Quality Time

Tag : acrylic hb

The Packaging and Label Gravure Assn. Global (PLGA) held its 2008Annual Operational Conference in Miami, FL, February 27-29, with200 in attendance. “Fast Forward>>>>TheFuture” was the theme with gravure experts from every aspectof the industry checking the road ahead.
In existence for ten years, the PLGA continues to grow. Itchampions a method of printing that always has been known for itsquality and today has achieved some economies of scale as well.
Thom Blischok, president of Strategic Consulting InformationResources, delivered the keynote address, “Tomorrow's Package— Are You Ready?” He identified five key trends inpackaging: eco-friendly packaging; truth in the message; new sizesand shapes; redesigning to reflect function; and the challenge ofaddressing various interest groups. Blischok talked about the“zero moment of truth,” explaining that most peoplemake up their minds before they leave the house which products theywill buy. What the converting/packaging industry must figure out ishow to change their minds in the store.
Future trends include more refillable packages and naturalproducts, say from such places as the Amazon, which both fit intothe sustainability movement. Blischok showed a label with“moving pictures,” courtesy of an ultra-thin paperbattery. Acknowledging there may be disposal challenges to such aproduct, he nevertheless disagreed with a member of the audiencewho said it never will happen.
In a session devoted to digital technology, Sean Skelly, directorof marketing for EFI, Jetrion Industrial Inkjet Systems, addressedthe question, “How can digital inkjet complementgravure?” He said with growth in short runs, includingregional runs and more SKUs, UV inkjet can be a useful part of agravure printer's operation.
Frank Pasarelli, product manager, Rotomec Gravure, Bobst GroupNorth America, participated in a session that asked, “Whatwill traditional markets be doing in 2013?” He talked aboutproductivity gains in the light board packaging markets, showing acomparison of web-fed gravure versus sheet-fed offset and notingthat the web-fed process aids workflow. Passarelli also offeredtips for success in shrink label gravure printing that includedworking on more stable and cost-effective materials, rememberingthat narrow web is not always the solution, and decreasing toolingcosts and turnaround time.
Bud Gray of Acucote, in discussing the outlook forpressure-sensitive labels, cautioned printers to concentrate onrepositioning themselves and focus on what they can do that'sdifferent from their competitors. “The reality is,” hesaid, “the printing industry is a mature market. This ismanageable, and many are dealing with it successfully. Areyou?”
Gray also contributed to the session on security printing bydiscussing brand protection opportunities for the gravure printer.He said all products are under attack by counterfeiters these days, which is ashift from the past when it was mostly luxury items. After coveringthe various types and levels of authentication technologies, Graysaid, “This is the biggest market I've ever seen.”