After debuting the Labelmaster – Gallus’ newest conventional press – at Gallus Innovation Days 2016 in St. Gallen, Switzerland, the press was launched globally at Labelexpo Europe 2017. Record crowds in Brussels, Belgium had the opportunity to see the Gallus Labelmaster Advanced line with multiweb features. There are also two basic versions of the press.

The Labelmaster is designed to be customizable to the converter’s needs. It features an attractive price-performance ratio and easy job changeovers, as well as a maximum speed of 200 m/m. The Labelmaster is the fastest press Gallus has ever developed.

“We have a price performance ratio that you’ve never seen from Gallus,” said Klaus Bachstein, Gallus Group CEO. “We aim for the lowest cost per label.”

According to Gallus, the Labelmaster is offered in 10-color and 8-color configurations, efficient in waste and consumption, easy to use, and “delivers perfect register.” During the show, live demonstrations included three jobs with two changes, which were performed in under 12 minutes.

“As we all know, innovation is the key to creating customer benefits,” said Bachstein. “We, as Gallus–part of the Heidelberg Group–take great pride in continuously focusing on innovation.”

Gallus’ Labelexpo stand featured machinery that was less than two years old. The Labelfire, with expanded embellishment functionalities, was highlighted for visitors seeking short-run digital solutions. The company’s theme for Labelexpo Europe was “Speed up your success.”

“Gallus is proving that we are able to print the highest quality labels at the lowest cost in many different countries,” explained Christof Naier, vice president of sales, marketing and services, Gallus. “We are offering a digital embellishment module for digital varnishing, and we have a very new, modern product portfolio.”

In line with its digital capabilities, the company emphasized Gallus Services. The digital service packages are designed to provide minimum delivery lead times, enhanced consulting, and fast and personalized support. Gallus Services provide customers with immediate access to company specialists, and the service is available throughout the world.

In addition to individual service packages tailored to the customer’s need, Gallus Services includes personalized training programs and fast availability of genuine spare parts.

Gallus also detailed its relationship with Heidelberg. According to Bachstein, Gallus will take advantage of the resources made available by its parent company. Heidelberg took control of Gallus over three years ago, and its presence was instrumental in the Labelfire’s development. In addition, the partnership will promote better customer service. “By combining our sales and service forces with Heidelberg’s, we will create a much bigger footprint and provide much better service all over the world,” he added.

Heidelberg Assistant, also launched at Labelexpo Europe, is a tool that gives customers the ability to check the status of a request by simply going online. Furthermore, mobile devices can be used to access pressroom data such as press speeds and the output of running label presses.

Through the e-call function, presses automatically notify Gallus to perform troubleshooting. This protective measure fell into the event’s trend toward automation and Industry 4.0. Gallus and Heidelberg customers can access the tool via smartphones, tablets or computers, and the application is divided into four sections: Print Shop, Shopping, Support, and Administration.

The Assistant concept falls under the umbrella of the Heidelberg Cloud. Featuring the Heidelberg Remote Service network, more than 10,000 machines and 15,000 software products are connected with Heidelberg Service.

“The digitization of our industry is gradually encompassing all areas and processes within the print shop and beyond,” Harald Weimer, head of sales and service at Heidelberg, said at drupa. “As Heidelberg transforms big data into smart data, we can benefit from the advantages offered by this trend.”

Labelexpo allowed Gallus to highlight its new Print Media Center Labels, as well. This is the third media center, which runs alongside the commercial and packaging segments. The official opening took place prior to Labelexpo Europe at Gallus’ headquarters in St. Gallen.