[dropcaps style=’2′]Labelexpo Europe 2017, the largest international event dedicated to the label and package printing sector, culminated in its biggest-ever edition with record-breaking exhibitor and visitor figures and show floor occupying nine exhibition halls – 12% bigger than 2015. Of the 679 exhibitors in Brussels, around 17% represented Asian companies, including 60 from China, 20 from India, 15 from Japan, 10 from Taiwan, and 5 from South Korea. This year, 198 companies exhibited for the first time at the show. Visitors and exhibitors alike enjoyed a massively enhanced experience thanks to the recent refurbishment of Brussels Expo. Attracting large delegations from Brazil, China, India and Japan, the show reported 37,724 visitors; an increase of 5.6% on 35,739 visitors in 2015.[/dropcaps]
While labels remained central to the overall Labelexpo experience, the show floor reflected its continued diversification into flexible package printing with a wider appeal for brand owners and wide web converters. The non-homogeneous exhibitors at the show reinforced once again the current trend of commercial printers diversifying to label and packaging business, label printers entering flexible packaging, and packaging converters investing in multiple technology platforms.
No amount of padding and puffery can disguise the fact that most of the major trade shows in Europe and North America are going through a sticky patch with shrinking attendance numbers through last ten years. These trade shows are grappling either with re-engineering their sales strategy or expanding their product portfolios to keep up to Darwin’s evolutionary theory. By contrast, Labelexpo Europe has maintained a healthy attendance ratio of 55 visitors per booth or stand. Not only that, with 25% more working machinery demonstrated at the show, 2017’s event was used for a large number of significant product launches with new machines unveiled by many of the leading press manufacturers. In addition, inkjet technology made a real breakthrough at this year’s show.
The steady growth of Labelexpo can be attributed to several factors integral to the label industry itself. One key factor is the responsive nature of narrow-web technology which allows it to smoothly adjust itself to different packaging segments by extending its range into wider webs and hybrid print systems. A technology which was once predominantly used for label manufacturing, has now found its way to folding carton and flexible packaging productions. And this has just got contagious over time, bringing in more flavors of exhibitors to patronize the show. Our team members who visited the label show observed that narrow-web label and packaging printers and converters are increasingly being joined by their peers from the packaging segments such as CI flexo press and film extrusion in addition to large and mid-web converting segments.
At this year’s Labelexpo, growth in the digital printing technology sector remained evident, with many high profile launches including Mouvent, a joint venture between Bobst and Radex. ebeam Technologies, Uteco Converting and INX Digital International jointly introduced Gaia, the industrial end-to-end digital narrow web system for mass-personalization of indirect food contact packaging and labels. Other digital launches included Durst’s new high resolution Tau330 RSC and Xeikon adding UV inkjet capability with the global launch of its Panther PX3000 technology. HP Indigo unveiled the GEM digital decoration system in-line with a WS6800 digital press. There was also the latest hybrid press offerings from major conventional press suppliers such as Gallus, Mark Andy, MPS and Nilpeter.
Printing presses at Labelexpo
Bobst showcased its new M1 and M5X presses, an effective choice to produce self-adhesive labels – robust, fully performing to Bobst quality standards and showing the first level of Bobst Digital Automation (laser-pre-register and automatic register). The new M5X, for labels and packaging, performed the Second Level of Digital Automation, total automation in print pressure and register adjustment without any manual intervention. Probably the most impressive demonstration was the Digital Flexo Challenge; an M6 UV Flexo press at a converter’s plant in Milan and a ‘twin’ M6 press on the Bobst Labelexpo stand were challenging each other on set-up time of a food packaging job, filmed live, with a split screen satellite video connection. The two presses were filmed in detail, operating a job change-over live at almost 1,000 km apart, in front of hundreds of converters every day, twice a day. The two M6 presses have shown at Labelexpo ‘in real time’ eight almost identical change-over times, proving that with the Third Level of Digital Automation (automated job exchange) any M6 Digital Flexo press, with any operator, in any site in the world, can change from one job to a complete new job in one minute, with an unlimited number of Pantones.
Mark Andy featured digital and flexo options, as well as inspection and rewind equipment from Rotoflex. Live demos of the Digital Series and Performance Series full-production presses allowed potential customers to see in-action the updated capabilities of each press. Digital One demos spanned throughout the day and drew large crowds to the booth as well. Demonstrations of the enhanced Performance Series P7 were well received by attendees during the 4-day show. Two designated demos were run on the award-winning narrow-web platform, showcasing flexible packaging applications and true hybrid production with Digital Plus Screen. Digital Plus Screen, an inline digital print bar launched at the event, serves as cost-effective alternative to traditional rotary screen.
Utilizing the same printheads and ink chemistry as Digital Series, the new Digital Plus Screen unit delivers richly pigmented output with the added capability of printing reverse text, barcodes, and sequential numbering in a single pass. Mark Andy also focused on flexible packaging at this year’s event. Once a market off-limits for narrow web converters, food-safe flex pack jobs are a key point of value for owners of the enhanced Performance Series P7 press. The company sold a Performance Series P5 to Sai Paks from Chinchwad near Pune with multiple P5 sales in South Asia around the show including one to a Sri Lankan customer.
Multitec from Faridabad, India presented its recently developed S2 flexo press available in widths of 370 mm and 450 mm with speeds up to 150 m/min. The machine features newly developed sleeve concept which means the print cylinder has been converted into a metal sleeve with side bearers. The self sufficient sleeve does not need an air mandrel to be mounted. The metal sleeve is more rugged than the conventional sleeve and doesn’t also feature the notch system for locking, prone to damage. The metal sleeve can be produced by any print cylinder manufacturer. In addition, it has direct servo drives on both print sleeve as well as impression cylinder of each print unit. The 8-color S2 flexo press shown at Labelexpo was sold to Russian converter Atoll. The company also broke another deal for a second S2 press at the show.
Nilpeter premiered its new 350 mm wide FA series press. The 8-color FA press displayed at the show is the latest addition to their state-of-the-art flexo programme. In addition to the all new FA, Nilpeter is also displayed their newly upgraded PANORAMA Hybrid at the show. Since the launch of the PANORAMA digital product line at LabelExpo Europe 2015, the Danish press manufacturer has made major enhancements, including a re-design of the PANORAMA’s converting and flexo printing units, as well as updates of the press software.
Omet displayed three upgraded presses at the show – XFlex X6.0, iFlex and XFlex X6 Offset. The XFlex X6.0 comes with automatic pressure adjustment and register control features. Other features include Omet iLight, which allows an operator to pre-register the machine with the laser pointer on every print unit. With Multivision micro-cameras on every print unit, this register system allows to register the press as it begins to print. The iFlex, which is upgraded with chill drums for substrate cooling, comes with a stripping unit and a sheeting station as well. The XFlex X6 Offset is a 430 mm wide press which was shown with all-round combinations such as offset, flexo, rotary screen, hot foil and diecutting units. XFlex X6 units were also shown at the Durst stand, where they were integrated with a Durst Tau 330 industrial inkjet press.
To be concluded…
Mahan J Hazarika
