Labelling Blog

The increasingly interactive and interconnected network of “smart” devices, commonly referred to as the “Internet of Things” (IoT), is reshaping how we all experience our daily lives. Avery Dennison, which has been pioneering change for decades, has developed a portfolio of Intelligent Label Solutions – meaning label applications that can store or capture information and transmit data wirelessly. “RFID is a game changer,” said Georg Müller-Hof, vice president marketing for Avery Dennison Europe. “The technology is at the core of the IoT, and it’s revolutionizing labelling and product packaging. By taking advantage of our Intelligent Label Solutions,” he added, “label converters and brand owners have a golden opportunity to be on the cutting edge of a phenomenon that’s changing our world.” The company takes advantage of its significant presence at Labelexpo 2017 in Brussels to showcase its recently intro...

With their investment in two Xeikon CX3 digital label presses, Belgium-based label printer Femalabel more than doubles its capacity. The investment provides the company a solution for the growing demand for high quality and complex specialty products. With over 15 years of experience in digital label printing, Femalabel has always been on the lookout for efficient production solutions, without compromising quality or flexibility. The company started working with Xeikon in 2012, when a Xeikon 3300 and Xeikon 3030Plus were installed to bring production output to a higher level. Since then, the demand for even more capacity only increased so recently Femalabel decided to upgrade to two Xeikon CX3 presses – aka Cheetah. Besides high quality output, the speed of the presses was a key decisive factor for the investment. Wim Feys, CTO at Femalabel, comments: “We face an increasing demand for speciality products and variable print. That is why we had to dramatically increase our ca...

Visiting the packed halls at Labelexpo Europe is thirsty work. That’s why Xeikon, located in Hall 5, has the perfect beverage to hand from Belgian Abbey Brewery Val-Dieu. In fact, the beer which is the only one in Belgium still brewed inside an abbey, has more to offer than great taste. After thorough research and development, Belgian label specialist Label’Or, now digitally produces the high quality, wash off labels for all Val-Dieu beer bottles, a unique solution in the beer industry.  Alain Pinckaers, Director of Val-Dieu Brewery, explains: “To keep up with the growing demand for our beers, we needed to change our production process. As part of this, we decided to change the labels on our bottles. Where before we used wet-glue labels, we now switched to self-adhesive labels. As the bottles are washed and re-used, it was vital that the labels are easily removed. We worked closed with Label’Or who helped us find a solution and choose a suitable machine rem...

To drive home its Labelexpo theme of “Pioneering Change,” Avery Dennison decided showing was better than telling: The global label-maker will present at the industry-leading trade show with a booth made in part from recycled label waste—the first ever at Labelexpo. Renae Kezar, Avery Dennison’s global senior director of sustainability, said the booth was a fun and visible way to visualise the urgent issue of label waste, the possibilities for the industry to do business more sustainably, and Avery Dennison’s love of any opportunity to innovate. “The reliance on liners in the pressure-sensitive industry, and the related waste, is an issue we are keen to address,” Kezar said. “One of our 2025 sustainability goals involves a commitment to help our customers reduce the waste from our products. Another goal calls for us to create more products that have positive environmental impacts. Building our exhibition booth out of label waste is a real...

          To enable producers in today’s packaging industry to meet the needs of consumers and to cope with the challenges posed by value chains, equipment performance is critical. Successfully launched at Drinktec 2017, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, the OptiFeed® crown feeder and the EvoFilm™ shrink-wrapping system are two new solutions from Gebo Cermex that boost reliable and flexible production, at improved speeds, while reducing environmental footprint and lowering total cost of ownership (TCO). OptiFeed The first new solution is the durable OptiFeed crown feeder, delivering reliable, high-speed performance in a compact space. Developed for the glass market and building on the global success of Gebo Cermex cap-feeder solutions - currently totalling 1,400 installations worldwide – this new crown feeder platform ensures quality and compliance of crowns. Even at spee...

With its broad portfolio of label workflow innovations ranging from project management, design, prepress, to flexo platemaking and printing, Esko (www.esko.com) has teamed up with a wide range of industry partners at Labelexpo Europe 2017 to simplify the complete label production process. In addition to numerous integrated Esko solutions in partner stands across the halls at Brussels Expo, Esko will also showcase many innovations on its own stand located in hall 3, booth C50. “Esko has built a reputation across the entire labels industry as an essential vendor for all label-related workflow innovations,” said Udo Panenka, President of Esko. “The broad network of industry partners exhibiting at Labelexpo that have included Esko in their offering demonstrates how integrated solutions add considerably more value, especially with increased pressure to generate more jobs faster and with shorter run lengths becoming a common challenge for the entire industry.” At La...

Taking care of people and the environment is something the  huber group has been doing for a very long time. The company undergoes regular successful audits for compliance with the ISO 14001:2004 environmental management system, the OHSAS 18001:2007 occupational health and safety management system and the ISO 50001:2011 energy management system. Almost all of its inks and coatings for the offset segment are suitable for making print products that conform to the most popular eco-labels. After  huber group already launched an extensive Cradle to Cradle Bronze-certified sheetfed-offset range in May 2017, this global printing-inks player is now taking its new portfolio for the food packaging segment to market under the name “ huber group Eco-Offset Inks Premium Plus”. And this range boasts Cradle to Cradle Silver status to boot! It comprises low-migration and low-odour sheetfed offset inks and coatings for conventional offset food packaging printing, as well as inks and coatings ...

Avery Dennison today congratulates ebeam Technologies on its win at the Label Industry Global Awards at Labelexpo in Brussels. ebeam Technologies received the Global Sustainability Award for its Compact curing unit, which now makes low-energy, photo-initiator-free, curing accessible for label and package printing production. “ebeam Technologies’ compact curing system is just the kind of innovation our industry, and the world, needs right now,” said Jeroen Diderich, vice president and general manager of Avery Dennison Label and Graphic Materials, Europe. “Helping converters improve efficiencies while cutting energy consumption is a significant step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving resources. It’s the very definition of doing more with less—and that’s the great business challenge of this century.” Avery Dennison’s recycled facestock range was a finalist for this year’s Global Sustainability Award. The ran...

Esko ( www.esko.com ) has expanded its portfolio and   showcases a broad array of new and powerful flexo platemaking solutions at Labelexpo 2017: WebCenter QuickStart for Labels and Automation Engine QuickStart for Labels - two new turnkey workflow solutions to streamline the entire process from order to production and facilitate simpler label production.Automated flexo platemaking integrated into the Automation Engine prepress workflow; as Automation Engine customers look to expand capabilities, this option is available as an upgrade.The introduction of the Esko XPS Crystal 4835 UV exposure unit and the Esko CDI Crystal 4835 imaging unit for narrow to mid-web flexo applications including flexible packaging. Award winning technologies bring clear advantages and address the needs of the industry for faster turnarounds and superior, consistent quality Today, label converters are increasingly challenged. Shorter runs, shorter lead times, higher and more consistent print quality, an...

Successfully launched at Drinktec 2017, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, the Super Combi is designed and engineered as a single smart solution. It makes life easier for producers of water and CSD beverages, via integrated data-driven intelligence, making optimum performance easily and continuously achievable across the entire production process. Sidel Super Combi is the next generation solution integrating five process steps: preform feeder, blower, labeller, filler/capper and cap feeder into an all-in-one smart system. To deliver this self-optimising performance and increased long-term value, it combines intelligent automation with innovative technologies of connected machines and data-analytics management, leading to optimised production and maintenance services. A smarter solution for today’s demands Consumer preferences are broadening and overall demand is increasing due to unprecedented population growth, increased consumer sp...

Winners revealed at Label Industry Global Awards The most innovative, creative and commercially successful work from the label and package printing industry has been rewarded at the Label Industry Global Awards 2017. The people behind the some of the most important innovations introduced over the past 12 months, were presented with their trophies in front of over 500 industry peers at a gala dinner held on 25 September as part of this year’s Labelexpo Europe in Brussels. The sell-out award ceremony included some of the biggest names from the international label community, as those working behind the scenes in this vibrant sector took the limelight in recognition of their hard work. Joining PEIAC’s Professor Tan Junqiao who was earlier announced as the winner of the prestigious R. Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award, HERMA, AIM and ebeam Technologies were officially announced as the winners of this year’s other categories. The R. Stanton Avery Lifetime Achieve...

Assessing and promoting biodiversity requires collaboration throughout the value chain Promoting biodiversity is an inherent part of a forest-based company's operations and responsibility principles. However, the impacts of forest operations on biodiversity are not well characterized using existing life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies. This makes it difficult for businesses to distinguish between well-managed and poorly managed forests in terms of biodiversity. UPM Raflatac has partnered with Quantis and Nestle Research Centre to study and capture the biodiversity impacts of forestry practices in life cycle assessment. The study shows how biodiversity in the boreal forest can be captured in LCA, allowing users of wood fibre-based products to differentiate between alternative sources of fibre and inform responsible sourcing decision making. "Quantis actively supports reporting on the environmental impacts of forestry and land use change. Based on a keenunderstanding of...

Ink and varnish specialist Pulse Roll Label Products kicks off Labelexpo with the announcement of an exciting new partnership with Edale Ltd, British manufacturer of high technology, narrow to mid web flexographic and hybrid digital printing presses and converting equipment. The strategic alliance sees British-based Pulse Roll Label Products join forces with Edale to supply narrow web flexo inks, coatings and varnishes for use on Edale’s FL (Flexo Line) range of presses on display in its showroom in Whiteley, Hampshire, UK.   James Boughton, Managing Director at Edale said, “We are pleased to announce our collaboration with Pulse Roll Label Products, a forward thinking, fellow British company with shared values and a common desire to innovate. Working with Pulse Roll Label Products will support Edale’s philosophy to combine industry expertise with innovative technology.” Boughton continued, “Pulse Roll Label Products’ solutions-based approach,...

Michelman is expanding its portfolio of DigiPrime ®  and DigiGuard ®  products at LabelExpo Europe 2017. This suite of products was designed in close collaboration with HP Indigo to address more demanding label applications that could not be done digitally before in order to broaden application versatility and reach higher levels of resistance. Three new products will be introduced under the HP Indigo Pack Ready for Labels program.   The cornerstone of this suite is DigiPrime 022, an innovative water-based primer formulated specifically for use in line with the HP Indigo 6000 digital press series.   Building on the foundation of DigiPrime 022, Michelman will also launch DigiGuard 222, new UV curable overprint varnishes (OPV), available in matte and glossy versions. When these OPVs are used in conjunction with DigiPrime 022, the combination results in labels with superior water, thermal and chemical resistance.   For press owners that want to con...

Only months after the introduction of the Xeikon PX3000 UV inkjet digital label press, Xeikon today at Labelexpo Europe announced an expansion of its UV inkjet portfolio. The Xeikon PX3000 will become available in both a 4-colour and 5-colour configuration. In addition, the new entry-level Xeikon PX2000 was introduced, also to be made available in both colour configurations. All presses within the Panther Series are powered by Xeikon’s Panther technology, use unique PantherCure UV inks and take advantage of the powerful Xeikon X-800 digital front-end. “We are excited to be expanding our UV inkjet line of digital label presses so quickly,” said Filip Weymans, VP Global Marketing, Xeikon. “This rapid product development underscores our commitment to offering a broad portfolio of complementary solutions, for both our Cheetah Series of dry toner and Panther Series of UV inkjet digital label presses. Our goal is to bring to market the broadest portfolio of digital la...

 Europe, Xeikon introduced the new Xeikon CX500 digital label press, the first press based on a new generation dry toner platform that is ready for Industry 4.0. For larger sized labels, labels requiring an opaque white or an extended colour gamut, the Xeikon CX500 outperforms all high-quality digital label presses in terms of productivity, thanks to its web width of up to 520mm (20.47"), full rotary printing technology and 30m/min (98ft/min) printing speed. The wide web Xeikon CX500 is part of Xeikon dry toner Cheetah Series serving the high-end self-adhesive label market, and it complements the narrow-web Xeikon CX3 which has been very successfully adopted since its introduction in 2015. “With the launch of the Xeikon CX500, we are demonstrating our ongoing commitment to further development of dry toner technology for the print and packaging industries, ready for the future. It is the most productive digital label press in the high-quality class thanks to its combination o...

At Labelexpo Europe, currently underway in Brussels, Xeikon announced new digital label presses in both the UV inkjet and dry toner segments that will extend its digital label printing portfolio, making it the broadest in the industry. New product announcements included the  Xeikon CX500  wide web digital label press in the company’s Cheetah Series, which is the first press based on a new generation dry toner platform that is ready for Industry 4.0. Also introduced was the Xeikon Panther Series of UV inkjet digital label presses, including the  high-end  Xeikon PX3000  and the newly announced  entry-level  Xeikon PX2000 , both to be made available on a 4-colour and a 5-colour configuration. Benoit Chatelard, President and CEO Digital Solutions, Flint Group, comments: “We are proud to announce we have been able to rapidly grow our digital label printing portfolio, for both our Panther Series of UV inkjet presses, and our Cheetah Series of d...

Esko ( www.esko.com ) is showcasing a wide range of innovative solutions for brand owners and label converters at  Labelexpo Europe 2017 , September 25 to 28. These solutions address various business challenges faced by brand owners as well as converters across the end-to-end label workflow. Esko is joined by X-Rite and Pantone on Stand 3C50 at the show. “All industry trends confirm that the label industry continues to enjoy healthy growth, with a shift towards more short runs that need to be turned around faster. At Labelexpo, visitors will see solutions on our stand that address this trend and simplify many steps in the process of label production throughout each stage of the workflow,” said Udo Panenka, President of Esko. “Our range of solutions, together with those from the Product Identification Platform of Danaher, shorten the lead-time by cutting time out of processes, reducing the risk for errors and assuring consistently high output quality.” Labe...

X-Rite  Incorporated, a global leader in color science and technology, and its subsidiary Pantone LLC, today unveiled new versions of ColorCert Suite 3.0 process control software and the award-winning eXact handheld spectrophotometer. Both releases support all G7 and PSO metrics, and guide operators in determining whether printed output is compliant with those guidelines. The new products, combined with X-Rite’s InkFormulation Software, offer commercial printers and packaging converters an integrated, end-to-end solution for managing color consistency in a G7 or PSO process workflow. X-Rite and Pantone will showcase the new products at the Esko stand 3C50 at Labelexpo, September 25-28 in Brussels. A growing number of brand owners are investigating extended color gamut printing, or CMYK plus Orange, Violet and Green (CMYK +OGV), as a means to achieve more than 90 percent of brand colors using process printing. In addition, brand owners, especially those in North America and A...

  Epson America, Inc. today expanded its digital label press lineup with the introduction of the  SurePress ®  L-4533AW . Delivering high-quality labels and packaging at a low total cost of ownership (TCO), the easy-to-operate seven-color inkjet label press is built for reliable, high-quality performance, making short-run label printing with accurate color reproduction on a wide variety of substrates easy for label converters and commercial printers. The L-4533AW has also undergone significant developments to meet the growing demand for fast turnaround, with longer automated printing times, email alerts and minimal maintenance.   “We wanted to build on the wide-spread success of the SurePress L-4033 series with a new product to meet the growing label and flexible packaging market demand for shorter runs and faster turnaround times,” said Victor Gomez, group product manager, Label Products, Epson America, Inc. “The L-4533 keeps the water-bas...