With the holidays upon us and 2020 on the horizon, Label & Narrow Web delved into which online features sparked the most interest among readers in 2019. The editorial staff traveled the world to bring the audience a wide range of original content, including open houses, product launches, and of course, Labelexpo Europe.

We look back at the top ranked original stories that drew the most site traffic:

10. AB Graphic highlights ‘modularity’ at Digital & Converting Summit
AB Graphic International welcomed more than 100 guests to its North American headquarters in Elgin, IL, USA for the Digital & Converting Summit. Attendees received live demonstrations, hands-on training, networking opportunities and partner presentations during the July 16-17 event.

During the Summit, AB Graphic highlighted the features of its wide range of finishing machinery. AB Graphic’s Jim Kehring led the event, providing demonstrations of the Digicon Series 3 and Digicon Lite 3, as well as the company’s range of Vectra turret rewinders and Omega Digicons, Omega SRI inspection rewinders and RTS sheeters.

“The Digicon Series 3, now in its third generation, is our flagship machine; this is our bread and butter,” said Kehring. “We have a lot of versatility, a lot of options with this machine. There are modular options, where you can pick and choose to satisfy your needs. Even just starting with the unwind you have quite a few options, and it just gets better the further down you go on the machine.

9. Nilpeter explores ‘The Age of Automation’ at open house
During this Nilpeter open house, the company announced a new partnership with Screen while also detailing the benefits of its newest product launches. “The Age of Automation” event took place on March 28 at the company’s facility in Cincinnati, OH, USA, welcoming more than 80 guests to the Technology Center.

“There’s a journey of innovation and automation that we’ve gone through at Nilpeter,” explained Paul Teachout, vice president of sales and marketing, Nilpeter USA. “In order to provide this level of automation for Industry 4.0, we had to go on the journey ourselves. Everything is basically a computer that perform a function, and that’s transcended every industry, from automotive to aviation and now to printing–we’re doing more with less.”

“Nilpeter represents everything that’s good about our industry,” said Dan Muenzer, TLMI president. “They commit their people to the things that help better our industry.”

8. ICE USA hits stride in Louisville
ICE USA and the co-located InPrint welcomed more than 2,500 attendees and 260 exhibitors to the Kentucky International Convention Center, highlighting the latest converting technologies associated with paper, film, foil, nonwovens and other flexible web-based materials.

ICE USA included a wide range of products, from die technology from Wilson Manufacturing and RotoMetrics to UV LED curing systems with Phoseon Technology and paper cores from Yazoo Mills. Among other exhibitors, Kao Collins showcased its selection of eco-friendly inks, while Harper representatives were on-hand to discuss the latest in anilox rolls and sleeving.

“ICE has always been a key event in the Meech calendar, and we were delighted to be exhibiting here once again,” said Matt Fyffe, general manager at Meech USA. “Bringing together a vast audience in the printing, converting and plastics industries, ICE gives Meech the perfect platform to present the latest additions to its well established product ranges.”

7. Avery Dennison launches new wine label materials
Avery Dennison, responding to market demand, has developed more than 150 constructions specifically engineering for wine and spirits. The company has gone directly to wineries and converters to troubleshoot current customer problems and ideate new ideas.

“The Avery Dennison Wine and Spirits portfolio offers inspiration through classic, premium materials enabling brands to stand out on shelf,” says Vanita Marzette, senior product manager – wine and spirits. “Wine materials cross both wine and spirits, as well as craft beer, because these areas are all following the trend towards premiumization. We are also seeing more unique/textured facestocks that work across segments. The wine materials offer the added benefit of being able to stand up to ice buckets and condensation.”

6. Avery Dennison hosts Intelligent Label Converter Academy
Avery Dennison opened its doors and welcomed more than 50 attendees to the 2019 Intelligent Label Converter Academy. The event, which took place March 12-13, showcased a world of possibilities available with RFID technology and how Avery Dennison has developed products to further advance this marketplace.

Avery Dennison has seen significant growth in intelligent labeling. The Converter Academy included panel presentations, panel discussions and multiple tours of the Mentor facility, all showing the investments made in this technology.

“RFID hides in plain sight,” said Avery Dennison’s Elizabeth Sowle. “It’s so prevalent that you can spot it all around you. Over 15 billion chips have been sold, ranging from applications like tires, medical, aviation, and all the way to tracking people on oil rigs.”

5. Wizard Labels helps Brouwerij West wrap beer cans with ‘chaotic design’
Brouwerij West frequently releases new batches in smaller quantities – typically, between 140 to 700 cases – with each batch needing its own unique identity. This requires not only quick turnaround, but also a cost-effective approach to producing these intricate product labels.

Wizard Labels uses a fleet of HP Indigo digital printing presses, coupled with an extremely efficient production process, to enable a two to three business day production cycle – all without charging rush fees. The company’s use of sophisticated laser finishing technology enables the label printer to cut and finish ornate labels in a single pass, saving the cost and time associated with traditional tooling-based operations.

“We love working with Wizard Labels,” says Brian Mercer, founder of Brouwerij West. “Their ability to quickly and reliably produce our intricate, artistic labels has been a real game changer for us.”

4. Avery Dennison drives development of durable labels
Avery Dennison has utilized its resources to develop durable portfolios for a wide range of applications. From the automotive and outdoor industries to drum labeling, Avery Dennison has responded to industry demand.

“We’re a full-service lab,” explains Paul Purdef, marketing director, Durables, Label and Graphic Materials North America, at Avery Dennison. “We have a Global UL Client Services Lab here in Mentor, where we do a lot of the testing for all of our regions. For our customers, it makes working with UL solutions a lot easier and faster to market.”

According to Purdef, Avery Dennison has worked diligently to release a new tire portfolio, as well as products that can better handle the growth of digital printing. Specifically, the company is trying to ensure that its materials stand up for water-based inkjet printing.

3. Modern flexo presses designed for the next-generation workforce
It’s no secret: the labels and packaging industry is facing a workforce dilemma. While many converters have taken steps to promote the printing industry, there is real concern about who will be running the flexo presses that drive 90% of today’s work. Suppliers, however, are attempting to get out in front of this problem with the designs of their latest machines.

“Our engineers and designers have focused on improvements to provide a more automated control system, faster press setup times and higher max press speeds,” says Jeff Cowan, director of business development, Performance Series, at Mark Andy. “Key to it all is that we did this without compromising on the machines’ simplicity, reliability and flexibility to increase operator productivity and business profitability.”

2. Philip Morris brings printing in-house with Gallus digital hybrid technology
Philip Morris decided to invest in a hybrid digital printing line from Gallus at its Swiss development facility in Neuchâtel.

“Today, order sizes of about 5 million blanks can be produced competitively with digital printing,” Tony Snyder says. “Gravure printing is so inexpensive today as it handles high volumes. But the industry is subject to the general development trend towards smaller editions. Capital tie-up and stocks that block or slow down the supply chain are no longer desirable. As a result, the run lengths have become smaller and smaller. And, as digital printing speeds continue to increase and costs go down, more and more of the PMI product portfolio could be considered for digital printing in the future.”

1. Memjet launches DuraFlex technology
Memjet announced the launch of its DuraFlex platform over the summer. The technology was announced during a press event on August 27, when Memjet opened its doors to highlight its latest initiatives. In addition to significant R&D investments, Memjet has also added a wide range of personnel throughout various areas of the organization.

DuraFlex is a third-generation print technology that features a 4-color printhead system. Targeting the benchtop, light production and entry-level press spaces, DuraFlex prints at 150 fpm (46 m/m) and comes in two sizes: A4 and A3+. Plus, all printheads are user replaceable, and modules serve as the core component of the system.

“We think DuraFlex is going to be really exciting for the printing market,” said Kevin Shimamoto, chief marketing officer of Memjet. “We want to learn and grow with the market, and we welcome feedback. Our goal is to grow and become industry leaders.”