The label industry is in constant motion. From label salespeople visiting customers, suppliers meeting with converters, and the machinery itself humming along sometimes two and three shifts a day, it seems there is no rest for the weary. Then there are the trade shows, both the events that converters attend and the ones where they exhibit. There are seminars, covering everything from prepress and printing technologies, to sales and marketing, Lean Manufacturing and management best practices. Looking to advance, get an edge and be more productive, the industry is always on the move.

And the same goes for the trade press. Here at L&NW, as we’re wrapping up our March issue, we’re also packing our bags and preparing to hit the road for what is shaping up to be a busy spring 2016.

Our goal here is to educate and inform our readers, and that includes covering the label industry’s most pertinent events. To do so, our editorial staff will divide and conquer. This month I am off to Hawaii for the TLMI Converter Meeting, which happens to coincide with the Flexographic Technical Association’s (FTA) Annual Forum and INFO*FLEX in Forth Worth, TX, which will be attended by L&NW associate editor Greg Hrinya.

With drupa taking place this coming May, some of our industry’s most important suppliers have invited us to exclusive previews of what they’ll be launching in Dusseldorf. Unable to be in both Israel and Belgium at the same time, Greg and I will both be on the move again, this time traveling east.

Then it’s my turn to visit the Lone Star State as I head to Dscoop San Antonio. The annual event – organized by an independent community of HP Graphic Arts users – has evolved to become what I consider a full-blown trade show. Dozens of suppliers to the label industry will be exhibiting at the Solutions Showcase. The speaker lineup also had me a bit giddy with excitement, as it includes both Kevin O’Leary (aka Mr. Wonderful on the Shark Tank TV show) and former NFL coach and current broadcaster Herm Edwards (“We play to win the game!”). And these two are in addition to Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. I think it will be quite a show.

We know that most label printers don’t have the time or resources to attend every event. Neither do we, but we do our best to provide comprehensive label industry coverage in both print and online. Thanks to social media, our readers can learn what we learn as it happens. Both Greg and I are on Twitter, and we’ll be keeping our followers informed. Greg is handling the L&NW feed @LabelAndNarrow, and you can keep tabs on me by following @LabelSteve.




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