The 40th anniversary edition of Labelexpo Europe will open its doors next week, hosting over 600 exhibitors, including over 200 new exhibitors.
Organisers say that, reflecting the size of the show, Labelexpo Europe 2019 will present the largest offering of technologies and live demonstrations seen to date, with an increasing number of product launches for the fast growing areas of hybrid printing, flexible packaging and automation. This includes the likes of Bobst with a new hybrid flexo press; MPS, launching a new 430mm edition of the hybrid EF Symjet press with a Domino digital N617i inkjet printer, in a wider 430mm width; and Mark Andy will unveil a new entry to mid-level digital hybrid press, demonstrated live at the show with advanced in-line converting.
The international buyer audience of printers, suppliers, brand owners and designers will also see Canon’s Océ LabelStream 4000 series UV inkjet press for the first time; and Memjet will unveil its third generation printing technology which features new print widths and a long-life four-colour print head.
Flexible packaging machinery launches will come from Omet, with a new X7 flexo printing machine for labels and flexible packaging with 670mm web width and the latest in its XFlex line. Lombardi will debut its Invicta i2 line, designed for flexible packaging in the mid web sector.
Other press launches include Gallus, showing its Digital Printbar embellishing unit designed specifically for opaque white and using inkjet-based digital print technology. Konica Minolta will premier its recently launched AccurioLabel 230, a new version of its digital toner press. Nilpeter will show its a new 430mm FA-Line press featuring cold foil, lamination and a new high-speed semi-rotary die-cutting unit. Grafotronic has seven new models out of a total eleven machines it will showcase at the show, of which four are new fully modular digital finishing machines.
CERM, Esko, Sistrade, Gutenberg and CADlink Technology number among the companies presenting their latest digital management information software for automation.
Lisa Milburn, managing director of Labelexpo Global Series, said: “We are very much looking forward to the 40th anniversary edition of Labelexpo Europe, set to be our largest show to date. Exhibitor participation this year has been truly incredible, not only in the number of returning companies, but also the newcomers joining us for the first time.
“It is astonishing to think that at the first show there were just 44 exhibitors; proof of how far the industry has grown in the last four decades.”
From a vendor perspective, Jan Eisby, chief sales officer at Vetaphone, adds, “You’ll not get a better opportunity to make direct comparisons in technology in one location until Labelexpo returns to Brussels in 2021. It’s more than 20 years since we first exhibited at Labelexpo Europe and have been privileged to see how the industry has grown and thrived in the intervening years. We’ve seen flexo become a high-quality process, the launch and development of digital technology, and most recently the arrival of hybrids.”
Show visitors will also have an exclusive opportunity to see two press lines in action at the show’s main feature, the Flexible Packaging Arena. A Xeikon CX500 (digital) and a BOBST M6 (UV Flexo) will produce indirect food contact flexible packaging to the latest GMP standards, and live demonstrations will run throughout the four days of the show.
HP Indigo will offer live demonstrations of digital pouch making, showcasing the HP Indigo 20000 digital press, Pack Ready Lamination, and the Karlville pouch-making machine making its show debut on their stand. Other HP innovations at the show include the HP Indigo 8000 Digital Press, which will run in line with the ABG Fast Track die, and the best-selling HP Indigo 6900 Digital Press, which can be seen in action showcasing an integrated Kurz DM-Jetliner finishing module.
Among the materials, inks and finishing manufacturers, companies include Pulse Roll Label Products, unveiling the next evolution of UV flexo printing inks; S-OneLP, launching its Sustainable ByDesign portfolio of solutions for recyclable and compostable flexible packaging; AstroNova TrojanLabel will premier two new products, the T2-L narrow-format water-based inkjet press with added laminating capabilities, and the T3-OPX next-generation overprinting solution which can print directly onto a wide range of surfaces.
The show runs from September 24-27 in Brussels, Belgium.
