is focused on developing products to help the customer work smarter, faster and easier. The rotec® ULW Bridge is an excellent solution for improved safety and easier handling at the printer.” The rotec® ULW Bridge is suitable for all press widths and offers particular benefits where higher wall thicknesses are most commonly used, such as in cantilevered mounter applications and unusually large print applications, including corrugated pre-print. Click Read More below for additional information.

Oil prices slipped on Thursday as swelling U.S. crude inventories and record weekly U.S. production clashed with OPEC supply cuts and the potential for new U.S. sanctions against Iran. On Wednesday, a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed a 6.2-million-barrel jump in U.S. crude inventories C-STK-T-EIA. U.S. oil production rose to a record of 10.62 million bpd, putting it ahead of Saudi Arabia, the biggest OPEC producer. U.S. drilling for new production is also increasing, encouraged by rising prices following OPEC’s production curbs. Click Read More below for additional information.

Trucking activity in the United States slipped in May as the freight market remained choppy. Specifically, truck freight tonnage decreased 0.1% after gaining 0.5% in April, according to the American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index. “The seesaw freight demand pattern continued in April, making it difficult to discern any clear pattern in the market,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Excluding the services economy — the largest part of economic activity— the goods market is all over the map, thus impacting freight levels. Construction is soft, manufacturing is up and down, and consumers are cautious.” In May, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 113.8, down from 113.9 in April. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, was down 1.3% from the same month last year, the first year-over-year decrease in 2025. Year-to-date, compared with the same period in 2024, tonnage was up 0.1%.