Editor’s welcome | 9L&L looks back (L&L issue 1, 2009)| L&L 48 LABELS&LABELING | 29| L&L 38 LABELS&LABELING | 57taking the witch out of the craft UK-BASED Borble is a dedicated digital label converter which has installed the ?rst of Xeikon’s new 3300 press. James Quirk reportsThe majority of label converters which have invested in digital 30,000 different designs, for hundreds of companies. Now technology in recent years have done so from a platform of Borble has installed the UK’s ?rst Xeikon 3300 digital press, existing conventional equipment. Not so Rhyl, Wales-based unveiled at drupa earlier this year, to further increase capacity Borble, which established itself almost four years ago as a and provide better service. dedicated digital converter. ‘The new press operates at almost three times the speed of L-R: Joao Adao, Mario Directors Barry Grif?ths and Gavin Scott, who have the 330,’ says Grif?ths. ‘This will further extend Borble’s digital THE NILPETER MO3300 presses Herrera and Don Nolanbackgrounds in gravure printing, had the initial idea of targeting footprint into the traditional print domain.’are arranged in facing pairs. The two the wallpaper border market – using a digital press to print The 3300 offers 1200 dpi at four bits per spot. With a constant nearest are servo driven machinespersonalized, non-repeating designs. But with their experience top speed of nearly 20 meters a minute, it includes ?ve color in ?exible packaging and wet-glue labeling, they also realized stations – four for the standard process colors and one for spot that the machine would create opportunities for the label market. colors as well as opaque white or a special security toner. The Prior to the company’s foundation in 2005, Grif?ths and Scott 3300 uses Xeikon’s FA toner system, which is FDA-approved gave up their jobs and embarked on an intense, eight-month for use in certain food contact applications. It can print on a period of full-time research into digital technology. They visited range of substrates from various self-adhesive ?lms including Holland and Belgium to test different presses. Their research co-extruded ?lm, unsupported ?lm, paper, transparent and global playershowed them that, despite over-capacity in the UK label market, opaque foils, and paperboard with weights ranging from 40 to avery expands in Chiledigital technology could bring a competitive advantage with 350 gsm. The dry toner electrophotography imaging process its ability to produce small runs for a wide range of markets. enables the use of conventional substrates without coating or WHAT are the requirements for a converter which wants to service global multinational brands? Andy Thomas JAMES QUIRK reports from the inauguration of Avery's new slitting and distribution center in Santiago, Chile ‘Traditional sheetfed label press technology is geared towards pre-treatment.visited the Skanem Group’s Liverpool, UK operation to ?nd outhigh volume production and requires expensive carrier plates to The Xeikon 3300 comes with the latest generation of Xeikon’s lay solvent-based inks on to the print stock,’ says Barry Grif?ths. X-800 digital front-end. Based on open standards, the X-800 Avery Dennison welcomed around our commitment to our customers in Avery Dennison was the ?rst Skanem Liverpool has completed a strategic move from rotary surge capacity. ‘It is very hard for multinational customers to ‘In contrast, digital technology doesn’t use plates and the enables the implementation of fully automated work?ows in any 100 customers and partners to the Chile,’ commented Adao, ‘We can offer self-adhesive materials supplier to move letterpress to combination rotary offset litho and is positioning accurately forecast demand, and this requires us to maintain a Xeikon machine doesn’t use solvents, which makes it relatively production environment, integrating seamlessly with any MIS. inauguration of its new slitting and a faster and more consistent service with into Latin America, opening a factory in itself as a primary strategic supplier to multinational brands. surge capacity up to 30 percent,’ notes plant managing director green. During our research, all evidence pointed towards a The X-800 offers ICC color management, facilitates integration distribution center in Santiago, Chile, in improved quality.’ Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1969. Further plants ‘Our strategy has been to develop our multinational business,’ Steve Dunne. ‘It is not just machines but people which can digital future.’ in a conventional print environment and allows post-RIP color early November. The facility will supply ‘Recent weeks have seen tremendous were opened in Colombia and Argentina says David Harrisson, multinational sales director at Skanem, be the limiting factor here. I calculate surge capacity in terms some icons from the seventies The pair installed a Xeikon 330 in March 2005 and named the adjustment, minimizing downtime. its local market with the company’s volatility in the ?nancial markets,’ said in the mid-1990s, and the company and former president of FINAT. ‘Two years ago our target was of both in order to ramp up production quickly. This in turn company Borble – an amalgamation of the words border and Both Borble’s machines have inline ?nishing, provided by range of self-adhesive products and Don Nolan. ‘Avery Dennison has been now boasts a presence of three plants, 50 percent of sales to multinationals and we will hit that by the requires commonality between presses and processes to react label. Xeikon through its relationship with Danish company GM. The allows for greater stock capacity than in the region for nearly 40 years and has ?ve distribution centers and over 1,800 end of this year. We had lower pro?ts as a group last year, quickly to the needs of the customer.’Three years later, their plans have been vindicated. Borble company uses standard materials from Herma. ‘With an HP Avery’s previous distribution center in the been through many ?nancial cycles, both employees in the region. but we expected that mainly because of the investment we’ve deserve to be forgotten... has achieved sales of over GBP £1.2 million this year – up 50 press, of course, you’d have to coat ?rst,’ says Grif?ths.country, which was opened in 1995. good and bad. But, despite everything, Joao Adao and Fabio Astegiano also "We want our people to see us as a career and made in Moscow and Bangkok. We also developed a disaster percent from 2007 – and has printed millions of labels, with In between ordering the 3300 and its installation, Xeikon The move underlines the company’s we have continued investing and growing presented the results of Avery’s annual not as a job. If we in the UK do not change and recovery program, which is so important to multinational desire to continue investing in growing with our customers. We started a new survey, which showed a year-on-year customers.’become more ?exible and self-assured, we will On the 30th anniversary of Labels & Labeling, the no more that ?ve or six percent of volume usage of all labels. markets despite the ?nancial troubles production center with our V6 coater in increase in customers’ satisfaction, Working for a small number of multinational clients presents lose out globally"magazine’s founder, Mike Fairley, looks back to the original Indeed, the total self-adhesive label market in Europe in 1968, being experienced in the US and Europe. Vinhedo, Brazil, two years ago; last year desire to continue buying from Avery, its own set of challenges. ‘Multinationals are centralizing their publication launch and the early news stories, reviews according to the, then recently formed, European Pressure The center was opened by Don Nolan, we brought new slitters to Chile, Brazil and propensity to recommend the buying operations for labels and packaging, so the buying Steve Dunne has focused hard on Lean manufacturing, and in some of the key industry innovations that have been Sensitive Manufacturers Association (EPSMA), was a little over vice president of the company’s materials and Argentina, and this year we placed company’s products. Adao underlined source is often in different countries to where the labels are particular set-up time, and says this drive has been helped by covered over the years, and highlights the emergence of 200 million square meters. Today, it grows substantially more division, Joao Adao, general manager, a new slitter in our Argentina plant. I the company’s desire to keep improving delivered,’ Harrisson points out. the company’s latest Nilpeter MO3300 ‘S’ servo presses, which the magazine into a global publishing and exhibitions group than that amount each year. Key players in EPSMA at that materials for Argentina and Chile, and believe that these continue to be truly its service. Customers often want different solutions for each of their print alongside the standard, shaft-driven models. ‘With the new at the forefront of label industry growth. time were companies such as Fasson, Samuel Jones, Mactac, Mario Herrera, national sales manager exciting times for South American label Avery Dennison predicts continued regional plants, and Skanem has been working hard on Nilpeter presses we have cut makeready times by 50 percent Smith & McLaurin and Ritrama.developing a ?exible logistics system, which will be tied and increased running speed by 30 percent. And this is without for Chile. converters – marked with tremendous success for self-adhesive technology in FROM EARLY BEGINNINGS Label converters in the early 1970s who wanted to ?nd out together with a common MIS platform. Nilpeter’s new generation of sleeve offset presses. Wider, The 2,500 square meter distribution growth potential.’ Chile’s rapidly growing wine market. The late 1960s and early 1970s was a time when the label about new equipment, products or applications for this new The push by multinationals to globalize their brands means 410mm-wide servo offset presses with sleeves are the future.’ center houses three slitters – each of industry was largely a collection of individual companies label technology would tend to read the packaging or printing Skanem has become a global supplier. Over the past few which can be adjusted between widths serving a local or national region. Very few were pan-European trade press in the hope of ?nding some label news or a years, plants have been acquired or set up on Green?eld sites BUILDING CONFIDENCE, BUILDING TEAMSof 40cm and 1.5m – and a team of and the word globalization was not even in the label industry possible relevant article. The same applied to trade shows. The in Bangkok in Thailand, in Poland and in Russia. Skanem is Developing people has always been important to Steve 37 people will serve Avery’s base of vocabulary. Some of the ?rst trade associations for the label label printer went to Drupa or Ipex in the hope of seeing new looking for future expansion in Asia and Eastern Europe. Dunne since his early days pioneering ?exo carton printing at over 100 customers in the country. industry were already in being – such as FINAT and TLMI label materials and products. The possibility of a dedicated At the same time, the company has invested heavily in Cartonmaster. ‘We want our people to see us as a career and Joao Adao explained that expansion – while the larger label producers were often members of a label show or magazine was not even being considered. Even optimizing its existing capacity. At Skanem Introl in Poland, for not as a job. If we in the UK do not change and become more relevant national printing federation. niche label-related conferences were few and far between.in Chile was necessary to ensure a THE Xeikon 3300 press example, the company now has ?ve Gallus RCS330 UV ?exo/ ?exible and self-assured, we will lose out globally.’It was a time when the wet-glue label sector made up more All of this began to change in the mid 1970s. First talk about more ef?cient material ?ow, while the with inline ?nishing screen combination presses, including the latest, wider 430mm The emphasis on developing teams can be seen in the way than 70 percent of all labels used; when gummed-paper a dedicated label magazine for the industry began to surface greater stock capacity will overcome the model. In January offset modules will arrive to add additional the Nilpeter presses are organized. The six presses are laid out labels still made up over 20 percent of label consumption and in 1974 at a conference being run in London by Pira, the dif?culties of importing materials into ?exibility. in facing pairs, each served by a team of two printers and an self-adhesive labels in the developed regions of the world were UK-based paper, packaging and printing industry research the mountainous regions of the country A key requirement for servicing multinationals is plant assistant. The three press teams come together twice a day for LABELS & LABELINGLABELS & LABELINGduring the winter months. ‘The opening redundancy – the ability to recover rapidly from a disaster – and planning meetings.of this new distribution center re?ects JANUARY 2009 L&L |JANUARY 2009 L&L |P29 James Quirk reported P38 On the 30th anniversary P48 L&L visited UK-based P57 Andy Thomas visited the from the inauguration of of L&L, the magazine’s founder, Borble, a digital label converter Skanem Group’s Liverpool, UK, Avery Dennison’s new slitting Mike Fairley, looked back to the that installed Xeikon’s new operation to fnd out what and distribution center in publication launch and early 3300 press. Borble’s biggest the requirements are for a Santiago, Chile. The facility was news stories, reviewed some of sectors were chemical, food, converter that wants to service developed to supply its local the key industry innovations cosmetics, industrial and global multinational brands. market with the company’s covered over the years, and promotional labels. While the The group then completed a range of self-adhesive products highlighted the emergence majority of its sales were in move from rotary letterpress and allowed for greater stock of the magazine into a global the UK, many products were to combination rotary offset capacity than Avery’s previous publishing and exhibitions ultimately exported, providing litho and positioned itself as distribution center in the country, group at the forefront of label opportunities for variable data a primary strategic supplier to which was opened in 1995. industry growth. to which digital was suited. multinational brands.A familiar face returns to L&LEditor’s notes you may have noticed, In this issue, you’ll read about “Their continued dedication and a new name has taken companies that are joining over this editor’s section forces, companies that are Agenuine passion for this industry of the magazine. growing their technology base, I’m not entirely new, however. and brands that are looking for have made — and kept — Labels From 2016 to 2021, I wrote differentiation. The bulk of this about the North American label issue is dedicated to a preview & Labeling the leading publication and packaging market on these of Labelexpo Americas 2022 for over four decades”very pages. I’ve met many of and the innovators who are you at Labelexpo global shows, pushing the industry forward.at TLMI and FTA meetings, readers of Labels & Labeling. As Their continued dedication What better time to return and at supplier open houses. the magazine’s fourth editor, and genuine passion for this to Labels & Labeling than on We’ve strategized at business the signifcance of this title is industry have made — and the cusp of our global label meetings and laughed over not lost on me. While I might kept — Labels & Labeling the reunion? Be sure to read our dinner. We’ve rubbed elbows edit these pages, the magazine leading publication for news, comprehensive guide to see and shared stories. Many of you has always belonged to you, commentary and analysis for what technology and trends will have opened your organizations dear reader. over four decades. take center stage at Labelexpo. to let me peek around and write Labels & Labeling has been And yet, these pages refect Be sure to fnd me in about your business goals. the industry-leading magazine a changing industry. We’re Chicago, or reach out and In 2021, I took a short for the past 40 years. Its all tasked with doing more say hello at cmcdougall@sabbatical to lead the reputation and position are with less. Culturally, we want labelsandlabeling.com. content marketing efforts of built upon a foundation laid by our teams to thrive and feel I’m happy to be back. a growing industry supplier. editors before me: James Quirk, supported; we’re all looking for That experience has given me Andy Thomas-Emans, and of smarter, more effcient, more a unique insight into just how course, the Label Guru and L&L sustainable ways of doing vital this magazine is for the founder Mike Fairley; in addition business; we’re all chasing industry. I am honored to bring to editors and contributors a changed consumer and Chelsea McDougallthat experience back to the spread across the globe. shifting to digital workfows. Group managing editor Jul - Sep 2022