Regulars / The Mike Fairley column | 37customer base in Europe beyond its label franchise holders to that “I frst met Mike in 2007-08, when on behalf of supplying all converters. At that time, the company had installed of Domino Printing Sciences, I attended a what was the largest pressure-sensitive coater in the world at that digital label conference hosted by him held in time (80in/2m wide) in Fasson Europe.Barcelona. At the time, I was thinking this During the 1970s Raf Haarla, the foundation for UPM Rafatac’s labelstock business was building and installing its frst laminating could be an area we could invest and grow machine in Europe. Jackstädt was shipping pressure-sensitive sheet in. Mike was a friendly, clear and concise products throughout Europe and establishing plants in Brazil and communicator, having a great depth of Australia. Ritrama was also developing and learning about the new knowledge. I only made a last-minute decision world of pressure-sensitive products.to go to the conference thinking we were It was not just the availability of label materials that were already too late to do this, but we proceeded evolving in the 1970s and early ‘80s. with a new business plan. We subsequently New printing solutions were being developed to both print and invested 10 million GBP, employed more than die-cut pressure-sensitive labels. Converters were moving from 100 additional people and established what fat-bed semi-rotary printing presses. Nilpeter was developing and is today a substantial multi-million-pound introducing the frst full rotary and modular in-line fexo presses. Mark Andy, too, was bringing in-line roll-label fexographic presses digital label equipment and inks business. to the market, while Gallus was developing rotary letterpress – Subsequently, Mike also contributed with including the incorporation of rotary die-cutting and UV-curing and, training, consultancy and case studies and along with innovations by Stork, the use of rotary screen. Ko-Pack I always enjoyed catching up with him. was also successfully bringing rotary letterpress into Europe. DuPont However, I will always remember that the also introduced the frst photo-sensitive polymer plates.business started with that conference hosted Pressure-sensitive label printing and converting at this time was by Mike. Thank you for your support and fast becoming an exciting new world of opportunity.happy retirement.”Meeting new retail demandsPhilip Easton, Industrial InkjetDevelopments in inks, coating and varnishes – and ink drying and UV-curing – were then becoming necessary to meet the demands of the new, higher quality and performance, rotary printing presses, and, by the mid-1970s, a new world of standardized Universal Product Coding (UPC) was rapidly changing the retail world. The demand for UCC and EAN barcodes on labels and packaging sent the growth demand for pressure-sensitive barcoded labels well into double fgures.Little wonder then that the whole label world was looking for information and help with all the many changes in label production and usage taking place. There were new materials and suppliers, new inks, new types of rotary presses, the choice of fexo, rotary letterpress or screen, new pre-press systems, developments in fexible dies, die-cutting, and tooling, the challenges of printing barcodes that reliably scanned, advances in hot-foil label opportunities, new products for on-press inspection and monitoring – as well as demand for market trends and opportunities information.Such was the background to the launch of Labels & Labeling A Roman-themed evening at the Latma conference in Australia in 2001magazine in January 1979. That frst issue was just 20 pages and, apart from the front and back covers was printed in black only for a largely UK-based pressure-sensitive label industry. Within “The entire team at Gallus was extremely a couple of years, the magazine was already considered as an nervous when, in 1986, the ‘King’ of the label international journal with subscribers across Europe and in more industry himself, Mike Fairley, came to St than 20 countries, Including North America, India, Australia and Gallen as a young man for the frst time. I New Zealand. had the honor to get to know Mike, who was In May 1980 the frst-ever Labelex show was held in London. then known as a highly professional journalist Just 44 exhibitors, most of whom were label converters showing everything from label and tag products to table-top printers, who questioned everything and then some. overprinters, and label application equipment. By 1985, the frst Mike has carried himself with an independent, Labelex show was held in Brussels with some 70 participants, critical and professional manner since day including major international press manufacturers, Mark Andy, one, and he deserves the greatest respect for Nilpeter, Webtron, Ko-Pack, Edale and FSK and, for the frst time, a bringing the whole industry together with his seminar program sponsored by Finat.highly respected magazine. We thank Mike for all his many years of expertise and friendship, Demand for information, education, and new solutionsand we wish him well for the future.”By the mid-1980s I had traveled to almost all the global subscriber countries, interviewing label industry suppliers and converters, Ferdinand Rüesch Sr, senior vice president, Gallus Group presenting in-house market and technology trends seminars and & Anchor Investor Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AGworkshops, as well as attending product launches and all kinds Oct - Dec 2022