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COMMENT: EMBRACE THE CHANGE, SAYS LEADING EUROPEAN LABEL PRINTING BOSS
Isidore Leiser CEO of Stratus Packaging, one
of the leading European label converters using both conventional and digital technologies to transform the label industry, says change must be embraced.
“The biggest contest in labels is the confrontation between printing techniques: flexo, offset, helio and the new digital
rising star. In the context of increased demand for more sustainability, quality, shorter delivery times and reduced costs,
all printing technologies are improving and innovation can move applications from one printing technology to another. Watch out for those who only believe in one printing technology (their own) and don’t appreciate or understand the advantages of others.
I expect major changes to come for all printing processes as they need to improve efficiency, waste management, quality and also reduce their environmental impact significantly. Something to have in mind
is that traditional print techniques are
becoming more digital, with sensors all
over the machines and taking away time- consuming tasks from the operators. For example, digital set-up tools enable printers and converters to be more efficient; cameras and sensors can reduce the set-up time and increases productivity significantly – and all without replacing your current operators.
The digitalisation of our world and our lives is everywhere and is rapidly entering into the print and packaging industry. Digital may be a competitor but it can
also be part of the solution for printers and converters to be more efficient, to calculate in a more precise way their real costs and to integrate physical products into the digital world using, for example, augmented reality. RFID and printed electronics are also opportunities for the print industry to connect with the digital world.
Digital in general, incorporating pre- press, printing and converting in one system, is on the rise with the automation of all the steps of the print-workflow, thereby helping to optimise the entire production floor, and not only the printing part.
And it also links printers and converters better together with their customers and suppliers. In a digital world print can be seamlessly integrated into multichannel communications offering personalisation.
The printing world is made of numerous applications, and with all the innovation and new technologies being made available, the changes happening are
in fact opportunities for printers and converters to reshape their future.
Finally, think beyond the printing-press; it will take more than a new press to
be successful. You need to look at the entire production-chain for print and packaging. Substrate innovations are going to be critical in the coming years. The digitalisation and the automation
of the entire workflow will change
your organisation. New technologies
will require the hiring of new staff and development of new skills. The way you will engage with your clients will change significantly as they are all soon going to be digital natives. So rather than resist the changes, be ready to embrace them.” 21
Business
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In recent years, the flexo industry has staged a fightback and gone through a technical resurgence
of its own, including efficiency gains, automation of press set-up and better standardisation of the process. It has also got more vocal and better at fighting its corner. Its marketing efforts have improved to highlight the strengths of flexo in the 21st Century.
As a result, the reality on the factory floor today is that digital and analogue are entirely complementary print processes. This is realised through the growing amount of hybrid options available – full hybrid, true hybrid, integrated hybrid – that combine the best of both processes, as well as the capacities that have been freed up and created.
By taking the burden off a flexo press to print short runs when implementing a digital printing workflow, for example, label printers can increase the amount of volume work they put through their Gallus/ Mark Andy/Nilpeter/MPS/Bobst press. Similarly, digital presses are now able to take on longer runs, leaving a flexo press free to produce
the highest value jobs, perhaps.
This maximises OEE and hastens the ROI, for both digital and analogue hardware. For many label printers, this has now opened up new business opportunities, and new markets, to them that they may have previously been unable to service.
One such opportunity has been digitally printed flexible packaging. Flexible packaging is a widely spoken about open goal for label printers. Technical challenges remain in this area given the greater demands placed upon primary packaging
and how it relates to established
label printing technologies such as UV, although work is ongoing in the supply chain to mitigate and alleviate such concerns.
Further, a growing amount of hardware is now available to permit fast turnaround of digitally printed flexible packaging constructions, printed using either aqueous inkjet or toner technologies and suited to print-for-use business models.
DIGITAL PACKAGING.
There remains a need for education amongst label printers as flexible packaging materials and end uses are entirely different. That being
Maximising OEE and hastening ROI: digital print systems
said, it’s likely we’ll see more and more label converters moving into flexible packaging as opportunities present themselves.
Adding value is another area
of opportunity for label printers deploying digital. In the ongoing battle to win at the Moment of Truth and offer the greatest shelf appeal, more systems are being introduced
to enhance and embellish digitally printed labels, with either post-print analogue processes, or newer digital- native systems, that can apply foils, varnishes and other visual effects, as well as haptic elements to appeal to consumers’ desire to touch and feel.
As such the label industry is well placed to embrace the next iteration of digital transformation, coupling its ingrained knowledge of digital printing coupled with a capacity
to adapt and change. Rather than being fretful, the label industry is looking forward to how digital can future-proof business and is ready to embrace all the opportunities this will present.
*David Pittman is the editor of Digital Labels & Packaging. This article was produced for use by drupa 2024. 21
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