86 | Label Industry Global Awards 2023LABEL INDUSTRY GLOBAL AWARDS 2023 WINNERS REVEALEDLabel Industry Global Awards 2023 winners were announced during the frst evening of Labelexpo Europe 2023 at Brussels Expo, Akanksha Meena reportsow in its 18th edition, the Label Industry Global Awards “THIS AWARD RECOGNIZES MALCOLM recognize organizations and individuals who have excelled in the label and package printing sector through innovation and NRAE’S UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION, THROUGH personal example.The Label Industry Global Awards 2023 judging panel consisted GEW, TO THE NARROW WEB INDUSTRY’S of Philippe Voet, president of Finat; Tim McDonough, TLMI chairman; Chelsea McDougall, editor of Labels & Labeling; TRANSITION TO UV CURING”Greg Hrinya, editor of Label & Narrow Web; and Jean Poncet, editor of Etiq & Pack. The judging panel was chaired by Andy Thomas-Emans, strategic director of the Informa (Tarsus) labels barcode-driven automated job change will reduce makeready times and packaging group. and waste, making for a more sustainable fnishing solution.This year, there were a total of seven awards: the Global Tom Schouten, the operational manager at Geostick in the Achievement Award, the Global Team Achievement Award, the Netherlands, won the Rising Star Award. Innovation Award for companies with up to 300 employees, the The judges were impressed with his drive and passion for process Innovation Award for companies with more than 300 employees, optimization and continuous improvement which set him out as a the Rising Star Award, the Sustainability Award and Converter of future industry leader.the Year. ‘Now 30 years old and with only four years of working The Team Achievement Award was introduced and was awarded experience in the business, he has managed a process of rapid to Mercian Labels and its partners Screen, Cerm and ABG for their change at Geostick. overseeing the successful integration of digital six-year ‘lights-out’ converting project. The award recognizes the technologies, with the result that Tom’s responsibilities now critical importance of teamwork and is open to industry suppliers, extend to plant manager and overseeing operations at the two converters and end users. Geostick plants. Tom has worked closely with external partners, The judges were impressed with this six-year team project led by who already regard him as a thought leader. He takes an active role Mercian Labels which set out to achieve a fully automated ‘lights in Finat discussions for moving the industry forward to a new era of out’ workfow for converting digitally printed self-adhesive label automation. All these qualities make Tom a worthy winner of the rolls without any operator intervention. This involved Mercian Rising Star award,’ the judges say.Labels working closely with a team of suppliers including ABG, Schouten comments: ‘After four years it’s great to be here Cerm and Screen. [at Labelexpo Europe 2023] and it is an amazing feeling to win The judges noted that the fact this has been achieved, with this award. These last four years have been hectic for the label on-the-fy automated changeovers creating only 3 meters of waste, makes an important contribution to the future development of the labels industry. Lintec Corporation won the Innovation Award for companies with more than 300 employees. This award is for the development of a specifc innovation by a supplier or converter company in 2022.The Label Awards judging panel said: ‘Lintec impressed the judges with its new polyester-based adhesive, which will greatly assist in the development of a circular materials economy by assisting in the clean separation of PET container waste.’A typical PET/acrylic PS label contains around 20 percent acrylic, which will contaminate the PET recycling stream. Lintec’s polyester-based mono-material labelstock, by contrast, consists of more than 95 percent polyester resin.Along with this, Lintec has developed a top coat that allows printing inks to delaminate in a container recycling system. The Innovation Award for companies with up to 300 employees went to Cartes who impressed the judges with its fully automated end-to-end digital embellishment line, which integrates inkjet embellishment, digital metalization and laser die-cutting modules. At a time when label converters are facing a skilled labor crisis, any development that replaces operators with automation is to be welcomed. Furthermore, integrating several digital fnishing processes Malcolm Rae, founder of GEW, won the Global Achievement Awardwithout the requirement to change tooling and with labelsandlabeling.com