June Drupa Print Packaging Innovation Asia

Print - Packaging INNOVATION Asia

Serving Printing, Packaging and Publishing Industries across Asia Pacific since 1985 Issue 6 2024

So what’s next?

Douglas Mooney, Head of Equipment Solutions Asia Pacific Region & Thomas Frank, Managing Director Asia Pacific Region, from Heidelberg talk about what’s next after drupa - Page 14

Part 1 of our full drupa 24 coverage in this issue

23rd

ASIAN PACKAGING EXCELLENCE AWARDS: 2024

In this issue

Issue 6 - 2024

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My views and thoughts about drupa 24.

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Celebrating the global print industry: Record

number of deals signed at drupa 2024

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Expectations surpassed with flying colours

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So what’s next?

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Packsize and EFI launch X5 Nozomi, Industry’s first

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full-colour, erected box solution at drupa

Gallus One - new levels of modularity, versatility &

flexibility for converters

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Miraclon drives flexo growth at drupa 24

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Canon demonstrated its commitment to become a major player in digitally printed labels & packaging

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XSYS impresses at drupa

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W&H presents new digital printing concept: flexo meets digital

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The 2024 ASIAN PRINT AWARDS entry form

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31 Winners on the Global Innovation Print Awards

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Konica Minolta celebrates drupa success wi

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Print industry stays on course :Digitalisation and sustainability are central topicsth 200-plus show-sales

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FUJIFILM Business Innovation Asia Pacific - 33 winners on the Innovation Print Awards

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“The Visitors were Impressed by our Showing”

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Study confirms print advertising’s profit creating power

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Asian Packaging Excellence Awards Entry Form

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Study confirms print advertising’s profit creating power

Print - Packaging INNOVATION

Asia Magazine

Published by Asian Print Awards Management Pte Ltd 65 Chulia Street #46-23 OCBC Centre 049513 Singapore Print Innovation Asia Labels and Packaging Innovation Asia Asian Print Awards Packageing Excellence Awards Label and Packaging Conferences Publisher Paul Callaghan paul@printinnovationasia.com Editorial

Elizabeth Liew elizabeth@printinnovationasia.com

Packaging Sales Elizabeth Liew elizabeth@printinnovationasia.com

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

My views and thoughts

I have been doing the trip to Dusseldorf Germany and drupa nine times in my

first drupa in 1986, then 1990. 1995, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and now th

8 year gap due to COVID. Following are my views on the event just held, enjo our drupa coverage. caught up with, some over coffee, dinner or just a 5-minute chat in the halls/ walkways, thanks for your time. And of all the different points of view that I heard during these moments, they were sort of the same as mine. Drupa is a must on anyone’s wish list for exhibitions.

While some other exhibitions have come and gone, drupa is firmly established as the pinnacle and, in my view, it will never lose this position, even as the industry forms a new shape and direction looking into the future of the print industry.

Welcome to Part 1 of this issue.

First, to all of the hundreds of people I

A massive congratulations to the very visible Sabine Geldermann, Director

f

Well, drupa 24, the world’s largest printrelated show, came and went; I’m thrilled I travelled the distance to visit after an 8-year break due to COVID. This event, which has been a cornerstone of the print industry for decades, provides a unique platform for industry professionals, exhibitors, and visitors to connect, learn, and showcase the latest innovations. Following are my thoughts and impressions from ground zero, and after walking all the halls for over 7 days, I think I’m qualified to have my say!

of Drupa, Portfolio Print Technologies and her ‘A” team; all your hard work has paid off. Also, kudos to the Messe Dusseldorf Asia people who seemed to be everywhere getting ready for PPi and CorruTec Asia in Bangkok next year. This event, with its diverse range of exhibitors and visitors, is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the print industry, and it’s exciting to see how it will continue to shape the future of our industry.

Snapshot - things I saw and heard during my 7 days.

1. I have never seen so many running shoes being worn by so many people at a trade show. If this were a marathon competition, I would understand (which it really is). So, the “you must wear comfortable shoes” message got across to 95% of both exhibitors and visitors.

On an average day, most of us were doing well over 10,000 steps (Current guidelines suggest that most adults should aim for about 10,000 steps per day), and on one day, I did just over 28,000 steps!

2. It was not quite the “drupa city” of past years; I saw no trams or taxis with the drupa logos, no flags everywhere in the city, and only around the expo halls.

Sausages, Burgers and Chicken everywhere, some said its ‘Good Shit!’

3. Almost all the exhibitors said that the quality of visitors was very high, and while most “show” sales were prearranged, they still looked good. I did hear of several on-stand show sales or letters of intent inked at the exhibition.

4. I witnessed a rather unexpected incident - a heated argument that almost escalated into a fistfight between a gate entrance security guard and someone trying to get into the show, claiming his pass was valid but not working. The guard was adamant, and I was shocked that it had escalated to this level. It’s not a good visual reference

s about drupa 24.

y indusrty life, with my

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

5

By Paul Callaghan - Publisher

he 2024 show after an

oy it as this is part 1 or for people entering the halls. It was at the main entrance to Hall 1.

I would have thought some expo manager or high-ranking officer should have stepped in and taken control, but it went on for over 45 minutes! This incident, while unfortunate, was a stark reminder of the challenges and tensions that can arise in such high-pressure events.

5. S.E Asia/North Asia visitors were everywhere. This is an excellent sign that we are now not to be taken for granted.

You could only walk up to 5 feet without seeing visitors from these parts of the world; we all took the time and extra travel distance to attend Drupa. The weather was up and down - rain most days, cloudy some days and then clear skies in between, all good for keeping inside the halls most days 6. The Altstadt was doing brisk business, but I have seen it much busier in the past Drupa shows. You could still find hotel rooms if you needed to. I checked online on the second day, which is unusual for Drupa. But then the numbers show trade visitors were down about 90,000—down on the Drupa 2016 figure of 260,165 in total. That’s why you could still find rooms and enter restaurants at the last minute.

7. The stand that was most memorable, in my view, was the Heidelberg stand. It was always packed with people who were interested in their new technology, such as their advanced offset printing solutions.

I also saw crowds at the FUJIFILM stand and on Canon, KM, EFI, XSYS, and Miraclon stand, where they were showcasing their latest digital printing and imaging technologies. In fact, the leading industry names were busy most days, demonstrating the industry’s continued innovation and evolution.

However, I want to say that some of the manufacturer’s stands were sadly underwhelming, and their stands were not easy to navigate, and reception didn’t know the people I was asking to see or catch up with. One manufacturer was even the producer of bad print on a giveaway sample - with a barcode that was just, um, suspect! (this was posted on LinkedIn and caused quite a stir and backed up with hard facts!).

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

I walked away from one hall when the door monitors (yikes) wanted to scan my badge. When I explained it was a press pass and had no commercial value in terms of sales but was big in terms of getting their brand message to our readers across Asia, they still insisted on scanning me. Well, I walked away. But then I went back a few days later to find no one scanning badges anymore. Explain that one to me!

8. Talking to some major manufacturers, they told me that several of their large customers rejected a travel visa to visit Germany and Drupa at the last minute.

They were somewhat angry about this as it was important for them to see firsthand some of the new products running live for the first time to the public.

I want to clarify this: this is not a Messe Dusseldorf or Drupa problem; it is with the German Immigration process. I was told that the organiser would continue to lobby for the process to be made easier, considering how big and multinational these companies who were rejected are, but that’s not the point of the size of the company; it just seems some get in, and some don’t for no apparent reason? I hope this is improved by the time drupa 2028 comes around.

9. There were so many Chinese exhibitor stands selling everything from A-Z at the show. While this was interesting, it must be buyer beware! Many do not have agents or are not represented in our part of the world. I fear that some will buy based on the price and only look short-term. I have and continue to hear many terrifying

conversations about equipment just not doing what they were told it would do.

Please always think twice before you sign off on some of these “ghost” companies.

10.

Industry Associations were everywhere and brought many tour-like companies to the show, as well as outside visits to various company sites. It’s great to see Associations being so proactive again.

If you would like to share your views and opinions, please feel free to email me at paul@printinnovationasia.com. I’m always interested in seeing how others saw Drupa 24. Following is the official closing statement from the organisers and some photos I grabbed during my time there as well.

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Celebrating the global print industry:

Record number of deals signed at drupa 2024

drupa 2024 exceeded all expectations. It received top marks from visitors from all over the world, who left the trade fair with new ideas and clear prospects for the future. Numerous contracts signed and technological innovations inspired the print and packaging industry. drupa 2024 in Düsseldorf, the world’s No. 1 trade fair for printing technologies, drew to a successful close on 7 June after eleven days. It impressively demonstrated the progress of an entire sector and gave proof of the operational excellence of the industry. 1,643 exhibitors from 52 nations presented an outstanding showcase of innovations in the Düsseldorf exhibition halls and thrilled the trade visitors with unforgettable performances. The international share of the visitors was 80%, with attendees coming from 174 countries - a record figure.

After Europe, Asia was the most strongly represented region with 22%, followed

by America with 12%. Asia as well as Latin America and the MENA region are markets with great growth potential, which was reflected in the significant increase in exhibitors' presence and order books. Many key players, such as Bobst, Canon, Fujifilm, , HP, Horizon, Koenig & Bauer, Komori Konica Minolta, Kurz and

Landa, reported having signed contracts that significantly exceeded expectations.

In some cases, the sales targets set were already achieved in the first few days of the trade fair.

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Erhard Wienkamp, Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf, is highly satisfied with the course of the trade fair: “drupa has underpinned its position as the industry’s leading trade fair and its unique appeal in a remarkable way. The impressive international flair and, above all, the high decision-making competence of the visitors ensured in-depth and wellfounded technical discussions at the trade fair stands on the one hand and many direct investment decisions on the other. Our exhibitors told us about largevolume purchase agreements.”

Dr Andreas Pleßke, Chairman of the drupa Committee, emphasised the exceptional position and relevance of drupa: “drupa stands for new approaches and new technologies like no other trade fair. It is not only the largest, but also the most important global platform for our industry, because the entire printing and post-press industry meets at the worldleading trade fair. It has been invaluable for generating leads. Nowhere else offers the opportunity to make so many new international contacts from all over the world in such a short space of time in one place.”

Industry decision-makers highly satisfied Exhibitors praised the high level of decision-making competence of visitors.

They, in turn, gave top marks to the range of products and services on offer in the 18 exhibition halls. Around 96% of all visitors confirmed that they had fully achieved the objectives associated with their visit. At over 50%, most of them came from the printing industry, followed by the packaging industry, whose share has increased significantly and which was the focus of many exhibitors as a growth driver. Many well-known brand owners were welcomed at the trade fair stands.

In total, 170,000 trade visitors attended drupa 2024. (NOTE - down about 90,000 visitors on the Drupa 2016 figure of 260,165 in total) Digitalisation as a determining factor Automation took centre stage at this year’s drupa, with a strong focus on AI and smart workflows, including software solutions. It became clear that digital and analogue technologies ideally complement and benefit from each other.

Traditional industry leaders presented a wide range of digital solutions, while digital pioneers integrated conventional

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Sustainable technologies in focus Technology is the key to achieving sustainability goals - exhibitors at drupa illustrated this with numerous practice-orientated developments and concrete solutions. Top priority is given to resource efficiency and the path to a functioning circular economy. In addition, Touchpoint Sustainability from the VDMA, the German Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers’ Association, showcased current state of the art innovations, presented best-practice use cases and gave a far-reaching outlook into the future of a sustainable printing industry.

the industry has great potential for the future, even against the backdrop of many challenges, and that the prospects are promising. In the last financial year, the global printing industry achieved a turnover of around EUR 840 billion (source: Smithers) and continues to develop at varying pace worldwide.

“At drupa 2024, we experienced first hand just how relevant and resilient this industry is,” summarises Sabine Geldermann, Director drupa, Portfolio Print Technologies. “The community is determined to set the course for the future together. Exchanging ideas with people from all continents and from all areas of the industry was extremely enriching and inspiring. We were able to welcome around 50 large delegations from various nations, and numerous globally active associations and organisations chose drupa as the ideal setting for their conferences and board meetings.”

components into their offerings. Robotics played an important role in the exhibition halls and illustrated the path towards the smart factory.

Transformation and growth drupa made it abundantly clear that

Together we are stronger. Many new strategic alliances concluded at the trade fair reflected the opportunities that are only possible in such a concentrated form at drupa: meeting market players from other countries around the world in person, using core competences as synergy effects, forming networks and driving the market forward together

Valuable knowledge transfer The extensive supporting programme with its five high-calibre special forums drupa cube, drupa next age (dna) and the Touchpoints Packaging, Textile and Sustainability was very well received. In times of constant change and the resulting new business models, they ensured an intensive transfer of knowledge and provided important guidance. Together with its partners, drupa focused on impressive industry expertise and the future topics of its target groups. Guided tours on various key topics rounded off the trade fair experience.

The next drupa will be held in 2028. For more information on drupa go to: www. drupa.com

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Expectations surpassed with flying colours IST METZ impresses at this year's drupa and sets the course for the future with its technological innovations drupa 2024, the most important industry trade fair for us, came to a successful close on 7 June. Driven by the overall success of the trade fair, the IST was also able to return home with a more than satisfactory final result. Our 50 colleagues worked hard to achieve this and diligently presented our latest innovations and a contemporary company image to the more than 8,000 visitors to our stand, which covered more than 400 square metres.

Contract conclusions and promising future prospects included. Preliminary summary: An impressive number of incoming orders and numerous project discussions on hold.

Due to the great demand and direct visitor response, it quickly became clear, as expected, that our innovation trio, consisting of SMARTcure, FREEcure and UV Analyzer, captured the trends of the time and also hit the key points in terms of expectations. IST has demonstrated a keen sense for the requirements of the market, which currently still demands the interplay of digital and analogue technologies. Nevertheless, the trade fair was dominated by buzzwords such as digitalisation, AI and intelligent workflows, including software solutions, and in this way also approached the omnipresent topic of sustainability. In any case, we can justifiably claim that IST still has a significant influence on the state of the art.

Another notable factor was that the packaging industry is still on the rise, and we see great potential here for our patented FREEcure system, whose approach of dispensing with photoinitiators was very well received.

This was clearly illustrated during our 35 print demonstrations, in which we

A very familiar person at drupa from Asia/ Pacific, Oliver Thiele, Managing Director, IST METZ SEA Co., Ltd. demonstrated live three times a day how a modern printing process runs on the Heidelberg Speedmaster and uses UV and LED UV to achieve the desired result, in this case the print job for german brand Haribo, which we will donate to children's hospitals and kindergartens as previously announced.

The cheerful atmosphere and great teamwork at our stand also contributed to the success of the trade fair. Last but not least, this was also thanks to our coexhibitors WEILBURGER Graphics GmbH and Kocher und Beck GmbH + Co. Rotationstanztechnik KG, who rocked the house with us. The uncomplicated and relaxed tone was greatly appreciated by the visitors, which was also reflected in the well-filled rows of our after- work sessions, where one or two after-work beers were enjoyed together.

The handover of the 100,000th light source to the company Peter Wiesendanger medien GmbH was of course also a nice milestone and reason to celebrate - such events speak for themselves and also make us a little proud.

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So what’s next?

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

We talk to Thomas Frank, Managing Director Asia Pacific Region, and Douglas Mooney, Head of Equipment Solutions Asia Pacific Region, Heidelberg about what’s after drupa, and much more enjoy this interview 1 What were your impressions of drupa 24. Good bad or indifferent?

TF: drupa impressions were above my expectations. I still remember 2020/21 when many thought the pandemic may signal the end of the big trade shows and no one could travel and everybody will get all the information from “online” events?

Now that drupa is back to full strength – at least for us Heidelberger’s the mood and motivation of our team has been fantastic, and the feedback from our stand visitors that I talked too was just so positive.

DM: After 8 years it was time for the industry and for Heidelberg to show our latest developments, my impression was a very positive one with our region well represented with visitors, groups and delegations from each country within Asia Pacific participating at Drupa.

Thomas Frank, Managing Director Asia Pacific Region Heidelberg

2 Do you think print is dying, I ask this question as in hall 1 everyday - all your press demonstrations were full to capacity, is this some sort of a sign?

(I honestly did not expect it to be like this) TF: How do I answer this question. Let me start by saying I have dedicated so much time to this industry over manymany years, would I do this if print is dying? Of course not, otherwise I’d have left this industry long ago.

It is far from dying because packaging & label printing is growing, books are alive and a nicely printed advertising item is saying more than fifty e-mails, mostly thrown out by your spam filter. Parents and Governments are increasingly worried

about the addictive use of digital gadgets by the young ones and now promote reading books.

Your doctor is telling you not to use your smartphone or tablet when going to bed – better read a book. All this is good news for print. And I share your impression – I was also pleasantly surprised by the number of visitors on our booth as you can see in the many photos in this interview.

DM: we were thrilled by the overall response at our booth, the daily shows where well attended in fact each day was full to capacity with standing room only.

This sent a strong signal that print in all areas of the industry is alive and well.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

3 Did you get the chance to walk around some of the other halls and see what is being offered by other vendors or hear what was going on.

TF: Unlike journalists, I unfortunately had very little chance to get a full overview on what was exhibited as I was busy on our booth from morning till late night.

But from a quick walk through the halls and from what I hear I’d say drupa’24

demonstrated ‘innovative evolution’ rather than disruptions. But again, no chance to investigate each corner of the halls and there may be some products, services, or ideas I simply missed.

DM: I unfortunately had no chance to see any of the other show highlights as the volume of visitors coming to the Heidelberg booth meant that we had back to back meetings almost for the full duration of the show. The main theme for the show was digitalization through an efficient workflow and a digital ecosystem, sustainability and regulation, addressing the skill shortage in the workforce and finally competitiveness through performance. We demonstrated the key messages through our key Drupa Slogan “Unfold your potential” 4 Where does the product offering from Heidelberg stand now, do you think you have got what the industry needs in. (you can really expand this answer per category below) A) Pre-Press and Workflow.

TF: With our Prinect workflow and the Heidelberg Customer Portal which extents Prinect beyond production workflow we are well placed in the market. Workflow is where the overall productivity of a print shop is determined. It is not about gaining seconds changing a printing plate automatically on a press. It is about eliminating idle times, eliminating lack of

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unwanted info and lack of material in the entire production chain, end to end.

DM: With the Heidelberg Prinect workflow, we can fully address the reduction of production touchpoints to significantly fewer steps. Additionally, the Prinect workflow allows for a seamless end to end production from design through machine set up to performance data and cloud analytics. This gives the user all required information of the entire production chain through a single source.

Our workflow and software evolution continued at drupa with the launch of the new Prinect Touchfree system. This is an amazing highlight for us, we demonstrated effectively a complete intelligent workflow integration with Artificial intelligence AI for our Hybrid workflow automation.

It includes an automated job pathfinder for measuring machine capacity, suitability and availability for each job, followed by the decision making for which output system (offset or digital) is available in the factory to produce the print job and finally an auto scheduling of the production jobs.

B) Offset.

TF: Sheetfed offset is our DNA. For the two important format classes B1 and B2 we offer two product lines each – CX and XL and thus have a scalable offering which allows our customers to find the optimum configuration tailored to their needs and budget.

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Masterwork allows our customers to choose from a wide range of die cutters, folder gluers and inspection systems. And with our brand-new Boardmaster, we offer wide-web flexo with highest speed and zero make ready waste. With that wide range of solutions we reach mass producers looking for lowest costs per blank as well as producers of high-end quality packs and labels with special effects and embellishing.

Douglas Mooney, Head of Equipment Solutions Asia Pacific Region Heidelberg Year by year we spend a lot of R&D money to take these press lines to the next level and the number of units sold underlines that it is worthwhile to do so. Some say this is a shrinking market. Of course, as each new press model produces so much more output than the previous ones.

At the same time an older Speedmaster doesn’t disappear. Heidelberg quality allows profitable production with 2nd and even 3rd hand machines and good reselling prices.

DM: Our Order intake at Drupa showed that the demand for our offset presses remains high on a global level. In Asia in particular Drupa orders greatly exceeded our expectations. This clearly demonstrates that our comprehensive sheetfed and digital offering with customizable solutions remains as a high investment priority for our customers.

This was reinforced by the response of thousands of visitors who attended the events at our Technology center at the Heidelberg showroom in Wiesloch C) Packaging TF: Our packaging solution starts with dedicated Prinect software for package design, covers specialty press configurations for embellishing and includes peripherals such as FoilStar and CutStar.

Our strong partnership with MK

DM: I think our global partnership with MK Masterwork was one of the highlights of Drupa for us. Showing an end to end workflow of our equipment including the Generation 2024 XL 106, the CX 104 at a partner IST and a comprehensive packaging finishing line including die cutters, logistics, automated folder gluers and inspection systems at Drupa we showed that Heidelberg offers a comprehensive folding carton offering for all sizes of convertors.

However, the real attraction was the outstanding performance of the new Boardmaster which we showed in our Wiesloch plant with a mind blowing 600m per minute production speed. This is the equivalent to 51,000 Sph in 70x100 format. This left a real “Wow” experience for our visitors.

D) Post press TF: With Stahlfolders and Polar Cutting Systems we focus on the need of both Commercial and Packaging & Label Printers. An increasing lack of labour and an ageing workforce in many countries

led us to offering enhanced automation, robots and cobots. While many printers have already upgraded their pre-press and pressroom, in the post press area there is still a lot of potential for rationalisation.

DM: The response to our automated commercial print production show at Drupa was outstanding, we demonstrated a completely automated production of printing plates, high performance “Push to Stop” 21K speed 2 side perfecting printing and an automated folding line with robotics. There was a single operator in the entire production chain. Reinforcing our key theme of addressing skill shortages in the workforce.

E) Digital Print TF: We are no stranger to digital print however it hasn’t been the centre of our activities. This is going to change. With the Gallus Labelfire inkjet label press we already have a dozen installations in Asia Pacific with more to come as we just launched the new Gallus One which complements the Labelfire inkjet line.

And then we have our Versafire B3 toner press for commercial printers which we are selling in Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia.

But the real milestone for the Commercial Print segment is our new global cooperation with Canon which will result in the offering of the Heidelberg Jetfire B3 and B2 family. We just announced this cooperation at drupa and start shipping the B3 inkjet press named Heidelberg Jetfire 50 to customers as of the first

Jetfire 50 from HEIDELBERG: productive and reliable in B3 sheet format now available.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

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The next big thing.

In Flexo.

Level up Zero changeover time and non-stop productivity for maximum efficiency.

Oct 2022

Designed to make the most of your time: Our new Boardmaster combines non-stop production with easy operation for a new experience in flexo printing. › heidelberg.com/boardmaster

Heidelberger Heidelberg Asia Druckmaschinen Pte Ltd AG Kurfuersten-Anlage 159 Kampong Ampat,52#05-02 – 60, 69115 Paeonia Heidelberg, Place, Singapore Germany368328 Phone +49 +65 6221 6929 92-00, 5320, heidelberg.com/sg heidelberg.com

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

quarter of 2025. First letters of intent have been signed already with printers from Asia Pacific.

Then, a few months later, the B2 inkjet model, the Heidelberg Jetfire 75, will follow. Jetfire is based on inkjet technology from Canon which is already tried and tested in the B3 format. Of course, we will integrate the Jetfire family into our Prinect workflow. This way, we offer our customers a true hybrid print solution: integrated offset and inkjet technologies which increase a commercial printshop’s profitability.

But just integrating digital print into our existing Prinect workflow we found a bit too conventional and thus added the newly developed option of Prinect Touch Free.

Its functionality includes automatically finding the fastest and most efficient route from the job to the finished product. All technically possible production paths are stored in the system. Hence, rescheduling can be carried out immediately, even from offset to digital or vice versa.

Bottomline, our customers have two advantages: the new high-performance Jetfire 50 producing up to 2.5 million SRA3 duplex sheets per month and Prinect Touch Free for most economic printing either in offset or digital. All Jetfire models will be supported by Heidelberg Service and we will also deliver our Saphira inks.

5 Do you feel that the packaging industry seems to be getting overloaded by almost every vendor seeming to now have products in the

A world premiere at drupa 2024 eration of the Speedmaster XL cent higher productivity than th sector, from labels to carton/board to digital solutions. How is Heidelberg situated here in Asia/Pacific TF: It is the nature of business that a growing market demand is generating a growing supply with additional players.

And Packaging is growing. The best example: around year 2000 we were dominating the commercial print market with our GTO and Speedmaster presses, for packaging we just had the CD 102.

Nowadays, more than two third of our revenue in Asia Pacific is generated by Packaging & Label printers.

Is there an overload of vendors? Yes, I’d say so, specifically in packaging converting.

Not everybody may survive but when it comes to our own position, I am absolutely confident that we will continue to grow in the Packaging & Label segment.

DM: Packaging is our growth segment in the Asia Pacfic region where population demographics continue to support growth in packaging. Many packaging companies have diversified to specialize in specific market niche segments, such as short run high value packaging, or producing FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) packaging in high volumes more effectively with process improvements with higher performance equipment and more automated scalable workflows. In short, the packaging segment remains a key focus for us at Heidelberg despite the competitive landscape.

6: What about embellishment, seems people like Scodix, MGI and others are really taking off. What is Heidelberg doing here to keep up to pace.

Leading print house Thung Hua Sinn (Thailand) confirmed order for seven new Speedmaster XL 75 with HEIDELBERG at drupa 2024. Seen here after the signing enjoying the Heidelberg hospitality

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Chinese manufacturers offering machines which will have their market segments.

But we know China very well as it is our biggest single market, and we have our own factory there. We can see what will work and what won’t. And if there is an excellent solution, like the converting solutions of MK Masterworks, then we are eager to partner with such a highly professional manufacturer.

DM: Not at all, somethings can be copied on the outside but not on the inside. We have also a ultra-modern manufacturing facility in China both at Heidelberg and at MK masterworks, In fact our Shanghai production site offers exactly the same precision manufacturing as our German production sites.

4 – the new Peak Performance gen106, which achieves up to 20 perhe previous generation.

TF: Embellishment for sheetfed offset and Gallus narrow web is daily business for us, here are hardly any wishes left open. When it comes to digital print, we are just ramping up our offerings for the label and commercial markets. And first things first, let’s focus on print and then take the next step.

DM: Digital embellishment effectively supports ultra short run lengths of 1 and above, we are in the business of embellishing thousands of blanks, our fully automated coating systems on our Sheetfed presses and our hot/coldfoil transfer solutions address this market.

6 There were many, and I mean many Chinese manufactures selling everything at drupa, some almost direct copies of products already available in the market for the major brands. Does this worry a company like Heidelberg?

TF: No, it doesn’t worry us. It was more worrisome when we went to ChinaPrint in the early 2000’s and saw Shanghai Electric, Beiren and others trying to build high-end sheetfed offset presses and we didn’t know where it will end. Well, now we know, the biggest Sheetfed offset press manufacturer in China is Heidelberg.

It will be different in finishing, flexo and inkjet. In these areas there are and will be

7 What is the next stage in the printing industry life, what do we need to look out for, where should we look to invest or be aware off, TF: To whoever I talk to, in whatever country, availability of skilled workforce becomes the number one problem.

Effective workforce management in the Printshop is getting a competitive factor.

For us, as one of the biggest suppliers to the industry, the goal must be to offer solutions mitigating the problem.

On one hand we must work on the full automation of some steps in the print production chain so that no manual intervention is required anymore. Robotics in finishing or fully automatic printing plate supply as we showed at drupa are examples for this. Then, by means of AI, we simplify setting of a complex press to the optimum so that a less qualified or less experienced operator can run it without problem.

And finally helping our customers to make the work environment in print operations more attractive – eliminate dust, monotonous routines and overly strenuous work such as restacking. The Heidelberg StackStar C shown at drupa is an effective means for easing such work.

Sustainability in print production is another crucial topic. This is not what you can call a luxury problem. With rising costs of energy and paper or other substrates sustainability is getting a competitive factor. Waste reduction is key and a Speedmaster CX or XL with InpressControl offers dramatic relief. Take

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energy consumption: in a Speedmaster of the 2024 generation we have reduced the energy requirement by up to 40% per thousand sheets compared to what was the standard some 20 years ago.

But of course, sustainability is far more than a cost topic. Government regulations or pledges from brand owners drive it, too. Take the Single Use Plastic Directive of the European Union which drives the move from plastic to carton board.

Limited to Europe? Surely not. Countries in Asia will follow. Indonesia, for instance, bans single use plastic by end of 2029.

What is bad news for some sectors of print is good news for others. The use of folding cartons will grow.

DM: The industry will continue to evolve, there is of course a continuous growing demand for short run production with automated workflow and Inkjet as a growing media. Offset machines continue to develop, we like to call them “Digital Offset machines” as they are completely integrated within a digital workflow and think about it.

One offset Speedmaster XL 106-8P similar to what was shown at Drupa can produce up to 1.6 Bio A4 prints per year (100 Mio 8 up pages both side printed).

That eats up an enormous capacity of print consumption, so the message in commercial would be, modernize and invest in the technology which is suitable for your business requirements whether inkjet, toner of offset. For packaging the continued drive to sustainability will play an even greater role in the future.

TF: At Heidelberger Druckmaschinen we will have our 175 years anniversary next year. We’ve seen many trends, sustainable ones and less sustainable ones. We’ve seen technologies succeeding and failing.

Hence, I’d say, it is so important to stay vigilant and keep eyes and ears open rather than worrying about the next industry disruption which may come sooner or later.

You need to have your strategy but don’t be dogmatic, rather stay flexible every day.

Many of our customers are ‘winners of the crises’ not because they are visionaries but just smart.

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Packsize and EFI launch first full-colour, erected b From blank corrugated to a beautifully decorated, full-color, on-demand, right-sized box in as little as 6 seconds Packsize®, the market leader in sustainable, right-sized, on-demand packaging, and EFI™, a global technology company leading the worldwide transformation from analog to digital imaging, today announced their collaboration on the world’s first on-demand box system that integrates full-color printing on boxes using a single automated solution.

The X5 Nozomi system combines Packsize’s X5® fully-automated, Right-

sized Packaging on Demand® system, part of the Packsize X Series, with EFI’s industry-leading Nozomi single-pass digital inkjet printer line for corrugated.

“The partnership with EFI and the innovation of the X5 Nozomi is a testament to our team’s commitment to reimagining what is possible and empowering brands to truly customize their customers’ unboxing experience,” said David Lockwood, CEO of Packsize.

“No other machine can go from blank corrugated to printed, right-sized, ondemand erected boxes in one solution – and in as little as six seconds per box.”

Taking the manufacturing process from seven complex steps down to one, the X5 Nozomi is automating and simplifying box production. The opportunities enabled by this solution include: • Moving from plain monochrome boxes to full-color impactful digital printed images • Reducing labor and enabling automation through ready-to-pack erected boxes • Integrate shipping labels, hazmat labels, and other custom labels within the print design • Cost effective, sustainable production “The corrugated box is becoming a more engaging experience. At the same time, unboxing videos are having a rising impact on brands even as digital ad influence declines due to oversaturation and adblocking,” noted Frank Pennisi CEO, EFI. “All this has resulted in boxes as billboards, enabling positive brand experiences for consumers. Essentially, packaging sells a product, which is why EFI partnered with Packsize – to empower brands in elevating their packaging quickly, simply, and costeffectively with the X5 Nozomi.”

The X5 Nozomi addresses increasing consumer and government demand for sustainable packaging. The solution reduces packaging waste caused by oversized boxes,

From left Richard Cotterill - Global Senior Sales Director, Corrugated and Packaging, Paul Sanelli - APAC Business Development Manager Packaging and Evandro Matteucci Vice President/General Manager, Building Materials & Packaging

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

h X5 Nozomi, Industry’s box solution at drupa

negates void filler like plastic air pillows, reduces shipping emissions, and improves the end-consumer's overall experience. By right-sizing boxes, companies can

reduced by approximately 50% compared to analog printing technologies with the elimination of printing plates, ink waste, and overproduction.

minimize their costs and environmental impact associated with extraneous and unneeded corrugated while improving parcel logistics, fitting 66% more boxes on freight and delivery carriers. Leveraging the power of EFI Nozomi digital printing, global warming potential (GWP) is

About Packsize Packsize transforms how businesses and their customers experience packaging – from packing to unboxing. Since introducing Right-sized Packaging on Demand in 2002, Packsize has become a recognized supply chain and sustainable

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packaging industry leader in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific.

As a partner and trusted advisor, Packsize unlocks the hidden potential in its customers’ supply chain and creates custom packaging process flows that consider every step – from the warehouse floor to the customer’s hands. Packsize is reimagining packaging and accelerating the path to a more sustainable future.

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Gallus One - new levels of modularity, versatility & flexibility for converters • New “System to Compose” boosts adaptability to ensure long-term security for printers and converters • Gallus One now offers the integration of further processing units, color extension options and a print width of 430mm • Introduction of Orange and Violet inks developed jointly by HEIDELBERG and Gallus Gallus Group, a subsidiary of Heidelberg, today announces its new concept at drupa 2024, the “System to Compose”.

Committed to the industry in which it operates, Gallus’ new concept addresses current and evolving market needs and provides a lifeline for label printers, unlocking a host of new options across its portfolio.

With enhanced compatibility across its technologies, Gallus’ leading product lines now boast full adaptability, whereby additional units can be seamlessly added, removed or replaced much like instruments within an ensemble – encouraging label printers to “compose your print masterpiece”.

Gallus One now also available in a print width of 430mm In addition, the Gallus One, previously

limited to a print width of 340mm, is now also available in a print width of 430mm – increasing production efficiency, versatility, and application opportunities for new profitable revenue opportunities. Finally, Gallus has also unveiled an enhanced color gamut for the Gallus One, with the introduction of Orange and Violet inks developed jointly in-house with HEIDELBERG – helping converters to achieve shelf standout for brand differentiation.

Concept puts converters back in control Designed to remove the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) barrier for the adoption of reel-to-reel digital labels with the highest level of automation and cloud-based technologies, the Gallus One now offers full integration of the proven Gallus Labelmaster modules. By bringing

everything in line, with upstream and downstream flexo and screen printing units, cold- and hot foiling, embossing and gravure printing, as well as a diecutting unit, the Gallus One provides very high levels of modularity, speed and quality – further reducing TCO and boosting profitability.

Gallus’ new ‘plug-and-play’ approach puts converters back in control, giving them greater flexibility to build and grow their solutions, add additional capabilities or change direction as their business needs require – enabling them to improve competitiveness and respond to market changes in real time.

Dario Urbinati, Gallus Group, CEO comments: “We are delighted to be introducing our new concept at drupa 2024 and extending the array of instruments available for the Gallus One. Since its market debut last year, the Gallus One and our strong focus on driving down TCO seems to have captured the imagination of the industry, which resulted in a very strong sales pipeline, with installations scheduled throughout 2024.

With our new concept and the new extension possibilities of the Gallus One our customers now have the opportunity to grow their solutions, adapt and facilitate change in line with customer demand enabling them to future-proof their investments.”

Dario Urbinati, Gallus Group, CEO

Proven solutions; new possibilities Supporting the methodology of smart, connected printing, the Gallus One represents a significant leap forward for the labels industry. Reinventing the way in which converters approach digital label printing, the new concept not only

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

As shown here with just one of the Gallus One’s many configuration options, Gallus’ new “System to Compose” enables customers to seamlessly grow, adapt and extend their solutions, empowering them to flex with market demand – ultimately future-proofing their investments.

As well as announcing new print widths and an enhanced color gamut for its leading Gallus One digital press, this year’s drupa sees Gallus announce its new ‘plug and play’ type concept, whereby print and auxiliary units can be added, removed or replaced interchangeably across leading product lines.

enables them to mix and match units or extend the configuration over time, but also retrofit already existing machine setups.

This enables owners of established Gallus Labelmaster 340 / 440 conventional presses to add a digital printing unit, transforming it into a bespoke hybrid Gallus One, without the investment of an entirely new machine.

“Even with its impressive technical capabilities, in a market characterized by rapid change, it’s the versatility of the press that is arguably its most impressive feature. At a time when the industry faces a multitude of challenges, we have no doubt that the Gallus One will continue to prove a critical and game-changing asset for label converters worldwide,” concludes Urbinati.

Hall 1 was this busy from day one, and the Heidelberg stand was full for every demonstartion on all the equipment held

Unbox faster turnarounds Make the move to digital – and unbox your business with the flexibility to accommodate fast turns, versioning requests, last minute edits, and changing buying decisions.

With the new EFITM Nozomi 14000 LED digital press for corrugated packaging and POS, you can reduce process steps from weeks and days to hours and minutes. And personalize runs from one to infinity at higher margins and with lower costs – all in a single pass.

Let’s build your brilliant future. Together.

Scan to learn how corrugated converters and packaging printers are opening up new ways to say, “Yes!”

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Miraclon drives flexo growth at drupa 24 Indian flexo trade shop SV GraFIX, sister company of Seeta Polymers, placed an order for a FLEXCEL NX System and PureFlexo Printing from Miraclon at drupa 2024.

According to Tanga Chettiyar, Managing Director, “the investment will address the rapidly increasing market demand for FLEXCEL NX Plates in Vapi, Western India.”

Karthikeyan, Director at SV GraFIX explained: “CI Flexo is experiencing strong growth in our region, with printers competing to deliver a superior product while simultaneously improving their own productivity and bottom line. FLEXCEL NX Plates are widely regarded as the plate of choice to achieve better ink densities and laydown, increase press speeds and maximize overall press productivity.

We’re pleased that we can now address that demand.”

The company also invested in PureFlexo Printing, which enables the use of multi-form patterning technology from Miraclon to resist the tendency of ink to spread during printing, with lower dot gain and reduced ink build-up. Accessed through FLEXCEL NX Print Suite for Flexible Packaging, it enables cleaner print, more predictable color and greater press efficiency on every job. “We’re excited to introduce our customers to the added benefits of PureFlexo Printing and show them what’s possible with these multi-form patterns, added Chettiyar.

“I’m confident that this will not only drive a lot of business growth for us in the months to come, but also for our customers!”

Numex Blocks becomes first in Asia to make investment in two SHINE LED Lamp Kits, innovated by Miraclon also at drupa 24 Mumbai-based trade shop, Numex Blocks, has become the first in Asia to invest in SHINE LED Lamp Kits, innovated by Miraclon. Owner Nitin Patel made the final decision to invest in SHINE LED Lamps to retrofit to his two exposure units at drupa 2024, and says “the faster exposure times, better plate consistency, reduced waste and obvious cost benefit of not having to replace the two exposure units with new ones, made it an easy decision.”

The company has, over the years, continuously invested in new, leadingedge technologies to ensure it keeps its competitive advantage as a leading flexofocused trade shop. “We like to keep abreast of the latest technology to ensure we keep growing. When Miraclon, who we’ve been enjoying a long, consultative relationship with, introduced us to

SHINE LED Lamps, I was very excited about the easy path it offered us to simply and quickly retrofit our existing fluorescent devices with LED lamps instead of having to make a significant investment in new ones.”

He continues: “The investment will also deliver a good range of sustainability and productivity benefits: we’ll be able to significantly cut exposure times by around 20%, which allows for big energy savings!”

The Shine LED Lamp Kit is Miraclon’s innovative solution to providing fluorescent users with a simple, lowcost route from inconsistent fluorescent exposure to the multiple advantages of LED technology. By utilizing customers’ existing fluorescent exposure frames, for a fraction of the cost of a new LED exposure unit users benefit from consistent, predictable intensity over a much longer operating life (up to 5,000 hours compared to 800 hours for fluorescent tubes), faster exposures, and enhanced sustainability performance.

These features won the Shine LED Lamp Kit a unique double at this year’s FTA Excellence in Flexography Awards, winning top awards for both Sustainability and Technical Innovation.

The greatest innovation since the invention of the flowlines...

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Forget the crazy prices of the competition and ask G&J for an offer.

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Glunz & Jensen Inc. 2185 Hwy. 292 Inman, SC 23349, USA +1 864 568 4638 gj-americas@glunz-jensen.com

www.glunz-jensen.com

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Canon demonstrated its become a major player i labels & packaging At drupa 2024 Canon demonstrated its commitment to become a significant, trusted partner to the label and packaging markets, and showed a new digital press and concepts that confirm its clear progress towards that goal. Indicating the importance of labels and packaging as strategic areas for growth, a dedicated zone on the Canon stand will feature live production of multiple label, corrugated and folding carton applications.

The new Arizona 2380XTF FLXflow technology flatbed printer will print a variety of display and packaging applications on a wide range of media, including corrugated. White, varnish and the opportunity to print elevation up to 4mm with PRISMAelevate XL give full design freedom for high-quality packaging and packaging that can be “read” by the visually impaired.

Labels

Canon showed the new LabelStream 2000 digital label press at drupa, the first time it has appeared outside Japan. Based on innovative Canon technologies and designed for industrial-scale label printing, the LabelStream LS2000 is Canon’s first water-based inkjet label press. Announced in October 2023, the device prints CMYK plus white on self-adhesive substrates, with a new ink set designed to comply with food safety standards.

Visitors at Canon were able to see live label production on paper and film media, printing the labels on the LabelStream LS2000, which are then ready for varnishing, die-cutting and slitting on a nearline converting device, the Grafisk Maskinfabrik DC330Mini. Print samples from the Canon group company Edale FL3 flexographic label press will also be available.

Corrugated

As evidence of its commitment to expand into the corrugated printing market, Canon also introduced its concept for a single-pass, industrial-scale digital corrugated printing system, targeting corrugated packaging converters and designed to combine offset-like print quality at a 1.7 m print width, productivity of up to 8,000 sqm/hr and new levels of cost-efficiency. A 3D model, print samples and technology animations of the system, which is already in development, was also shown on the stand.

Visitors interested in digital printing on corrugated saw live production of packaging prototypes and shortrun promotional packaging on large ‘format Arizona and Colorado printers.

For packaging producers and print service providers, these solutions enable personalised, short-run, on-demand packaging production.

A UVgel Print Factory, comprising a Colorado M-series roll-to-roll printer and a Fotoba Jumbo Roll JRL 170 feeder and JRR 170 Rewinder, was shown printing on a liner material for later lamination to a corrugated base to create a high-quality printed package, as a digital alternative to conventional litho lamination.

commitment to in digitally printed Replicating the litho lamination process with digitally printed liner material offers short-run, high-quality packaging that can be personalized or versioned, while the durability of UVgel prints means that additional top coat lamination is not always necessary. With FLXfinish+, customers can achieve a premium look and feel without any extra cost to the print service provider.

Folding Carton

Further demonstrating its intention to become a key supplier to the packaging market, Canon also provided its outlook on industrial-scale, digital sheetfed, folding

Thanks to its 2022 acquisition of Edale, Canon has started to establish a presence in the folding carton market. At drupa, an inline folding carton production process was shown, taking preprinted reels which then will be embellished live on the Edale FL5-Single-Pass Carton Production Line, adding either cold foil, cast & cure or varnish. The carton will move inline to the Edale FDC600 flatbed die cutter for cutting, creasing, braille/embossing, and waste stripping, ultimately delivering finished carton samples in a single pass.

At drupa 24, Quentin Sandery Director, Industrial Printing, Asia at Canon Singapore

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

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carton production printing, targeting converters who are interested in exploring the benefits of digital print.

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

XSYS impresses at drupa With a central presence in Hall 8b at Messe Düsseldorf, XSYS wowed visitors seeking sustainable solutions at drupa.

Bringing a flurry of product launches, the global prepress specialist supplier introduced new innovations specifically aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of flexo, while delivering brilliant print quality. These included the nyloflex® eco plate series, Catena ProServX equipment monitoring software, EcoFillX solvent saving imaging software feature, and rotec® eco sleeves, all developed to reduce waste, add value and enhance productivity.

“It was fantastic finally to be back at drupa after eight years, demonstrating brilliant solutions that support our customers in improving sustainability in flexo platemaking and printing,” said Thomas Strohe, Director Commercial Excellence.

“Our Innovate. Sustain. Print theme is a straightforward concept, tailored to the needs of today’s challenging market. This clearly hit the right note with existing customers as well as attracting new business. I’m extremely pleased to report a string of sales, including significant deals with Neuefeind in Germany and CCL Austria, along with a new partnership with Fine Line Graphics in the US.” drupa visitors gathered to learn about nyloflex® eco plates which are made with up to 29% renewable raw materials, while promoting 25% faster processing speeds for significant savings. nyloflex® eco ACT is a medium-hard photopolymer plate for paper and board, well-suited to water-based inks. Easily combining

halftones and solids, it is compatible with tube and LED exposure systems for maximum efficiency and flexibility.

For corrugated post-print, the softer nyloflex® eco FAC is an extremely robust and durable plate that tackles rough and uneven or pressure-sensitive surfaces, and soft paper substrates with ease. The first two nyloflex® eco plates are presented in a bright, clear, light blue color set to become the standard across the portfolio to optimize production and reduce waste.

Over the coming months, they will replace the existing nyloflex® ACT and FAC products.

The ThermoFlexX Catena+ plate processing line running live on the booth was a real visitor magnet, with over 200 demos conducted during the show. As a breakthrough in fully automated, low waste platemaking, the award-winning Catena+ contributes to sustainable, Industry 4.0 production, while offering excellent OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness). Recognizing these qualities and the benefits they offer, Neuefeind GmbH signed for a Catena+ line and a ThermoFlexX 80D imaging system. Meanwhile, new customer in the US, Fine Line Graphics, shook hands on a large deal that includes nyloflex® FTV plates, Woodpecker surface screening, ThermoFlexX imaging, Catena Bridge and Catena-E exposure technologies.

Software introductions were also a major attraction as XSYS launched its Catena

ProServX monitoring software and unique EcoFillX solvent saving imaging feature. A cloud-based tool, Catena ProServX offers real-time equipment monitoring, enabling proactive maintenance and improving quality control. By measuring performance, energy use, and consumables, it provides insights to optimize OEE, ensure high quality, and reduce waste. Meanwhile, the EcoFillX feature in MultiPlate for ThermoFlexX imagers allows nonprinting areas to be imaged with various structures, keeping more polymers bound to the plate. As a result, much less solid content is washed out, extending the lifetime of the solvent, lowering waste and saving costs.

New sustainable solutions for the pressroom included XSYS’ vision of the rotec® eco family of sleeves, developed to achieve even more brilliant print performance, and a new structured sleeve surface that facilitates the escape of air bubbles to minimize waste and ensure quality. The latest sleeve storage system from Ulmex Industries, perfect for optimizing space and extending product lifespan, could also be seen. Substantial deals were made in this area too, with CCL Austria putting in an order for 360 rotec® Smart premium sleeves.

“XSYS delivered as promised at drupa demonstrating innovative solutions that allow our customers to be brilliant and sustainable in equal measure.

C

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CM

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Visit us at DRUPA 2024

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Brilliant products and services

for brilliant print results and business success.

PrePress

Plates

Sleeves & Adapters

www.xsysglobal.com

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

W&H presents new digital printing concept: flexo meets digital At drupa 2024, W&H presented its answer to digital printing for the flexible packaging market. With the concept machine, which is scheduled to be launched in 2026, W&H will bring the first industrial-scale digital printing machine for industrial packaging printing to the market.

The flexo units allow the application of flexo white, primer, OPV or spot colours, offering cost advantages by using less expensive flexo inks as needed. Reverse and surface printing are possible, with the centre cylinder always ensuring maximum register accuracy. The piezo drop-ondemand inkjet technology enables photorealistic resolutions of brilliant 1.200 dpi.

Sustainability is a priority, as only water-based inks are used in digital and flexographic printing.

The advantages of digital printing are well known: it is fast and flexible. Prepress and plate costs can be reduced, lead times shortened and product variety increased.

However, while digital printing is already established in some areas, such as the label market, there is still no convincing answer for the flexible packaging market. The reason is simple: the quality requirements of packaging printers are high, the market is at the same time cost-sensitive, and the substrates to be printed are becoming increasingly diverse and demanding.

With the digital concept, W&H overcomes these hurdles and creates the first industry-compatible machine for the flexible packaging market. The concept is based on a central-cylinder hybrid approach and offers unique application

flexibility printing.

for

industrial

packaging

Central cylinder at the heart of the press With its high register accuracy, the central cylinder at the heart of the press ensures that modern and challenging substrates such as PET, PP, PE as well as paper can be printed accurately and with high quality. This is particularly important in the context of the flexible packaging industry’s strong focus on sustainability, as even challenging substrates can be processed optimally.

W&H invented the first flexographic printing press with a central cylinder in 1954. And it is still the basis for modern flexographic printing.

The hybrid approach combines flexo and inkjet The innovative approach combines digital and flexographic printing. Up to seven inkjet and four flexo printing units are arranged around the central cylinder to provide a wide range of applications and flexibility.

Productivity with a print width of 1 metre The one-metre-wide print width is the basis for a wide range of applications and packaging formats. Thanks to the innovative double-head technology, the maximum print speed is 150 m/minute at a brilliant 1,200dpi resolution; this is independent of the number of colours, colour quantity or design.

“It was important for us to develop a digital press that would meet the current and future needs of flexible packaging printers while being economical. We didn’t want a press for single or niche products, but for our customers’ entire portfolio,” says Hermann Veismann, Managing Director Printing at Windmöller & Hölscher. “We are proud to present a concept that offers a real solution for digital packaging printing.

Without compromise.”

Scheduled to the market in 2026, the solution presented will be one of the fastest and most flexible digital printing presses in its class. By entering the digital printing press market, W&H aims to expand its portfolio with a press for the short- to medium-run market (> 2,000 to 10,000 m²). W&H sees digital printing as a complement to its existing portfolio.

We are 23 this year

Recognising PRINT excellence across the Asian region

Deadline for submission - 24th September by 5pm Awards Dinner in October 2024

INNOVATION PRINT AWARDS The Thai Printing Association

Entry Form can be downloaded from www.printinnovationasia.com

Singapore - Malaysia - Hong Kong - China - Thailand - Vietnam - Japan - Korea - Indonesia - Philippines - India - Pakistan - Cambodia - Taiwan - Bangladesh - Sri Lanka - Myanmar - Brunei

It’s that time again Start collecting your best printed work!

FREE ENTRY FORM DEADLINE 5pm September 24th 2024 The annual Asian Print Awards was founded to recognise outstanding achievement in the print and packaging industries across Asia.

With more than half the world’s population represented in this fast growing area, communication in the form of printed matter links Asia’s diverse cultures. It is imperative that such print achievements do not go unrecognised, especially among the population base that Asia enjoys.

The Awards are judged on a wholly quality-oriented set of criteria to ensure that fair play is enacted at all times.

The Independent Judging Panel comprises highly qualified personnel from within Asia and around the world. The independent judging panel has no knowledge of the actual entrants details. ALL ENTRIES ARE NUMBER-CODED. Entries must be commercially produced work.

The Asian Print Awards is the only regional print quality competition of its kind in Asia. Supported by leading industry-supply companies, any progressive quality print house should enter and prove that they are the best - by winning the Gold, Silver or Bronze award. Proving pride in quality awareness is what customers love to see. It’s not just empty words, you can prove it.

Categories 1-8 : Offset Printing Only

Categories 22-27 : Specialty Categories

1. Calendars – any format

23. Multi–Piece Productions and Campaigns Any substrate or print process: Multi–piece Production must be 3 or more items such as folder, leaflets, ring binders, inserts, envelopes including their contents.

Campaigns must be 3 or more items with a consistent theme produced during the year by the same printer for the same client.

2. Sheetfed Magazines 3. Book printing – less than 4 colours 4. Book printing – 4 or more colours 5. Limited Editions & Artwork Reproductions (under 1000 print run) 6. Web Offset – Coated stock 70gsm and above 7. Web Offset –LWC (light weight coated) 65gsm or less 8. Offset Packaging products

Categories 9 - 21 : Digital Printing Only 9. Book Printing 10. Calendars 11. Personalised photo books – any format.

24. Embellishment Any substrate – any combination - for example: embossing – diecutting – foil stamping –laminating coating.

25. Innovation / Specialty Printing / New technology The entry must exhibit any innovative and/ special application of machinery, process, substrate or finishing.

A short description must be provided for the judges, detailing reasons for entry into this category.

26. Company Self Promotion Any item printed to promote a product or company involved in the graphic arts industry. Self promotion cannot be entered into any other Category.

27. Judges Special Award (A job that catches all the Judges’ attention)

12. Posters 13. Showcards & Point-of-Sale material 14. Digital Magazines 15. Gold, Silver and Special colours 16. Restaurant Menus 17. Limited Editions & Artwork reproductions (under 500 print run) 18. Digital Proofing (must supply the digital proof and the prinnted product)

28. Design and layout. We look at the impact and visual effect.

29. Security applications

Send your entries by 24th September 2024 - by 5pm to: Asian Print Awards c/o Print & Media Association of Singapore 627A Aljunied Road, Biztech Centre, #04-07 Singapore, 389842 Tel +61 422 869 728

19. Digital Packaging 20. Digital Labels 21 Digital - Outdoor Billboard 22. Digital Embellishment

The Thai Printing Association

INNOVATION PRINT AWARDS

FREE ENTRY FORM ASIAN PRINT AWARDS 2024

Deadline for Entries Submission: 24th September 2024, 5pm Remember to submit 2 copies of each job! Why? - Just in case one is damaged.

If you win an Award, YOU MUST attend the Award Dinner in Person. This is part of the competition rules!

SECTION A (This will not be shown to judges). Please fill the form in capital letters.

Entered by (company name): ______________________________________________________________________________________ Contact Person: ________________________________________________ Email______________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone: __________________________________

Country____________________________________________________

Category entered: ___________________________________________________________ (Example Cat 4 Book printing) Title of entry (ie: " Paul's Ice Cream" ): ________________________________________________________________________________ Printed by (Printers name): ________________________________________________________________________________________ Client name: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Designer Pre Press House: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Brand of Printing Machine used: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Stock supplied by (Merchant’s name): ______________________________________________________________________________ Ink used to produce the entry

:

____________________________________________________________________________

By signing here you accept the rules and conditions of the Asian Print Awards

Signature over printed name_____________________________ Name_____________________________________________________

SECTION B Production information to be shown to judges ( tape this securely to the back of your entries) Category entered (Same as above): __________ ____________________ Entry number (Administrative use only] ____________

Title of entry (ie: " Paul's Ice Cream" )__________________________________________Print method: _______________________

Number of ink colours (4-6-8 etc) ________

Any Embellishment (foil stamping etc) __________________________________

Quantity produced (Print run copies): ___________ Other technical details (finishing processes etc) ________________________

The Awards Dinner will be held in October in Singapore

Send all entries to - Asian Print Awards c/o Print & Media Association of Singapore 627A Aljunied Road, Biztech Centre, #04-07 Singapore, 389842 email:Paul@printinnovationasia.com Tel. +61 422 869728 Additional entry forms can be downloaded online at www.printinnovationasia.com All entries are non-returnable unless a prepaid self addressed courier pack can be provided

The 2024 Asian Print Awards Checklist!

1. Have you submitted your best work to be judged?

2. Have you checked the work to make sure its 1st class?

3. Check it one more time!

4. Are their 2 copies of each entry ?

5. Is it packed correctly for shipment with 2 copies of each entry ?

6. Have you left enough time for shipment 24th September 2024 5pm is the Deadline 7. Check the address you have written - it should be

Asian Print Awards 2024 c/o Print & Media Association of Singapore 627A Aljunied Road, Biztech Centre, #04-07 Singapore, 389842 Tel +61 422 869 728

Good luck and may the regions BEST Printing Companies WIN!

Challenge, change, improve. Elevate your current performance to the next level and future-proof your business with our broad range of products, services and end-to-end solutions. › drupa.heidelberg.com

Heidelberg Asia Pte Ltd 159 Kampong Ampat, #05-02 Paeonia Place, Singapore 368328, Phone +65 6929 5320, Fax +65 6214 9063, heidelberg.com/sg

May 2024

How can I unfold my full potential?

38

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

31 Winners on the Global Innovation Print Awards 2024

FUJIFILM Business Innovation Asia Pacific announced today the winners of the Global Innovation Print Awards (GIPA) 2024. Heartfelt congratulations to 31 winners from eight countries for their amazing entries.

With Innovation Print Awards (IPA) extending global submissions this year, FUJIFILM Business Innovation Asia Pacific received an astounding number of 179 submissions from 16 countries in the Asia Pacific, Germany, India, Sweden, United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

This year’s design entries were unorthodox, illustrating a clever fusion of various applications, technology and colours, especially on the use of specialty colours. The extra cost and effort incurred from using specialty colours were often barriers to design decisions. But with the advancement of production technologies, ease of use and wide availability of specialty colours, these unique colours have become integral with designs decisions, especially for digital printing.

“The landscape of printing is undergoing a transformative shift, with digital print emerging as a powerhouse of innovation,” said Paul Callaghan, Independent Judge, 2024 Global Innovation Print Award.

“The Global Innovation Print Award (GIPA) bore witness to the ascendancy of digital printing, where once perceived limitations have been shattered, and new frontiers of creativity have been unlocked.

From stunning special colours to aweinspiring designs and applications, digital print has not only closed the gap with conventional methods but has emerged as a trailblazer in its own right.”

"It is great to witness how our valued customers and the wider market are increasingly adopting progressive technologies into their applications, enabling win-win scenarios for our customers, and ultimately their end customers," said Hiroshi Kida, Corporate Vice President, Executive General Manager, Graphic Communication Division, FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.

“Fujifilm as an industry leader in toner and inkjet, is committed to creating an integrated approach for our customers

which will result in a printing experience tailored to the needs of the market. For example, through continuous R&D, we are now able to offer unique colours to our customers easily and readily. Making specialty colours accessible to all, enabling next level applications are no longer a luxury, but a prerequisite for growth.”

WEGNER GmbH, winner of the “Best Innovation Award 2024 Global” wowed the judges with its TWE Design Book using Revoria Press PC1120, Jet Press 750S and Acuity Select 48. As the first winner of this award, WEGNER has exemplified avant-garde design creativity by leveraging on the different advantages of Fujifilm technologies and cleverly adopted specialty colours and different paper media to produce this awardwinning masterpiece. Jet Press 750S produced vibrant photo images, Revoria Press PC1120 utilised white for reverse printing on transparent media while Acuity Select 48 printed on silver metallic foil.

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Category Winners Company Name Location Best Innovation Award 2024 Global Winner - WEGNER GmbH Image Quality Lab Co., Ltd.

Germany Thailand

Art Reproduction Winner Image Quality Lab Co., Ltd. Runner-Up Ideastore (Hong Kong) Limited

Thailand HK

Books Winner WEGNER GmbH Germany Runner--Up Nanjing Amity Printing Co.Ltd. China Photobooks Winner Suvi Color Spot India

Runner-Up CC Joint Printing CO Guangdong Ltd China Brochure, Catalogue and Leaflet Winner Rajams Digital Offset Prints India Runner-Up WEGNER GmbH Germany

Calendar Winner Journey Box Digital Printing Indonesia

Runner-Up Khang Viet Design & Printing Co. Ltd. Vietnam Company Self Promotion /Other

Winner

KPP Packaging Pte Ltd

Creative Design

Winner Beluga Ltd (a subsidiary of the Hung Hing Printing Group) HK Runner-Up 2T Group Production & Trading Co. Ltd Vietnam

Direct Mail

Winner Shandong Daoke Graphic Printing Co., Ltd Runner-Up Pen’s House Wedding Invitation

Singapore

China Vietnam

Folding Carton Winner IN NHANH CO Co., Ltd Vietnam Runner-Up Solusi Digital Batamindo (Print Art Batam) Indonesia Flexible Packaging Winner Fadel Digital Printing Indonesia Rigid Packaging

Winner PT Suburmitra Grafistama Indonesia Runner-U Nanjing Yihao Printing Digital Graphic Imaging Co., Ltd China

Food & Drink Menu Winner Neo Digital Co., Ltd. Thailand Runner-Up MIW Group Co., Ltd. Thailand Multi Piece Campaign Winner Gibon Boras Sweden Runner-Up chloe Copy Center Indonesia Sustainability Winner Okumura Printing Co. Ltd. Japan Use of Specialty Colours Winner VSB AB (Visual Business System) Sweden Runner-Up Tara TPS South Korea Use of Technology Winner Fotofabriek Netherlands Wide Format Applications Winner ARC UK Technologies Limited UK

Runner-Up Beluga Ltd (a subsidiary of the Hung Hing Printing Group) HK

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

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9th INTERNATIONAL 10th AND International PACKAGING PRINTING EXHIBITION ASIA Packaging AndFOR Printing

Exhibition For Asia

O T S G T N I H R G I E H SOA NEW Uncovering Total Solutions for the Packaging and Printing Industries

17 – 20

SEP 2025

BITEC • Bangkok www.pack-print.de

Book Your Booth Space NOW! For enquiries :

Jointly organized by :

Within Thailand Exposis Co., Ltd Tel (66) 2559 0856-8 info@exposis.co.th Overseas Messe Düsseldorf Asia Pte Ltd Tel (65) 6332 9620 ppi@mda.com.sg

The Thai Printing Association

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Konica Minolta celebrates 200-plus show-sales With end-to-end workflow demonstrations over the main areas toner, inkjet, embellishment, finishing as well as label & packaging and a holistic concept of future trends showcased at drupa 2024, Konica Minolta and MGI braced themselves for a massive influx of visitors on their joint stand – the exhibition did not disappoint.

About 170,000 visitors came to the world’s largest and most important trade fair for print & packaging solutions, with 80% international. Even though this was a decrease on the 2016 overall statistics, Konica Minolta increased throughput to its stand in Hall 8B, with numbers significantly exceeding expectations.

Over 200 show-sales were recorded

by Konica Minolta as it continues to accelerate its leadership in digital printing markets. Its stand covering 2,400m2 across two floors was the 7th largest at drupa. The sales and support teams were heavily European, but there was also a strong global presence - from Brazil to Korea, Iceland to South Africa, and Japan to Sydney.

Taking variable data to the next level Konica Minolta’s showcase at drupa involved more than 20 premieres, software

innovations and important advancements in areas such as commercial printing, label printing, packaging as well as industrial printing, with focus on aspects like digital transformation and sustainability.

Other focuses included next steps in programmatic printing where Konica Minolta showed how variable data could be taken to the next level by harnessing AI. Another example of Konica Minolta’s technology evolution was demonstrating how separate processes such as foiling, varnishing, printing, and drying can be combined into just one full integrated production run where MGI’s AlphaJet was centre stage and showing the benefits of a complete single-pass factory. This was a showing of the most advanced endto-end smart factory digital production lines ever shown in public. It underlined pioneering digital transformation on a scale never seen at the exhibition in

Düsseldorf, Germany. Visitors saw at close quarters how Konica Minolta is holistically combining expertise as it continues to help customers with their digital transformation and grow their business profitably.

Strong focus on sustainability On the booth over the 11 days, there was a strong focus on sustainability, the value of print and how customers can “See the Potential in the Future of Print”, Konica Minolta’s main messaging for drupa. The technology leader demonstrated ways of sustainable production in line with the philosophy of Industry 5.0. This was achieved by assistance technology, labour-saving and skill-less operations by improving the total throughput of all processes, not only printing.

An important focus for Konica Minolta was demonstrating how all its wide range of digital presses help customers with their digital transformation. These ranged from the AccurioPress C14000e toner press with over 2,100 installations worldwide through to the AccurioLabel toner presses that have reached the milestone figure of 1,500 installs. During the show, partner MGI’s JETvarnish 3D Web 400 digital embellishment system – that is the perfect addition to Konica Minolta’s AccurioLabel 400 – won the EDP (European Digital Press Association) prestigious Digital Embellishment Packaging award, which honour best-in-class innovations.

Konica Minolta’s next generation HS-UV Inkjet Press, AccurioJet 60000, which was shown for the first time in public, was one important highlight among the 30 systems running live at drupa. This

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

s drupa success with

high-end model follows the quality and technology of the AccurioJet KM-1e series and has a remarkable capacity of 6,000 B2 sheets per hour (sph), as well as excellent image quality. Another machine making its world debut at drupa was Konica Minolta’s AccurioPress C84hc press, which uses high chroma toner to print bright vivid colours consistently.

Far-reaching implications with new approaches Unprecedented set-up configurations and new applications were unveiled by Konica Minolta at drupa. All have far-reaching positive implications for commercial printers and converters, as well as brand owners, designers and design and advertising agencies, in the way they do business. Other unique software was also an attraction at drupa, amongst them one premiere called “Ex Kansei”, the predictive software based on eye-tracking insights.

Aiming to ignite printing possibilities, Konica Minolta showcased its vision of digital transformation in the print room of the future. A significant aspect of its demonstration revolved around the efficient use of digital equipment, specifically highlighting print automation and assistance technologies. Other highlights were Konica Minolta’s remote servicing operations, as well as the smartphone app AIReLink, a specialised tool for service technicians.

43

Exceptional results achieved from a unique approach Olaf Lorenz, General Manager International Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, said: “This time more than ever at drupa, we took a unique approach by demonstrating true end-to-end print applications. And we achieved exceptional results, all within the Industry 5.0 framework. Our showcase of a range of new presses in toner and inkjet, highlighted how these technologies complement each other.

Our innovative displays went far beyond showcasing equipment to present a comprehensive view of print applications that we know from visitor feedback impressed and inspired. We helped customers to see the potential of print by igniting possibilities, as we continue to witness the unstoppable shift from analogue to digital printing.” Mr Lorenz added: “This was my fifth drupa – and the one which of I am the proudest.”

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

FUJIFILM Business Innovatio 33 winners on the Innovation FUJIFILM Business Innovation Asia Pacific announced today the winners of the Innovation Print Award 2024 (IPA). A total of 33 winners from 10 countries were recognized for their amazing entries.

INNOVATION PRINT AWARDS

achieve remarkable results unmatched by traditional offset printing methods.”

In its 17th year, the Innovation Print Awards (IPA) continues to celebrate excellence in production print across the

Asia-Pacific region with a total of 281 submissions from 12 countries spanning the Asia Pacific, Oceania, and Japan.

With a significant number of entries received for the Packaging and Brochures and Catalogues and Leaflets categories, it highlighted a salient emphasis on innovative design for marketing collaterals to entice consumers.

“Several observations were made regarding emerging trends in digital print production, including the integration of Gold, Silver, and Special colours into everyday workflows, as well as advancements in job finishing techniques such as book binding, folding, and scoring,” said Paul Callaghan, Independent Judge, Innovation Print Award 2024. “It became evident that today's print jobs transcend mere quality; they leverage a combination of processes—including variable micro data, personalization, and embellishment—to

Scott Mackie, General Manager, Graphic Communication Marketing, FUJIFILM Business Innovation Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. at drupa 24

"The Innovation Print Award has become an essential award recognizing talents and raising the bar for production print creativity for our valued customers across the Asia Pacific and Japan region," said Scott Mackie, General Manager, Graphic Communication Marketing, FUJIFILM Business Innovation Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. "We are happy to see our customers boldly adopting our toner and inkjet technologies together and producing extraordinary applications for their customers. Bringing smiles to our customers by helping them to stay ahead in this competitive landscape, reaping production efficiency and delivering exceptional value to their customers is our mission.”

Image Quality Lab Co. Ltd., winner of “Best Innovation Award 2024” simply stood out from all the submissions. The stunning photobook offers a captivating glimpse into the heart of the Himalayas, capturing the essence of Shinta Mani Mustang and the surrounding mountain lodges of Nepal. Through the high-quality printouts and meticulous finishing, this photobook is a visual treat inviting you to embark on an adventure, showcasing the breathtaking landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and unparalleled hospitality that define this unique region.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

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on Asia Pacific congratulates n Print Awards 2024 Category Winners Company Name Location

Best Innovation Award 2024 APJ Winner Image Quality Lab Co., Ltd. Thailand

Art Reproduction Winner Image Quality Lab Co., Ltd. Thailand

Runner--Up Guangzhou Dayon Graphic Digital Quick Printing Co., Ltd China

Books Winner Runner--Up

Imaji Awarna Abadi (ISA Grafika) Indonesia Okeprint Sentul City Indonesia

Brochure, Catalogue and Leaflet Winner Runner-Up

MK Printing Bali

Indonesia Neo Digital Co., Ltd. Thailand

Calendar

Khang Viet Design & Printing Co. Ltd Banway Marketing Sdn Bhd

Winner Runner-Up

Company Self Promotion /Other Winner Runner-Up

Vietnam Malaysia

Sincere Service Centre Sdn Bhd Malaysia Plus Collaboratives Singapore

Creative Design Winner Tzuen Yu Enterprise Co. Ltd Taiwan

Digital Labels

Winner

Press Creation Co., Ltd.

Thailand

Direct Mail Winner Marga Persada Printing Indonesia Runner-Up TVG Thai Co., Ltd. Thailand Flexible Packaging Winner Runner-Up

SJ Print & Pack Co., Ltd. Thailand Fadel Digital Printing Indonesia

Folding Carton Winner Pakem Print & Pack Indonesia

Runner-Up IN NHANH CO Co., Ltd Vietnam Food & Drink Menu Winner Runner-Up

Tzuen Yu Enterprise Co. Ltd Taiwan Neo Digital Co., Ltd. Thailand

Multi Piece Campaign Winner Explora Printama Indonesia Runner-Up TAKEDA PRINTING CO., LTD. Japan Sustainability Winner Banway Marketing Sdn Bhd Malaysia Photobooks Winner Image Quality Lab Co., Ltd. Thailand

Runner-Up Guangzhou Dayon Graphic Digital Quick Printing Co., Ltd China

Rigid Packaging Winner Pakem Print & Pack Indonesia Runner-Up MK Printing Bali Indonesia Use of Speciality Colours

Winner Runner-Up

Chyaulun Printing Ltd Tzuen Yu Enterprise Co. Ltd

Taiwan Taiwan

Wide Format Applications Winner Beluga Ltd (a subsidiary of the Hung Hing Printing Group) HongKong Runner-Up Engine Australia Business Effectiveness

Winner Engine Australia

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

“The Visitors were Impressed by our Showing” High visitor attendance at the Müller Martini booth during the eleven days of the fair, numerous sales completed, and outstanding teamwork – CEO Bruno Müller declares the drupa a resounding success.

Following eleven eventful days, the drupa has once again closed its doors for four more years – what is your verdict from Müller Martini’s perspective?

In the many discussions you had at the Müller Martini booth: What were visitors most impressed by?

What did visitors think of the motto “Driving the digital transformation”?

Visitors were impressed by our modern showing and the good mood of our team.

The booth design was also mentioned in a positive light, as it masterfully reflected the innovation and technology Müller Martini stands for. The perfectly presented exhibits fascinated visitors, allowing them to witness our solutions up close. Despite the casual, friendly atmosphere, it was clear that everyone was working hard to offer the visitors an informative, inspiring experience.

How was the collaboration with Hunkeler? Were there any synergies to be made use of ?

Our motto hit the nail on the head.

Visitors were impressed by our focus on new technologies – especially (but not only) in digital developments and how we are harnessing the digital transformation to the benefit of our customers. Digital printing is asserting itself more and more, and our solutions are right on par with the trend. All the conventional and digital solutions showcased gave plenty to talk about and attracted lots of visitors.

The collaboration between Müller Martini and Hunkeler was great right from the first day. With a joint machine solution at the Müller Martini booth and the two locations in halls 1 and 8a, we had the unique opportunity to get to know each other even better and to perfect processes for collaboration in joint projects. This good teamwork was confirmed by multiple sales. We made optimal use of the close cooperation and

Our showing was strong and successful, which was reflected in the great deal of positive feedback and compliments we received from visitors. Attendance at the trade fair was high and, very important for us, we sold multiple machines right on site. This shows that our offering and our innovations were well received by customers. We are very satisfied with how the trade fair went.

Bruno Müller, CEO of Muller Martini, is very satisfied with the successful trade fair showing at drupa. our common understanding to present trade fair visitors an extensive, impressive range of products.

How did visitors respond to the world premiere Hunkeler/Müller Martini combination Sheetfolder/ Vareo PRO? The feedback on the combination of the Starbook Sheetfolder from Hunkeler and

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Vareo PRO from Müller Martini, shown for the first time ever, was positive.

Visitors praised the seamless integration and the many possibilities afforded by the combination. There was a great deal of interest in the increase in efficiency and quality improvements that the solution offers.

Digital sheet-fed printing has majorly gained in significance at drupa. Visitors were therefore especially open to new solutions for making the digital printing process more efficient and flexible. The combination of the Hunkeler Starbook Sheetfolder and the Vareo PRO from Müller Martini is an excellent example.

How satisfied are you with the sales during the trade fair?

We managed to close both unexpected and expected deals and are very happy with the sales. On top of that, we have a favorable view of our strategic direction.

The overwhelmingly positive feedback from our customers confirms our path and shows that we are meeting the needs and requirements of our customers.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone – our customers, visitors at the trade fair, the organizers, and, of course, our team, which made this great showing

possible. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve this drupa success without the dedication and hard work of everyone involved.

Sven Olsen, (4th from the left) managing director Muller Martini Asian Pacific told us - “I shall try not to exaggerate. Drupa was exceptional for Muller Martini Asia Pacific!

Despite the lower number of overall visitors to Drupa, the registered customers’ visiting our Muller Martini stand increased compared to the previous event. And an impressive 25% of the registered customers visiting our booth came from Asia-Pacific. Particularly from China and India, but numbers from Japan and Korea were significant too. Quantity alone is of course not sufficient, but with Drupa sales coming in way above expectations for Asia Pacific, it was clear that the number of decision-makers showing up to this event was significant.

It was also interesting that half of the Asia-Pacific equipment sales during Drupa was digital binding solutions, so fitting in extremely well with our motto: “driving the digital transformation”.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

49

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Print industry stays on and sustainability are

The print industry remains on course for growth worldwide. The sector posted sales of over €837 billion in the past fiscal year. “Our industry is growing and also has a future,” says Thomas Schiemann, Managing Director of the VDMA’s Print and Paper Technology Association.

In a current study industry analysts assume that the global print industry will achieve annual average inflation-adjusted growth of over 2.1% over the coming five years after posting 1.1% growth over the past five years. This development, says Schiemann, will mainly be driven by the labels and packaging segments.

In Germany, the approximately 6,900 print and media companies generated around €17.6 billion with some 110,000

employees. “Nothing works without print.

Germany continues to have Europe’s biggest newspaper market, mailshots are retail’s most important marketing tool, the market for packaging is on the rise and every supermarket is a showcase for the print industry,” says Kirsten Hommelhoff, Managing Director of BVDM, before the start of drupa in Düsseldorf.

Counting 1,642 exhibitors from 52 nations, drupa is the world’s biggest trade

fair for print technologies. Nearly 75% of customers now come from abroad.

With these figures drupa underscores its position as the most important hub for the global print industry, says Sabine Geldermann, Director drupa, Portfolio Print Technologies Messe Düsseldorf: “drupa brings the global ranges of innovative technologies, latest market developments and information together in one place.” drupa occupies the entire Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre on more than 140,000 m² net exhibition space in 18 halls.

This year the pivotal trends and topics were digitalisation, sustainability and production automation. Here, the VDMA sees further opportunities for growth, say Schiemann: “The industry has good prospects for the future – but it has to be prepared. Hardly any other topic is as important to us at drupa 2024 and throughout the mechanical and plant engineering industry as sustainability, not

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

53

n course :Digitalisation central topics only from an ecological but also from an economic perspective. We are therefore delighted to create a cross-sector platform for exchange, discussion and knowledge transfer for the future of the print and paper industry with our Touchpoint Sustainability.”

A total of 30 global players and partners, including German companies such as Heidelberger, Koenig & Bauer, Kurz, Tesa and Voith, showed the latest, energy-efficient print and manufacturing technologies at the Touchpoint Sustainability.

Like other sectors of industry, the print sector struggles with skilled labour shortages. The print industry has been affected by (skilled) labour shortages for years now, as the BVDM’s industry survey

2023 shows. Alongside rising labour costs skilled labour shortages are rated as one of the biggest challenges by more than 50% of companies. Add to this high

energy prices as well as red tape. At drupa there are therefore numerous initiatives by associations and universities to promote careers in the printing industry.

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Study confirms print advertising’s profit creating power A new report has underlined the powerful profit contribution that print advertising makes.

In fact, compared to other advertising media, print has the highest profit return on investment, delivering £6.36 in profit for every British pound spent, outperforming TV and audio.

Furthermore, print weighs in with the highest relative profit volume contribution. Print represents 3.3% of total ad spend but accounts for 4.8% of overall profit generated.

And print is a scalable investment too, with a high saturation point, enabling increased investment without diminishing returns. In this regard, print

is second only to television. The study

by Thinkbox (the British marketing body for TV advertising) analyses £1.8 billion in media spend across more than 140 brands, making it the most thorough study of advertising effectiveness so far.

It has shown how advertising is not just useful for brand awareness – it also drives profitable outcomes.

is a powerful advertising tool across both short and longer term timeframes.

While on average every £1 invested in advertising returns just over £4 in profit, print advertising produces the highest ROI among different media channels.

The report suggests a discrepancy between the performance of print advertising and how it is perceived by marketers, advertising and media professionals.

These are often “digital natives” who are steeped in digital channels and therefore less familiar with the printed page and its power to influence.

This fact discredits the view that print is in decline; rather it shows it to be a highly efficient channel for profit generation.

The following statistic is really powerful: print advertising delivers £6.36 pounds for every £1invested, leaving other media behind.

The research also highlighted how important it is that brands sustain their advertising activity. Because 58% of total profit is created after the 1st 13 weeks, thereby underlining the long term value of advertising investment such as with print, which also, incidentally, has the highest relative contribution to profit during the initial 13 weeks of a campaign. So, print

Another interesting aspect of print advertising revealed by the study is its high saturation point, behind only television. This gives it scalability, enabling advertisers to invest more heavily in print without experiencing diminishing returns.

So, reports like this one challenge misperceptions and should help to lead to print advertising becoming more widely used as a component of multimedia campaigns, offering both short term results and sustained profit growth.

You too will be playing your part championing print to your clients of course, and this detailed and compelling research is further evidence you can draw upon with your clients when discussing its relative merits.

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THIS IS YOU FREE ENTRY FORM. PLEASE WRITE CLEARLY SO WE CAN READ IT Free ENTRY FORM PLEASE READ: Asian Packaging Excellence Awards are open to all packaging compnaies across Asia. It is free to enter and winners will be presented Gold Silver Bronze awards live on stage in Vietnam 8th November 2024. If you do not attend, we will not send awards to you. Jobs must have been produced from November 2023 till September 20th 2024. ____________________________________________________

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Catergory Entered for this job (See catergories opposite page) ________________________ Company Name_____________________________Contact Person________________________ Compnay Address________________________________________________________________ Country________________Contact Number _______________e-mail ______________________ Name of Entry_____________________________Printing Company_______________________ Your Name ________________________________Signature_____________________________

_ _ _ _ _ #_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _#_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _# _ _ _ _ _ SECTION B - CUT AND TAPE THIS TO THE BACK OF THE JOB ENRTY - *fill out each process Catergory Entered_____________Print Method_______________Number of colours__________ *Brand of Machine_________________________*Ink Supplier____________________________ *Plate Supplier__________________________*Tape Supplier____________________________ *Pre Press by_________________________________*Printed Quanity_____________________ *Paper/Board/Film/Label supplier____________________________________________________ *Web Width ___________________Other detials_______________________________________

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

THE SHIFT 24 Conference will be held in Ho Chi Minh Vietnam on the 7th and 8th November 2024 and the Asian Packaging Excellence Awards dinner will be the 8th after the SHIFT Conference The SHIFT 24 conference (now in its 21st year) is designed to give Packaging companies, no matter what area of production they are involved in, a view on the trends and technologies that effect business today.

Supported by the leading manufacturers and suppliers, the event offers you the chance to hear from world leading speakers on a whole range of industry topics. Also meet and network with other companies like yours at this intensive one-day event.

More detailed information will be available in the coming weeks so mark this date in your calendar, 7-8th November 24, Ho Chi Minh - Vietnam..

And if you enter the Asian Packaging Excellence Awards, we hope to see you on stage receiving your Awards for excellence in packaging live on stage. See you then!

VIETNAM

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

59

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Packaging the future

Karl Wehner – Managing Director Alibaba.com, Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Packaging can have a significant, yet often overlooked, influence on end customers' purchasing decisions. Packaging can convey brand values, provide product information, and ultimately impress customers even after the purchase.

When I first held the box of my first smartphone, I thought: "Wow, this feels high-quality." It was made of cardboard but with several millimeters of wall thickness. The packaging also seemed sustainable because it was made entirely of pulp and completely free of plastics. In subsequent generations, the manufacturer continuously downsized the packaging.

Naturally, this allows more products to fit on a pallet, saving transportation costs and reducing CO2 emissions. But not only the appearance of packaging is important; the tactile feel, weight, and aesthetics are also relevant.

In today's era of global online commerce, packaging plays an even greater role.

Customers who order products online often see the product for the first time when it is delivered by a courier or delivery service. Packaging enhances anticipation and makes unpacking a special experience. But of course, it must also ensure that the product looks and works flawlessly despite being transported over long distances.

High Demands and Customer Awareness Today, anyone still delivering their products in blister plastic packaging is

likely to alienate many customers. Many customers value sustainably produced and recycled materials. According to the current GfK Sustainability Index, 92 percent of customers in Germany support the use of recycled packaging materials.

However, plastic has properties that are not easily replaced: it is absolutely hygienic and can hermetically seal products and protect them from moisture. In short, pulp-based packaging is inherently at a disadvantage here. However, there are many companies worldwide developing alternatives with innovations and environmentally friendly ideas and can offer them at attractive prices. The challenge lies in finding these companies and establishing a trusting collaboration.

Because despite high demands and chic design, packaging must remain within financial limits.

Global B2B Platform for Packaging Innovations Alibaba.com has made it its mission to connect companies globally through its B2B online platform. This applies not only to products but also to the design, planning, and production of sustainable

packaging. Companies can search for suppliers nearby or in other regions on a single platform, get to know their products, and communicate directly.

Companies can access a wide range of manufacturers, giving them access to innovative packaging solutions from around the world.

They can specify specific requirements for materials, including raw materials, production conditions, price limits, availability, weight, and sustainability, and then choose from a wide range of providers.

Conversely, Alibaba.com is also an ideal and cost-effective marketing platform for packaging producers, providing access to new customers and markets with numerous digital tools. One of these tools is AI-based translation into 18 different languages, making it easy to communicate with potential new customers in their native language.

Shaping the Future Online platforms like Alibaba.com help companies keep pace with digital transformation and leverage the latest developments to their advantage.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

Unfolding the Future of Corrugated Packaging XSYS unveils Catena ProServX for real-time equipment monitoring, alerting and reporting

XSYS is proud to introduce Catena ProServX, a cloud-based, real-time equipment monitoring tool for proactive maintenance and superior quality control. By precisely measuring equipment performance, energy consumption, and consumable usage, ProServX empowers customers with unparalleled insights into their operations. With this data, decisionmakers can make informed, data-driven choices to optimize OEE and ensure the highest quality standards, while minimizing waste for sustainable plate making.

“Catena ProServX, the latest innovation from XSYS, represents a significant leap forward in digitalizing equipment management and KPI reporting. It is a connected, cloud-based solution that delivers immediate data about asset performance and consumable usage according to industry 4.0 principles,” said Bert Eeckhout. “This new software development, provides a unique access to plate processing data which until

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today was not available. Now, with the launch of ProServX customers can access and use this data to optimize their operations, and make fact based decisions.”

ProServX provides in-depth production reports at regular intervals detailing the number of plates produced during the specified period, along with the materials consumed. Alerts are sent out if any abnormal activity is registered, such as excessive solvent usage or a malfunctioning lamp, enabling customers to engage in proactive error management and predictive maintenance actions.

Another standout feature of ProServX is its ability to generate individual reports for each job with detailed insights into every aspect, from laser exposure to plate finishing. With this level of traceability, platemakers can ensure 100% quality control, promptly identify and resolve issues, and optimize resource allocation for enhanced efficiency and productivity.

to new heights and reduces unnecessary travel for technicians. “Catena ProServX represents a holistic approach to remote equipment management by offering advanced statistics, comprehensive reporting, and unparalleled support.

It is not just a software solution but a real catalyst for improving production performance, and achieving sustainable business success in today’s dynamic landscape,” concludes Bert Eeckhout.

3rd International Corrugated Technology Exhibition For Asia

The data provided by ProServX accelerates remote service capabilities

SEP 2025 BITEC • Bangkok

www.corrutec-asia.com Book Your Booth Space NOW!

For enquiries : Within Thailand Exposis Co., Ltd Tel (66) 2559 0856-8 info@exposis.co.th Overseas Messe Düsseldorf Asia Pte Ltd Tel (65) 6332 9620 corrutec@mda.com.sg

Jointly organized by :

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2024

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