THE DATA FRONT

contents |5
digital summit
leader
50 Flying colors
A report from Dutch converter Geostick, one of the first beta
users of HP Indigo’s WS6000 press
68 Focus on Mexico
Globalization has created the opportunity for Mexican
converters to improve their businesses and drive towards
increased product quality
97 Substrates and
adhesives
L&L rounds up the latest products
and innovations in substrates and
adhesives
101 Slitters and
rewinders
L&L rounds up recent product
developments and installations in the
area of slitters and rewinders
106 Offset opportunities
Developments in web offset are
making it more attractive for shorter
runs and increasing in-line options
regulars
11 Inbox
12 News
22 new products
28 Environmental
News
31 Label Exposure
41 Event Diary
120 Corporate
Culture
It is not often one returns from a conference with
completely changed expectations about the
future of the label industry. But the Digital Label
Summit held in Barcelona in March was just
such an occasion.
Delegates heard success stories from
converters from around the world with different
levels of digital integration with their conventional
businesses, including a whole new generation of
fully digital label converters which not only have
no conventional equipment, but do not even
have a sales force, finding prospects, uploading
customer jobs and proofing over specially
developed websites.
At a time when converters are cutting back
on their travel and marketing spends, it was
heartening to see over 250 delegates, all of
whom spent the networking breaks and evening
events enthusiastically discussing a radically
different future vision.
Even for converters who run digital operations
alongside their conventional businesses,
digital presses were generally running at
more profitable levels and were increasing the
companies’ ability to expand or consolidate their
conventional business.
The other key take-away was the growing
sophistication not just of the digital presses
now on the market – and the inkjet systems
now approaching market – but of the workflow
systems which allow digital presses to operate
as a seamless part of existing conventional
workflows. MIS plug-ins can even select
automatically against given criteria which jobs
should go to conventional platemaking and
which to the digital press.
A thoughtful note was struck about whether
end users might eventually take digital printing
of labels and packaging in-house. Some of the
inkjet vendors had already been asked to look at
pilot projects.
A highlight was definitely the active contribution
of Paul France, responsible globally for printing
innovation at Proctor & Gamble, who finally
dispelled any myths that the major brand
owners are not interested in digital. France
– set to become a regular contributor to L&L –
encouraged label converters to become true
experts in their field and to bring innovative
digital solutions to P&G.
Andy Thomas
Group Managing Editor
athomas@labelsandlabeling.com
may 2009 | L&L