During Labelexpo, I had the honor of participating in a panel discussion titled “Bringing the Supply Chain Together.” Joining me on the panel was a handful of editors representing various trade publications covering the labels, flexible packaging and package design industries. It was a spirited group, and the panelists were eager to share their views on a variety of topics.

Kevin Foos, vice president of sales, Americas, for UPM Raflatac, served as moderator, and he started us off by introducing the topic of digital printing. He posed the question, “Are we drunk on digital technology, or does digital really have a long term play in the scale market of labels?”

The session was scheduled to last 90 minutes, and after around 70 minutes or so, the panelists were still talking about digital printing. In fact, it wasn’t until an audience member suggested that we move on to another topic did we in fact do so. It seemed that every time a new topic was introduced, the discussion somehow came back to digital.

In short, in response to Kevin’s initial question, the answer is yes, we, as an industry, are drunk on digital. Or, at the very least, those whose job it is to write and report on the label and packaging industries are certainly buzzed.

I don’t think digital is such a hot topic because it’s there, and we simply need something to talk about – the evidence is everywhere, from St. Louis to St. Gallen. When leading, longtime flexo press manufacturers enter the digital market – namely Mark Andy and Gallus – it’s telling as to where the industry is headed, and where R&D resources are going.

A hybrid, flexo/digital platform, the Mark Andy Digital Series is impressive, and demonstrations in Rosemont attracted large crowds throughout the three-day show. Gallus, on the other hand, in lieu of attending Labelexpo, opted to host its Innovation Days at its Swiss headquarters in late September, with the express purpose of unveiling the Gallus DCS 340, a digital press utilizing Fujifilm inkjet technology.

Both the new Mark Andy and Gallus offerings are inkjet-based digital platforms. Is this a clue as to which digital direction the industry is headed? Time will tell, and I imagine, if asked, HP Indigo and Xeikon would gladly give you a response.

It’s an interesting time in our industry. Rare is the label manufacturer I visit that doesn’t have digital printing capability, and even rarer is the one that has no interest in the technology. Of the seven label companies profiled in this month’s Companies to Watch feature, six are using some sort of digital technology. Five years ago, in our October 2009 issue, of the five companies profiled, just two were digital printers.

If we’re not drunk, we’re definitely getting there.




Steve Katz, Editor
[email protected]
Twitter: @LabelSteve