Page 28 - Print21 Nov-Dec 2020

Label Printing
AccurioLabel
opportunity
Printers using the Konica Minolta AccurioLabel 230 digital labels press have seen volumes rise by 24 per cent during Covid, and the company says there are compelling reasons why the market is set to continue to grow, offering opportunities. Wayne Robinson reports.
Estimates from the Smithers report, The Future of Label Printing to 2024, indicate that Australasia’s share
of the total printed label market makes up approximately 1.4
per cent of the global market. This
is forecast to reach the equivalent of 13.2 billion A4 prints in 2020, with a value of $840m, growing at a healthy 3.6 per cent year on year to 2024 to $945m. Smithers also forecasts that digital print processes in Australasia will continue to grow, and will make up approximately 23 per cent of total print volume by 2024.
Print business owners looking to develop new market opportunities away from general commercial print will be looking at those figures
– which don’t include any Covid spike. This spike has seen local label production rise by a whopping 24 per cent during the pandemic.
Tatjana Ferguson at Konica Minolta corroborates the forecast. “The feedback from Konica Minolta head office label division, and
what we are seeing locally, is that despite the Covid challenges, label print volumes continued to grow throughout April, May, and June, with July being a record month,” Ferguson says.
“Feedback we are getting is that the shift to digital label production has been fast-tracked, with label converters needing to meet increased demands for short run labels with less human touch. Despite, or as a result of Covid, we have seen that label volumes have grown, there
has been an increase in production lead times as a result of supply chain issues and increase in demand, and an increase in demand for local production.
“We are also seeing other drivers including a need for agility of production, an increase in e-commerce, an increase demand
for health and safety messaging, an increased focus on single use and sustainability, a new focus on focus on localisation and Australia made, and a need for supply chain efficiencies.”
According to Konica Minolta, label convertors are recognising
that they need to be more agile and ready for the new normal in printing processes, by shifting from analogue to digital production, to meet the market need.
Ferguson says, “The need to reduce or eliminate label stock on a shelf, reduce the time to market, and improve supply chain efficiencies have all been compelling reasons for the expedited shift to digital label production. In addition, on demand or just-in-time production, the ability to produce short-run label proofs, and test marketing of labels, have also proven to be of benefit to our AccurioLabel customers.
“Other factors that will continue to drive digital label growth include (from a recent KM webinar on digital label production) an ageing population, demands from the health care sector, an increasing demand for smaller pack size
and convenience, together with increased and changing legislative requirements,” Ferguson says.
All this, she says, points to a real opportunity for print businesses of
all kinds to enter labels with a digital print solution. “Digital label printing on the Konica Minolta AccurioLabel 230 gives the label manufacturer the ability to offer shorter run lengths and flexible delivery times, and ability to attract new customers and enter new markets, and ultimately make more money,” Ferguson says. 21
Above right
Print quality and substrate compatibility: labels printed on the Konica Minolta AccurioLabel 230
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AccurioLabel 230
The new AccurioLabel 230 digital label press has been built on Konica Minolta’s AccurioPress engine technology, which is valued for its print quality and substrate compatibility.
Konica Minolta says the AccurioLabel 230 is suited to printers looking for added capability, or moving
into digital production wanting the technology’s productivity, stability, and features that fuel critical thinking around business applications and profitability.
The AccurioLabel 230 will run at 23.4 metres a minute and print 1000m continuously. Konica Minolta says the press takes approximately half the amount of time as regular label presses to print four 300m jobs. There is no warm-up time. The fuser will be kept warm for up to 30 minutes between jobs, meaning printers can eliminate time required for warm-ups prior to printing. This also helps reduce waste.
It can overprint on pre-printed media. For example, it can overprint flexo white pre-printed on clear PP labels. An inbuilt speed detector for media feeding also helps printers further reduce paper waste.
Tatjana Ferguson says, “The AccurioLabel 230 is a significant milestone in Konica Minolta’s four- year presence in the label market. Developed with customer demand in mind, the label press is set to offer major benefits in label printing and design.”