Show opens at record level

With 600 exhibitors and seven halls, Labelexpo Europe 2013 is the biggest show to date, according to Lisa Milburn, managing director of the Tarsus Labels & Packaging group.

Speaking at the opening press conference, Milburn said exhibitors come from 37 countries, with 86 exhibitors from Asia Pacific – up from 60 two years ago.

Tarsus Labels & Packaging group strategic director Mike Fairley said the growth of the show is fuelled by the continued expansion of the global labels industry, which today consumes 46 billion sqm of labelstock, expected to increase to 51.7 billion sqm by 2015. ‘The share of emerging markets in that total had doubled over the last 10 years,’ said Fairley.

Turning to the innovations to be seen at Labelexpo, Fairley pointed to a range of materials developments including wash-off labels, reseable adhesives, linerless innovations, low migration adhesives, adhesives for high humidity environments and silicone emulsions.

Digital printing continues to expand at Labelexpo, said Fairley, with over 50 digital press exhibitors at this event. But although 20 percent of all new presses sold last year were digital, Fairley pointed out only one percent of bill-able sqm printed worldwide are digitally printed labels. The growth of digital will be accelerated by new trends towards personalization and customization, variation and multiple languages.

Fairley said the flexo press manufacturers have responded by automating and digitizing their technology.

Looking to future sources of growth Fairley pointed to ‘on-the-go’ travel products representing a whole new market category, while over the next few years China will become the world’s biggest wine producer.  

At the same time converters are diversifying into packaging products including cartons, flexibles and blisters.

‘Other trends we see are MIS systems to link from materials management and file input to printing and to the end user, and greater use of web-to-print portals,’ said Fairley. ‘Nanotechnology developments will not only include inks, but also waterproof papers and new sustainable solutions. We will see adhesives made from natural oils with lower costs, more interactive labels and growing use of virtual imaging technology.’

Fairley also announced the launch by Tarsus of the Label Academy, an e-learning project which will be rolled out progressively over the next three years.

The third speaker was Kurt Walker, president of FINAT. Walker said FINAT has a new structure, with a board representing national associations meeting every six months. ‘This will become a driver of FINAT strategy,’ said Walker.

Walker reported on the seventh meeting of the L9 grouping of global label associations which took place yesterday. Agreement was reached on the need for a common sustainability program and to create an internet forum where ideas can be exchanged.