Regulars / The Mike Fairley column | 25The Mike Fairley column Investing for the futureLabelexpo Americas provides a perfect opportunity to future-proof your businessith Labelexpo Americas almost upon us, those converters “Labelexpo Americas provides planning to attend will no doubt have already been Wthinking about what materials, technology and software a golden opportunity to re-set they will need to look at with a view to enhancing their ability to cost-effectively produce the optimum label quality, reliability and the future and transform your performance.With everything that has happened over the past couple of years, converting business”planning and investment decisions may well be different today to any of the converters’ pre-planned short- or medium-term these opportunities are on the expo visit wish list.pre-pandemic or rising infation requirements. Labelexpo Americas Laser cutting technology has come a long way in recent years, therefore provides a golden opportunity to re-set the future and with the latest systems offering zero make-ready, no tooling, transform your converting business with quality performance, no particular operator experience needed, and all working in reliability and cost-effective technology and materials investment. conjunction with any MIS that allows fully automatic workfow. If But where to start? There is little doubt that managing you haven’t considered digital laser cutting before, then maybe it’s automation of pre-press and color workfows – in many cases worth a look.across digital and conventional press technology – is becoming a What about added-value fnishing options? Foiling, embossing critical factor in increasing quality, quality checks and offoading and varnishing have been used for many years, but some of the tasks to automated software and, thereby, increasing throughput latest fnishing technologies are defnitely worth investigating. without the need to increase employee numbers. That certainly Rotary screen for example, now has possibilities for tactile images, sounds like a good place to start. textured varnishes, hot foil imitations, scratch and sniff labels and Continuing with the automation theme, and the need to increase printed self-adhesive patterns.overall quality, speed and service, then end-to-end software Inkjet production also has the potential today to create solutions for the whole value chain – from sales, estimating, job specialized effects, including combinations of textures and colors, management, ordering, stockholding, planning, costing, invoicing virtually unlimited designs, together with metallic color simulation and shipping – have become more of a necessity than a luxury using CMYK and white ink. Exciting added-value solutions can work today. And it’s not just the initial investment; software modules to create additional proftability. So too, are some of the new brand change and improve and updated software is developed, so keeping protection and security printing solutions.up-to-date with the latest in MIS should be important for show Want to diversify into related narrow and mid-web visitors. There are also an increasing number of specialized and opportunities? Then what about the production of small folding niche software packages that are worth keeping an eye on. cartons for the pharmaceutical or health and beauty markets, perhaps the growing applications for shrink sleeves or maybe Automated future fexible packaging. Particularly if it’s work for the same brands Uncertain about what the future holds? Then why not attend the or customers that already source their labels from you. Al the conference session and panel discussion on day one on what the necessary technologies, inks, materials and knowledge can be found automated future looks like. There are also a number of interesting at Labelexpo.master classes on a range of different topics. So, with just a short time to go before the show opens, now is As usual with a Labelexpo show, new and updated presses – the time to fnalize that list of things to see and investigate, who conventional, digital inkjet and toner, as well as hybrid – are to the to talk to, what conference session or master class to attend, agree fore. Quality, performance and output speeds of digital presses what budget is being proposed for investment, how many members continues to evolve and there are now digital presses available of the team will go to Labelexpo, and what information, ideas or for almost any kind of end-use application and performance proposals each of them needs to bring back for fnal discussion.requirement. Use Labelexpo to review the latest models, and Make sure to get the most out of the time spent at the show, see them running. Compare performance between different meet old colleagues, friends, customers, suppliers or association presses, and with the latest fexo technology, and plan the next members and, above all, enjoy the Labelexpo experience and once investment wisely. again marvel at what an incredible industry the label and narrow It is not just the presses themselves that need to be looked at web sector has become.during a visit to Labelexpo. Automation of unwinds and rewinds can aid proftability performance, while the latest print inspection systems today provide a guarantee of perfect results, prevent costly For more Mike Fairley columns, go to customer rejections and deliver impressive returns on investment. www.labelsandlabeling.com/contributors/michael-fairleyConsiderations that few converters can afford to ignore. Make sure Jul - Sep 2022