L&L Label Day in Xi'an explores changing market

Labels & Labeling, part of the Loupe Global portfolio, hosted its Label Day forum in Xi'an, drawing more than 150 label and package printing professionals from Northwest China to address a market in transition: rising costs, digital transformation, and the consolidation of labels with flexible packaging.

The day-long forum centred on a clear trend; that China's label industry is consolidating with mid-web flexible packaging and in-line carton converting.

Professor Cao Guorong, deputy secretary-general of the China Packaging Federation, confirmed the strategic move in his opening remarks: 'The transition from Labelexpo to Loupe reflects the industry's actual direction – integration, digitalization and one-stop solutions spanning labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons.'

Kevin Liu (Liu Tao), China group director of Loupe Global (formerly Labelexpo Global Series), outlined the technology shift reshaping China's label market in his opening keynote on global exhibition trends, highlighting growing and declining areas and stable niches in the industry.

The forum tackled the specific challenges facing Northwest China's predominantly small and medium-sized converters through two critical panel discussions: Profit Breakthrough Amid Rising Costs and From Lead Generation to Brand Upgrade. The former examined how continuous raw material price hikes are creating both short-term shocks and long-term structural shifts, whilst the latter focused on how new media empowers traditional label printers.

Participants explored internal lean efficiency improvements and external value creation through supply chain partnerships and held discussions on precise content positioning, reaching new-generation decision-makers through short videos and livestreaming, and building sustainable growth models using private domains and AI technologies.

Jiang Leibo, general manager of Dayang Label, who attended the event, said: 'Topics precisely targeted the current situation and pain points of label converters in Northwest China – dominated by small and medium-sized businesses, weak digital foundation and insufficient supply chain collaboration.'

Reflecting on the forum's outcomes, Kevin Liu emphasized the complexity of the challenges ahead: 'China's label industry is consolidating around integrated packaging solutions. Technology adoption is polarizing – digital and flexo are winning, traditional letterpress is losing ground. But technology alone won't solve the profitability crisis.'

Liu stressed that Northwest China's converters need a comprehensive strategy: 'Better supply chain collaboration, new media strategies to reach modern buyers, and lean management practices to survive margin compression – Xi'an's Label Day provided both the roadmap and the peer-to-peer connections essential to navigate this transition successfully.'

The forum's practical focus on actionable insights, from cost management to digital marketing, demonstrated Loupe Global's commitment to supporting regional converters through industry-wide transformation, not just showcasing technology.