Winners announced at Label Industry Global Awards

On the evening of September 9 at Labelexpo Americas, hundreds of global suppliers, converters, trade associations and media gathered to celebrate and reward excellence in the label industry at the Label Industry Global Awards gala dinner. Votes were collated from across the world, and winners were announced in four categories.

ExxonMobil Chemical was the recipient of the Continuous Innovation Award. The company began developing OPP film label stock materials more than 20 years ago and since then has been at the forefront of innovating films designed specifically for pressure-sensitive labels, for the ‘no-label look’, for roll-fed and Roll-on-Shrink-on (RoSo) labels, for patch film labels and for the offset printing of sheet-fed cut and stack labels – innovations that have had a major impact on the growth, applications and markets for labels worldwide.

The judges commented: ‘ExxonMobil puts a lot back into the industry through its own excellence and innovation in labeling Awards and through its University of OPP, while its safety performance is a leader in the industry. We also took account of the company’s commitment to training and environmental sustainability.’ ExxonMobil saw off competition from 3M Corporation, CCL, Harper Corporation, Mactac, Mark Andy and Sun Chemical to scoop the award.

Xeikon won the award for New Innovation, beating BST Pro Mark, EFI Jetrion and Tailored Solutions. ‘Since becoming part of Punch Graphix, Xeikon has worked hard to research, understand and innovate a new generation of digital technology that meets the requirements of a fast-changing label industry for higher quality, faster speeds, shorter runs and new applications using conventional label stocks – one of the true trendsetters in the digital printing area,’ said the judges.

The Converter Award for Environmental Responsibility went to Metro Label, whose pioneering approach to sustainability was praised by the judging panel: ‘Starting with a building and facilities, Metro Label Group have incorporated ISO 14000 standards to create not only a first-class manufacturing operation, but also to develop global leadership in establishing an environmental and sustainable future for pressure-sensitive labels.’ Nominees for the award included Dion Label, Overnight Label and Pazazz.

Announced before the event, the R. Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award was won by Neil McDonough, president of Flexcon Company, a global polymeric coater and provider of pressure-sensitive films and adhesive products (pictured above).

In his congratulations to the winners, Mike Fairley, Label Industry Global Awards judging panel chairman, said: ‘The Label Industry Global Awards are the ultimate appraisal for industry individuals and companies for their outstanding contribution to the label industry’s growth and development. The quality of entries we have seen continues at the highest level and makes an ongoing challenge for the judges. Each winner has made a significant contribution to the industry advancement, and I would like to congratulate them all on their awards.’

The Label Industry Global Awards take place at Labelexpo Americas and Labelexpo Europe. The next awards will take place in Brussels in September 2009.