At Labelexpo 2023, Heidelberg and Gallus emphasised a commitment to smart connected printing. The companies introduced three systems addressing the shortage of skilled labour, increasing productivity and reducing waste.
Heidelberg sees digital label printing as a desirable market with a growth rate of around six per cent per year. The latest innovations from both companies underscore their commitment to boosting this digital transformation.
Dr Ludwin Monz, chief executive officer at Heidelberg, says, “The new solutions that Heidelberg and Gallus have developed together address the most important challenges that stakeholders market-wide face. These include a shortage of skilled labour and the demand for more productivity.’
Gallus One
Visitors saw the Gallus One digital label press, launched in August 2022. Designed to remove the total cost of ownership barrier for adopting reel to reel digital labels, the gallus One offers high levels of automation and cloud-based technologies. Gallus aims to provide brands with access to cost-effective, sustainable, high-quality digital labels.
Recently, the company launched the Gallus One with Converting. This solution brings the entire production inline. It features a digital printer with an inline flexo station; a semi-rotary die-cutter that can change a job within one minute and process up to 70 metres per minute; as well as vision inspection systems to ensure the highest level of quality and minimise waste.
Labelexpo visitors also saw how to turn a Gallus ECS 340 into a hybrid system with the help of the newly available digital printing unit (DPU).
Launched this year as part of the inaugural Gallus Experience Days, the DPU transforms a traditional Gallus ECS 340 into a Gallus Labelfire 340 hybrid press without the additional platform investment.
Gallus says customers can now access the flexibility and versatility of digital printing but with the reliability and precision of conventional printing and further processing technology.
Customer Portal
Labelexpo 2023 also provided a platform to showcase the new Heidelberg Customer Portal, which it recently unveiled at the opening of the Gallus Group’s landmark new industry facility, the Gallus Experience Centre.
Future iterations of the Heidelberg Customer Portal will also provide predictive capabilities utilising artificial intelligence to provide recommendations to drive productivity, reduce maintenance, and boost profitability. The companies expect the new platform to save customers up to 35 per cent in both time and money.
For high-volume applications, experts from Heidelberg showcased a complete production workflow for in-mould label production.
Dario Urbinat, chief executive officer at Gallus Group, says, “Labelexpo is always such a positive and inspiring arena, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity not only to showcase our latest products at the show but also to connect with stakeholders market-wide and continue to share our vision for the industry’s future.”
