Labelexpo In Review

ROSEMONT, Ill.—Despite the current unstable economic situation, Labelexpo Americas—which took place in Rosemont, Ill., Sept. 9-11—still saw a good turnout, with numbers exceeding 12,000.

By the end of the show, more than 80 percent of the exhibition space had already been rebooked for Labelexpo Americas 2010. The show saw 420 national and international suppliers bringing their latest developments in technology and materials to demonstrate to the North American market.

There were many new presses launched by market leaders: Nilpeter introduced its new FG-line of UV flexo presses; Mark Andy unveiled the Comco C1 ProGlide and demonstrated its updated XP5000 shaftless press. EFI Jetrion showcased its 4000 UV-inkjet printer; HP Indigo debuted to the North American market its WS6000 digital-offset press; Xeikon, for the first time in the Americas, demonstrated its new digital label press, the 3300; Epson’s new digital label press was on display showing its integration with the EskoArtwork and Kodak prepress software/hardware and the Grafisk Maskinfabrik DC330 converter.

For suppliers, the show served not only as a launch pad, but also as an effective medium to make sales and set up new partnerships. Sales orders were common, and the suppliers witnessed a lot of purchasing power coming from Latin America and Eastern Europe. Nilpeter reported selling 29 presses at the show, five of which were sold in the first three hours of the show.

Among the most popular areas of the show were the newly introduced feature areas, the Digital Printing Experience and Gather on the Green. The Digital Printing Experience pavilion, located in Hall F, gathered some of the leading suppliers in digital printing technology—HP, Xeikon, EFI Jetrion, Epson, Impika, Degrava, Sun Chemical, Xaar, and Konika Minolta to name a few. The pavilion had more digital printing technology than ever showcased at any Labelexpo event. Attendees were offered the best pick of digital presses, as well as digital prepress software, platemaking and and post-press finishing, with live demonstrations running continuously. In addition, the pavilion had a series of seminars and panel discussions, which focused on the present and future of digital printing and its role in the development of the label industry worldwide. The pavilion enjoyed good visitor traffic during all hours of the show giving suppliers plenty opportunities to demonstrate their technologies and discuss in detail their products’ offerings.

Sustainability was an important theme of many conference sessions and also during various presentations at suppliers’ booths. The conference program was organized in partnership with the TLMI. Avery Dennison, UPM Raflatac, MACtac, and many others, showcased their latest environmentally-friendly products. The new feature area, Gather on the Green, received a lot of attention as converters were eager to see the wide selection of products created with the use of sustainable technology.

The conference sessions that ran for the duration of the show provided visitors with a good opportunity to hear the latest industry news and developments from the high-caliber speakers. Highlights of the conference program included several international panel sessions that focused on the subjects of most interest and concern to the label community: the current market situation, the industry’s future growth, digital printing technologies, sustainable technology and end-user requirements, advancements in flexo presses, and many others.

The conferences started with a keynote presentation by Dean Scarborough, president and CEO of Avery Dennison, who delivered an engaging and stimulating presentation. He discussed the challenges and opportunities in the North American market.

For more Labelexpo coverage, look for packagePRINTING’s October issue.