Labelexpo Americas 2024 – Show floor sales

Labelexpo Americas 2024 not only underscored the resilience and adaptability of the printing sector but also highlighted the growing demand across all printing technologies as converters seek to navigate a dynamic market.

Connecticut-headquartered converter Brook + Whittle entered a new partnership with Bobst at Labelexpo Americas. The company finalized the purchase of the Bobst Digital Master 340 All-In-One press.

‘We are excited about the partnership with Bobst and the acquisition of the Digital Master 340 with enhanced connectivity,’ says Jeremy Letterman, COO at Brook + Whittle. ‘This collaboration underscores our shared values of innovation and quality, and we are confident that it will bring significant benefits to our label printing services.’

Matt Bennett, general manager of Bobst North America for narrow and mid-web business, adds: ‘The opportunity to partner with Brook + Whittle, one of the largest and prestigious label and packaging converters in the world, fits in perfectly with Bobst’s business strategy of supporting the most innovative packaging converters in the label, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated packaging segments.’

“We’ve closed multiple press deals since the show and are supporting a high number of requests for samples and demos at our technology center”

Labelexpo Americas 2024 also saw the NextGen Label Group investing in the first hybrid Gallus One in the US, a 15-color machine with eight flexo and seven digital colors, built on the new, wider 17in Gallus One platform. 

For Mark Andy, which presented an array of new technologies in Chicago, this year’s show reset the clock for the manufacturer, whose new digital and flexo technology ‘raised the bar for productivity by combining high quality and high speed.

‘We had an incredible response at Labelexpo this year,’ says Duane Pekar, CEO of Mark Andy. ‘We saw across-the-board interest in our presses and finishing equipment, and a particular interest in the new Digital Series HD HighSpeed 1200 inkjet/flexo hybrid line and the S9 sleeve press. We’ve closed multiple press deals since the show and are supporting a high number of requests for samples and demos at our technology center - it’s been pretty much nonstop and we’re grateful.’

Labelexpo Americas was also massively successful for Durst. With two years passing since the last Labelexpo in America, there was high interest and a substantial amount of booth traffic to see the latest innovations the company had to offer. 

‘The KJet hybrid machine shown was the first in the country and was purchased by Century Printing and Packaging. We look forward to working with this converter and seeing how the KJet helps its business,’ says Steve Lynn, director of sales for labels and packaging at Durst North America. ‘We also showcased our Tau RSCi with Hawk AI technology, which received a high level of interest in anticipation for the future of the labels and flexible packaging segment. We were also happy to help TexTape and three other converters invest in Durst innovation while at the show. Overall, we couldn’t be more pleased with the show, with interest in our technology, and the partnerships we established while there.’

Atlantic Packaging has acquired an HP Indigo 200K Digital Press to support its expansion into labels and flexible packaging. This strategic acquisition enables Atlantic Packaging to enhance its wide-web flexible packaging portfolio with more agile, short-run capabilities. 

Nilpeter has been flooded with inquiries from customers eager to see its machines in action. ‘The response has been so positive that many are scheduling demos at our Technology Center in Ohio, where they can experience firsthand the capabilities of our presses,’ notes Lenny DeGirolmo, Nilpeter’s president in the US. ‘One of the key talking points at the event was Nilpeter’s ongoing campaign, which has evolved from “The Future of Flexo” to a stronger message: “The Future is Flexo.” This shift signifies the company’s confidence in flexo technology’s role in shaping the future of the printing industry. 

Martin Teilberg, Nilpeter’s global marketing manager at Nilpeter, adds: ‘Our message at Labelexpo was clear—Flexo is our core product. Nilpeter returned as an exhibitor at Labelexpo Americas for the first time in six years, and we have truly missed having such a visible presence in the US market, which is among our most important. With our flexo technology, we can address many of our customers’ challenges, especially with our increased focus on digitalization and automation in our machines. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are excited to follow the developments and continue the dialogue with our many customers over the coming months. We are also pleased to see flexo making a comeback at exhibitions worldwide—it’s something both we and our customers have missed.’

At Labelexpo Americas 2024, Pulisi’s debut of its Aobead hybrid press DPIM-330F made a significant impact, resulting in five confirmed orders right on the show floor. This moment marks the company’s growing presence in the US market.

Olive Liu, general manager of Pulisi, says: ‘With over 11 years of experience, we understand what label converters truly need: consistency, color accuracy and product stability. During the pandemic, many of our customers encouraged us to develop a digital press that could help them transform faster—something with quick setup, high performance, and less manual intervention.’

The Aobead digital press has already been installed in multiple countries, including the US, Russia, Mexico, India, South Korea and Malaysia, with repeat orders from satisfied converters. 

‘The Labelexpo Americas audience showed big interest in our equipment, the price advantage of Chinese products, but most importantly the continuous improvements, our product and service quality. Our onsite machine has been sold to a converter in Mexico and we received four further orders for DSMART and DPIM series right on the show floor. We also returned home delighted to have received 10 very strong sales leads this time, so the conversation with potential new customers will continue,’ adds Liu.

It wasn’t just Pulisi making waves at Labelexpo this year. Italian converting and finishing specialist Cartes sold most of its showcased machines directly from the show floor. Among them, Label Solutions, a Mendoza-based converter from Argentina, is set to install its newly purchased Cartes equipment, signaling continued growth in the Latin American market.

ETI Converting Equipment had a standout experience at Labelexpo Americas 2024, creating valuable new opportunities and strengthening relationships with key clients. A major highlight was the live demonstration it held in partnership with Martin Automatic, Lemu Group and Lundberg Tech, showcasing seamless in-line coating and converting capabilities.

One of the most memorable moments of the event was the official sale of the Cohesio line to a customer from Spain. Watching the machine in action on the show floor reaffirmed the company’s decision, solidifying its confidence in its advanced capabilities. With delivery in progress, the company is eager to integrate this technology into its operations.

Labelexpo also provided a platform for ETI to engage in meaningful conversations with converters throughout North America, generating strong interest in its customized equipment. 

Grafisk Maskinfabrik (GM) had a standout performance, finalizing a deal with Canadian converter Cambridge Label for its GM LC350 automated laser label finishing machine.

Meanwhile, Grafotronic started the event on a high note with a significant sale to Graphic Packaging Group (GPG) on the first morning. The DCL System purchase, completed within hours of the show’s opening, was a major milestone for the company. Morten Toksværd, business development director at Grafotronic, states: ‘We always look forward to exhibiting at Labelexpo Americas, and this year has exceeded our expectations. Securing a major sale like this on day one is the perfect start.’

That momentum carried forward when Chicago-based Labels Unlimited Company invested in the Grafotronic CF2 Compact Digital Finishing machine with JetFX 3D digital embellishment—its third major purchase from Grafotronic, solidifying a long-standing partnership. 

For Portuguese equipment manufacturer Lemorau, the response at Labelexpo was nothing short of impressive. Every machine the company showcased was sold at the event, generating buzz among both new and returning customers. 

Sales director Susana Teixeira remarks: ‘Indeed, we sold all the machines. They were not pre-arranged deals which we closed at the show, they were actual converters coming to our stand, seeing the machinery in action and purchasing the equipment. Some of them are our new customers, some of them are already operating our machines in their facilities. Our success is only because of their success, so we are thankful for their trust in our brand and our equipment.’

Similarly, Bar Graphic Machinery (BGM), in partnership with its American distributor J&J Converting Machinery, showcased a range of new innovations, including the Label-i Automatic inspection slitter rewinder. With seven machines sold during the event, Daniel Carr, sales manager at BGM, highlights the diversity of the purchases: ‘We signed contracts for two 18-inch BGM Elite iSR inspection slitter rewinders, three BGM Elite eDSRT high-speed die-cutting semi-automatic turret rewinders, and two Label-i automatic inspection slitter rewinders. All of these will be installed across the US.’

Brotech introduced its newly developed SpeedMaster at Labelexpo Americas 2024, highlighting the machine’s semi-rotary flexo printing capabilities. The SpeedMaster reaches up to 100m/min in both semi-rotary print and die-cutting modes, providing high efficiency in label finishing.

‘Our cutting-edge finishing and integrated solutions deliver flexible, high-quality production, combining speed, modularity, platform integration, and versatility,’ says Ramon Lee, managing director of Brotech. 

He also introduced a new digital embellishment unit integrated with their digital IML and label finishing systems. 

Lee reported that the company has secured 10 orders from customers in the US, Mexico and Argentina, with ongoing conversations from the event.