Duplo International has scooped the Taste of France prize from the organisers of Digital Print World 2005, for attracting the highest number of visitors to the trade show. "We are so pleased," said Peter Jolly, Duplo UK's marketing manager.

NEC has made a battery which is less than 1mm thick and can be recharged in half a minute. The Organic Radical Battery could help radio-frequency ID, be embedded in intelligent paper or smart cards and solve readability problems, said the Japanese firm. 

Varo of Denmark has launched machines for trimming doctor blades. An auto-cutter processes any width of blade from coils. The kit cuts to exact lengths and rewinds pre-cuts onto tape for dispenser rolls, offering safe handling for printers.

Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising, the new visitor centre in London, is showing an exhibition from a man billed as Britain's foremost collector. Robert Opie's collection includes around 10,000 boxes, cartons, packets and tubs, some dating from the early 19th century. Visit: www.museumofbrands.com.

European Coatings Conference is boasting international speakers at the Polyurethanes for High-Performance Coatings IV event in Berlin. Speakers will focus on waterborne, solventborne and radiation curing systems on 23 to 24 March. Visit: www.coatings.de/events/ecc24.cfm.

Hawthorne's of Nottingham is waving goodbye to production director Mike Marriott, aged 56, who is retiring after 40 years in commercial print manufacturing. He will, however, be offering consultancy services.

Print Forum Wales kicks of its 2006 events with two conferences in Swansea. The first seminar is an overview of "lean manufacturing" on 16 February, while health and safety best practice will be tackled on 21 February. Visit: www.printforumwales.com.