With lead times shorter than ever, label converters are tasked with placing the right job on the right press. Historically, flexographic and digital printing were once thought of as competitors. But with the advancement of new technologies and a changing printing landscape, flexo, digital, and hybrid can all co-exist to meet brand owner demands.

During FTA FORUM INFOFLEX, Paul Teachout, business development at OMET Americas, chaired a dedicated session that explored where each technology delivers the greatest value and how innovation will shape the future of labels and packaging.

Klaus Kleemann of Windmoeller & Hoelscher, Windell McGill of BW Converting, David Ellen of Domino, Steve Heinze of Mark Andy, and Barry Wendell of Durst took part in the panel.

“In narrow web, the press is dependent on the job and which asset will be the best to produce it,” explained Wendell. “Hybrid has come on strong in the last few years, but it has a niche that fits it very well. Hybrid is suitable for higher run, multi-SKU jobs and a common die. You can load one die, queue up a job with hundreds of SKUs, and let it print all day.”

Digital is no longer suited for simple short-run, narrow web jobs, either. “It’s not either or – we’re championing both technologies,” said McGill, referring to the choice between digital and flexo. “I’ve been watching the label market for 27 years. As the technology gets faster and wider, the adoption level will rise in flexible packaging. It’s interesting to see how quickly digital is moving in the corrugated market, too. And we think that will happen in flexible packaging, as well. Speed, resolution, width – it’ll be a player.

Analyzing customer needs

While the technology has made advancements in all three press categories, that does not automatically make each model a fit for every label converter. Suppliers will work diligently to ensure that the selected press meets a converter’s book of business and application demands.

“I think technology is great, and new technology is coming on a very regular basis,” noted Ellen. “But I think it’s less about technology and more about people’s book of business. Every customer is unique in one way or another, and the technology enables you to remain unique. It should be about you and not the suppliers. Buy the right equipment to fit your company and when moving to digital, do your due diligence because that’s very important.”

“In narrow web, I don’t think there’s a single technology – let the work mix define what technology fits best,” added McGill. “Some focus on hybrid, some have standalone, some companies have portfolios with both. When we do our jobs correctly, we listen to what work they’re producing and configure an asset that’s going to be most productive for them.”

Even if a customer has the right technology in-house, there are benefits to going with newer installations. For example, a Mark Andy customer can benefit greatly from a new Performance Series press vs. a legacy machine. Increased efficiencies, lower waste, and the ability to enter new markets are all benefits.

“There are still a lot of legacy flexo presses out there that are 20-30 years old,” remarked Heinze. “As margins continue to get compressed, it’s harder to be competitive with that equipment. If you put a modern flexo machine with modern controls in your facility, you’re getting a 2:1 replacement. We’ve repeated this thousands of times, too. One converter was running four jobs per shift, and with a newer press it was eight jobs per shift with a quarter of the waste.”

Going beyond the press

Software and AI will play a significant, complementary role in the future of label and package printing. According to W&H’s Kleeman, “You need modern machines that can guide an operator through a process. And that’s where AI might come in.”

Durst sees software integration as a major factor when optimizing a converter’s business, as well. “It’s not just about equipment,” stated Wendell. “In today’s environment, it’s about how you integrate all these technologies together and how they communicate with each other. All that data that’s captured must be fed back into MIS systems, for example.

“We’re talking 8-10-12 jobs per day, and the companies doing the most jobs per day are sticker printers,” continued Wendell. “They’re printing hundreds of jobs a day. All of that has to be automated. It’s coming in via e-commerce, and the jobs are getting shipped in two days and autobilled back to the customer. That’s where we’re headed, and it’s that level of integration that’s going to get us there.”

“One of the biggest trends we’re seeing in the industry is digitalization, and that’s not just digital printing,” added Teachout. “That’s digitalizing the whole process, from robotics to data collection, to make the operator’s job easier and to make their job more efficient. The flexo process really does continue to evolve. The more data you can collect, the better your AI initiatives will be.”

Education and training should not be forgotten, either. Even though automation and AI will enable the equipment to accomplish more, there is still a human element involved in printing.

“Equally as important is the training on the prepress side,” commented Heinze. “These are fine-tuned machines that can run very productively, but maintenance is super important. You can produce a lot of material if you take care of the prepress side.”