Labelexpo Europe: Show floor sales

Domino sold a 7-color N610i inkjet label press to Label-Pack. The press will be delivered directly to the Belgian-based label converter after the show. The deal represents Label-Pak’s first step into inkjet printing.

Erhardt+Leimer sold 15 of its new Elscan OMS3 entry-level inspection system, 25 Smartscan ‘200 percent’ inspection systems, and 10 OMS4 video systems.

Watershed Group signed a license for Flint Group’s Vivo Colour Solutions, a web-based system that can feed ink formulations directly to ink dispensing equipment. The system is a database of colors and mixing recipes for any combination of ink type, and is designed to increase the converter’s color accuracy and reduce press downtime and substrate waste. Vivo Colour Solutions includes 180,000 ink formulations and pantone references.

Gallus sold four presses into India. Huhtamaki PPL ordered a 10-color Labelmaster 440 at the show, which will be installed at its Parwanoo plant in north India. Designed to run both supported as well as non-supported films, the press runs at 200m/min. Huhtamaki PPL already houses a dozen presses from the press manufacturer.

Manish Desai, director of Mudrika Labels, ordered the company’s eighth Gallus press, and a second ECS 340 at Labelexpo. His plant in Mumbai houses five Gallus 280 presses and one Labelmaster.

Delhi-based Kwality Offset, a Heidelberg sheet-fed offset press user, ordered its first Gallus ECS 340. The company houses two 8-color flexo presses, one 6-color offset press, two 5-color offset machines and one 4-color offset unit alongside two digital label printing presses. Delhi-NCR based Nutech Labels also booked a Gallus press.

Grafisk Maskinfabrik (GM) sold a DC350 digital converting line and a SR350 inspection slitter rewinder to UK converter CS Labels. The digital-only converter, which operates five Xeikon presses, is GM’s biggest client globally with 13 existing machines before the ones bought at Labelexpo. CS Labels will use the DC350 to laminate and coat flexible packaging produced on its Xeikon presses. GM’s DC350 line includes a new series of smart modules: Smart Turret (auto slit), Smart Die loading and a new Smart Stripping module. 

Indian converter Xpress Labels bought a DC330Miniflex finishing system, which features a semi-automatic turret and high production automation. 

Grafotronic sold a laser die-cutting system to US converter Alros Label Company after launching the machine at Labelexpo. The converting equipment supplier collaborated with Lasx on the unit. California-based Alros Label specializes in paper, film, foil and vinyl products for the cosmetics, food and beverage and CPG industries.

GSE sold four of its Colorsat Switch ink dispensers, to label converters in Belarus, India and the Netherlands, as well as to a major European ink distributor.

HP Indigo sold 6900 digital press to Spanish converter Aro. The installation will be completed in October and will help the printer to support its growth and identify new business opportunities for its customers – particularly in security applications. The new HP Indigo 6900 will replace a 6600 Aro acquired a few years ago. 

Another 6900 digital press including HP’s silver ElectroInk was ordered by Dokument-Tarra Oy, a Finland-based label converter. It will be the first in Finland, running with an AB Graphic finishing line. 

LabelProfi, a Slovenian converter, ordered an HP Indigo 20000 digital press to develop its new flexible packaging business. This will be the 200th HP Indigo 20000 press installed since its launch.

Indian digital label converter Janus International booked an HP Indigo 6900 to upgrade its existing HP Indigo 4500 press. 

Hybrid Software reported 27 sales of its VPD (variable data printing) software systems, which is available as an option for the company’s native PDF editors Packz and Stepz.

Star Labels, a subsidiary of Hotpack Packaging Industries, booked an Iwasaki TR2 UV offset semi-rotary, intermittent printing press. Naoki Iwasaki from Iwasaki said: ‘We are delighted to have our second press at Star Labels and believe this machine will be a profitable investment for the company.’

JD Press launched its JDF 420/330 flexo press and sold it during the show to Sezam, a Russian label converter. The JDF 420/330 series shaftless flexo press is capable of printing on a wide range of paper and film-based materials. 

JM Heaford sold an EES mounter to Bona Labels of Slovakia. The EES is a table-top manual plate mounter, which can perfect register through its digital inspection cameras. Bona Labels is a family run company based in Nové Zámky which has been operating in the printing market since 2005 and specializes in printing self-adhesive labels in rolls. 

Konica Minolta announced 11 sales. Among them, Graphic Druck, based near Koblenz, Germany, signed for an AccurioLabel 230, as did MultiPrint. Rotocel, based in Bologna, Italy, invested in an MGI JETvarnish 3D Web. Commercial offset printer Imprimerie Coste & Fils, based in Aubenas in the south of France, invested in an AccurioLabel 230 and a GM DC330Mini finishing system. Setag ordered an MGI Digital Technology JETvarnish 3D Web, the first company in Turkey to invest in the digital roll-to-roll embellishment system. Best Box in Armenia also signed for an MGI JETvarnish 3D Web. There were also two AccurioLabel 230 sales into the UK, one each for Cotswold Labels and Label Tec, and one AccurioLabel 230 for Etiquettes Pierre Foucher in France. An AccurioLabel 230 was also ordered by Maschinenbau Sobkowiak in Germany. 

Lombardi sold five Synchroline 430 presses during the first two days of the show. Eric Press from Brescia, Italy, ordered one press; the other four sales were handled by Lombardi’s Indian, Middle East and African representative, Vinsak. 

The press in Africa was booked by Manipal International Printing Press. This will be the company’s fourth Lombardi Synchroline and will be installed at its new plant in Nigeria. 

Prakash Printers from Ahmedabad, India, ordered its fourth Lombardi press. The company ordered a machine at Labelexpo India last year. 

Dubai-based Aquarius Printing Press ordered an 8-color machine with cold foil and two die-cutting stations. The company will diversify into printing mono cartons from packaging with this investment. Aquarius also opted for a USAR slitter rewinder, flatbed die-cutting machine, roll lifter, core cutter, anilox cleaner and plate mounter from Vinsak. 

Al Hadiqa Adhesive, a label converter based in Sharjah, UAE, ordered a Lombardi Synchroline 430 press alongside a plate mounter from Vinsak. The company is looking to diversify into printing in-mold labels and shrink sleeves using the new press. 

Lundberg Tech sold a central waste management system to Geostick. The Dutch label converter ordered a comprehensive extraction system to convert waste by capturing trim and self-adhesive matrix, cut waste with special granulators, convey waste by air, collect and compact waste in a press container and return clean air into the production.

MacDermid Graphics Solutions sold a Lava NW-M thermal plate processing system to Dutch label converter Telrol. The thermal processor was on display in Brussels. Will Parker, CEO of Telrol, said: ‘This allows us to further our ambition and deliver our promise to our customers to have a solvent-free, sustainable environment for the production of rotary, self-adhesive labels.’

Mark Andy reported 20 press sales – 10 each of flexo and digital. 

Martin Automatic also demonstrating the MBSF (‘F’ for film) automatic unwind butt splicer and LRD nonstop automatic transfer rewinder. The splicer on display was specially designed for a limitedheadroom production environment. Capable of handling a variety of materials, including labelstock and unsupported lightweight films, both units will be installed on a Gallus Labelmaster LM440 press at All4Labels Group after the show.

Miraclon sold a second Kodak Flexcel NX System to Belgium-based Athena Graphics. Group COO Stefaan Deblauwe, said: ‘Flexcel NX plates completely align with our values and deliver consistency and quality time and again.’

Monotech Systems sold three Colornovo presses, one each to China, Europe and Asia. Although the company is a regular participant, it is the first time that it demonstrated the press at the show. The Monotech machine is a full-color UV inkjet press based on Kyocera inkjet printhead technology. Colornovo offers resolution of 600 x 600 DPI with a speed of up to 70m/min along with CMYK +W in various print width configurations. It utilizes a web control system from Grafisk Maskinfabrik. 

MPS reported that it sold a record 12 presses during the show. 

Multitec sold a full-servo S1 press to Russian converter Label Group. The printer bought its first 8-color Multitec press in 2015. The company opted for a 10-color full-servo S1 press two years ago and has now booked a second 450mm wide, 8-color S1 press. 

Recyl signed multiple deals for its cleaning machines to printers including Tomex & Wito Labels through its distribution partner Graw in Poland, Esti Lita in Lithuania, and Wilkri in Germany.

Rhyguan sold three finishing systems on the first day of Labelexpo, one to an Italian converter and two to companies in Germany. The company debuted at the show its latest servo technology with fast makeready and changeover times. Plus-330 is a fully modular flexible digital finishing line including flatbed silkscreen printing, flatbed hot stamping and semi-rotary die-cutting. 

Screen, among five press sales, sold a Truepress Jet L350UV+ to Etiquetas Adhesivas Rever (Rever), a member of the Docuworld Group and a leading Spanish producer of self-adhesive labels. It is the fourth Screen press to be purchased by Docuworld Group and the first to include Screen’s ‘Blue Inks’. Screen also sold its first Truepress into Germany during the show, to Papier Schäfer. The installation, which will take place at the end of this year, will help the converter expand its offering in the food label sector.

SPGPrints sold two variLex 8130M CtP imagers with in-line UV to Manipal International Printing Press in Kenya and Dubai-based Reprotronics. The imaging system with in-line UV exposure and comes integrated with software and features a resolution of 5,080 DPI.

UV Graphic Technologies sold seven Ultraflex UFO presses and nine plate mounters. The presses sales include one 370mm, 8-color machine which was displayed at the show and will be shipped to South African converter Spec Systems. The company also sold 11 Ultraflex Universal video plate mounters and two UV LED systems to be retrofitted on flexo presses. 

Wanjie confirmed the sale of a second printing press to Coreti, a self-adhesive converter in Spain. Wanjie WJPS-350D/450 is a semi-rotary offset press that features multiple color units followed by flexo varnish and die-cutting units. 

Weldon Celloplast, a distributor in India for many label industry technology suppliers, closed a number of sales to Indian converters, including Luster inspection systems, Lundberg waste management equipment and Brotech label converting lines. Ahmedabad-based Prakash Printers opted for two Luster inspection systems to ensure delivery of defect-free labels, part of a program of recent investment as it looks to increase production capacity at its plant. Sonepat-based Wonderpac has invested in its first Lundberg waste management system. The company believes in clean room practices and has been investing to further improve production efficiency. Mumbai-based Sonic Labels ordered two Brotech DL-330 label finishing machines at the show.