The label and narrow web market is a growing area, with digital and flexo technologies both expanding. Still, there are challenges in the market, and ink manufacturers are developing solutions for these concerns.

Niklas Olsson, global brand manager of packaging & narrow web division of Flint Group, says that customers continue to deal with decreased lead-times, which, in turn, gives their ink vendors shorter turnaround times in order fulfillment. He adds that Flint Group keeps close communication with its customers to ensure forecasting is correct and make every effort to deliver the needed inks on-time.

Olsson further explains that the label and narrow web field is a more competitive market — with an inherent overcapacity in many regions — that tends to challenge both on pricing as well as lead-time.

“Our job is to make sure that we deliver what printers need in order to stay competitive, to make sure their key KPI’s are better met and delivered by us and our products,” Olsson says. “We know that consistency in inks from batch to batch is a crucial part for any printer, and to be able to rely that the ink is delivered on time and in the right quality, is something we put a lot of efforts to master. Then to also add a quality aspect of inks that can do more – have better adhesion to a wider range of substrates, color strength that provides mileage, and an overall resistance and endurance to a wide range of end use applications – are all tools that come with ‘the package’ in working with Flint Group that all leads to printers’ bottom line profit improvement.

“Customers are continually looking for ways to increase productivity, lower their waste and be more sustainable,” Olsson concludes. “Flint Group offers programs such as its Uptime Solutions to help customers make changes within their operations. Furthermore, Flint Group has a strong focus on sustainability – our latest Sustainability manual was just launched, which details all the efforts around economical, ecological and social sustainability efforts undertaken by Flint Group.”

Jeremy Teachman, field market manager, narrow web, tag and label, Sun Chemical, says that the impact of labels into and through the container recycling process has recently become an area of industry concern and focus: “We at Sun Chemical have stepped up to the challenge, working collaboratively with the entire value chain, and developing innovative approaches and solutions to minimize these issues across a variety of labeling and container decorating platforms.”

The need for inventory control is also becoming more critical, and Sun Chemical has developed a dispenser program to help printers make the right amount of inks needed for their jobs.

“Shorter print runs in the narrow web market have frequently led to an overabundance of inks on the shelves at print shops,” Teachman adds. “There was the added challenge of maintaining brand color consistency. To help solve these customer challenges, Sun Chemical developed its Dispenser Program. The Sun Chemical Dispenser Program allows customers to dispense the exact amount of ink that they need, reduce their inventory and ensure spot color accuracy to within .001/lb.

“Earlier this year, Sun Chemical introduced a way for NWTL printers to decrease their overall bottom-line operating expenses in ink volume and ink costs by up to 25% with the new Sun Chemical Water-Based Flexo Dispenser Program,” he adds. “The water-based flexo dispenser is unique in that it can make process, blending bases and spot colors all from the same machine. This program rounds out our comprehensive portfolio of products aimed at narrow web printing operations, covering water-based flexo, UV flexo, UV and conventional offset, and others.”

Electronic packaging represents another opportunity for Sun Chemical.

“There is a lot of talk in the industry about the appeal of electronic packaging and smart labels,” Teachman says. “With our recent joint venture to create T+Sun, we have had customers come to us with interest in developing smart labels that can interact and communicate with customers. We take each of these requests and customize it to their needs to meet their specifications and requirements.”

Renee Schouten, corporate marketing manager for INX International Ink, notes that more printers are looking for ways to improve their businesses by offering a wider range of services and capabilities.

“Some are transitioning to digital printing, and that’s where our EVOLVE Advanced Digital Solutions line is helping,” Schouten reports. “The various ink formulations we continue to introduce also address their needs, especially in regards to how they work on a variety of different substrates. Our products not only give them more options, but they also offer more benefits that save time and money in the long run.”

On the metallic side, Scott Schultz, regional technical/market development manager for ECKART America, notes that brand owners are continually competing to have their products chosen by the consumer, which is where metallic inks and pigments can fit in.

“For this reason, they are very interested in differentiating their products on the store shelves,” says Schultz. “Adding metallic effects to the label – pressure sensitive, wet glue, wrap around and shrink sleeve – draws the attention of the consumer and makes products stand out on the shelf. Besides giving a premium look, metallic effects can offer an economic and environmentally attractive alternative to foil stamping and metalized substrates. ECKART is focused on offering the market several choices in effect and cost that fit all label requirements today.”

Damon Geer, vice president of sales at Zeller+Gmelin, North America, says that the challenges in this industry segment for the printer revolve around brand marketing and having the correct tools to address the creative graphic requirements these brand owners desire to set themselves apart from their competition.

“To accomplish this, now more than ever, the printers and their vendors must collectively think outside the box in order to meet what graphic designers are calling the ‘new approach’ to obtaining and retaining customer awareness,” Geer adds.

“Formulating specific ink systems and offering continued technical support allows us to help our customers with whatever new challenge they face,” says John Pettus, marketing manager, national sales for Wikoff Color. “Product innovation, specialty formulation and technical support are all areas where Wikoff excels.”

Mike Harjung, vice president of narrow web, Nazdar Ink Technologies, says that customers need faster speeds and new technologies to be competitive.

“They are facing increasing costs,” Harjung notes. “Faster water-based products are more stable with less waste and downtime. LED UV inks and coatings lower energy costs. Increased short runs call for digital inks.”

Stephen Emery, vice president of EFI’s ink business, says that understanding what customers are facing is critical.

“I think you have to start with what the challenges our customers’ customers are facing,” Emery says. “There is intense competition to win consumers, and it makes it really challenging for any brand with a limited budget to increase their sell-through. That makes regionalization, versioning, event marketing – really any type of multi-SKU strategy that gives a product more localized appeal – very important.

“Our customers, label converters, are challenged to get the most out of their capital investments,” Emery adds. “They are big on reliability and accuracy. They also know it is important to significantly shorten lead times so they can meet customers’ demands and help the clients they serve operate with a leaner supply chain. Reducing inventories of finished labels is key. Working in that environment, our customers can’t afford a lot of downtime and re-runs, and if they can cut out make-ready waste, it adds to their bottom line.”

According to Emery, EFI’s Jetrion technologies are helping customers meet these needs.

“For many converters, the challenge with short-run and multi-SKU really hits when it comes to die-tooling costs, so we have seen increasing demand for systems that include in-line laser diecutting,” he reports. “We are incorporating a more-powerful laser in our laser diecutting, and for some converters, having those capabilities in-line makes all the difference.

“We have seen four- and five-person converting lines move to one operator running everything in-line on an EFI Jetrion 4900 or 4950LX press, and that represents a huge difference,” Emery concludes. “If the market is telling you you have to have good and efficient short-run execution to grow your business, then it becomes pretty clear that lean wins the day and our technology has a way to get you there.”

Chris Calomino, marketing director, ACTEGA Kelstar, believes that while the label and narrow web market is anticipating continued growth, the primary challenge customers are facing are reduced run-rates on legacy business due to the change-over to different packaging formats such as flexible packaging and new technology primarily digital printing.

“ACTEGA assists customers in a variety of ways to help accommodate these market shifts,” Calomino says. “For customers who are looking to invest in new market equipment (i.e. flexible packaging), we have a dedicated Technical Applications Team along with a Global Digital Solutions Group to assist with both existing and new technologies coming into the market. Our personnel are dedicated to assisting and discussing how our products can offer a smooth transition into new markets for our customers.”

Jon Fultz, business development manager at FUJIFILM North America, graphic systems division, says that brand managers for tag and label continue to demand even higher quality, shorter runs, lower cost and faster turn-around time while pushing for more environmentally responsible solutions.

“Fujifilm is addressing these opportunities with the recent launch of a new technology flexo plate that is fully processed in under 40 minutes, allowing faster turnaround time,” Fultz says. “The plate is processed with tap water and a mild surfactant, which eliminates all solvents and wicking cloth so it is significantly more environmentally responsible than existing technologies. It produces very high image quality at a low cost of entry, allowing converters to address both the cost and quality demands of their customers.

“We have also recently introduced a hybrid inkjet and flexo press called Graphium,” Fultz adds. “At up to 16 inches wide, it is a perfect fit for the tag and label market. The inkjet white is the best in the industry allowing Graphium to produce very high quality film labels. The ink, developed by Fujifilm, adheres to a broad range of substrates and requires no pre-coat. This allows converters the unique capability of providing their customers with the many benefits of digital on almost any substrate their customers would like to specify.”

David Savastano is editor of Ink World magazine, a sister publication to L&NW.