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.

View the latest video on release liner recycling.

Another record breaking edition of Labelexpo Europe is behind us. Digitalization, automation, compliance, sustainability, and innovation were (again) the keywords in the increasingly wider world of labels and packaging that is now covering 10 halls. Brussels Expo is more and more becoming a ‘one stop shop’ for everything to do with high-end label converting and package printing.

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.

I recently returned from the FINAT Annual Conference in Berlin and thought I would share a brief snapshot of the event with this short video link. I find great value in attending, especially the positive networking opportunities, educational sessions, and a chance to reconnect with industry friends. While fierce competitors at close quarters at dinners and in the event meeting rooms may seem like an unwise idea to some printers, and the expense of joining such a group somewhat daunting to a new operation, I would like to share with those thinking of joining FINAT why the active members continue to find great value in participation.

Digital print technology has brought considerable change to label converting, as it has to all other print arenas. The international label industry association, FINAT, which mentors the complex supply chain that a ‘label’ represents today, recently decided that the time had come to establish some real metrics.

The flag bearers of the European label industry -- the international label association FINAT and Labelexpo Europe founders Tarsus Ltd -- are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their partnership this year at the biggest-ever Labelexpo show, taking place at the Brussels Expo, 25-28 September.

In a world that is currently undergoing the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’, it is not surprising that our world of labelling is also experiencing major change – at all levels… Labels have never seemed more central to the overall packaging sector! As any converter will tell you, they are today not just glue applied or self-adhesive, but also shrink, stretch, and sleeves, folding cartons, and in-mould labels, and even undertake the role of ‘label print’ on today’s increasingly-popular flexible packaging pouches.

In his book “The Fourth Industrial Revolution”, Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum describes the technological mega forces behind the fundamental changes that will impact (if not already) the way we live, work, consume and produce (see also the video below). The 4th industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, is described as the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies.

Not one label is the same – different applications require different digital technologies, which is precisely why printing is such an exciting business. Whether it is for pharma, wine & spirits, durables, health & beauty, industrial chemicals or beverages, every label comes with its own aesthetic and functional requirements.