Inaugural Packprint Summit Americas picks up plaudits

Delegates and exhibitors attending the inaugural Packprint Summit Americas have heaped praise on the event.

Packprint Summit Americas 2013 took place in Miami on November 5-6, and attracted over 200 delegates, including senior representatives from leading North and Latin American label and package printing companies.

Aimed at printers/converters of labels, flexible packaging and cartons, brand owners, and designers, highlights from the first day included Evelio Mattos’s presentation on the new realities of package design, including a look at current global design trends in structure, materials and specialty processes.

Sarah Goldthwait of Powerful Yogurt gave an insight into how to create and execute new opportunities in brand development and positioning, including the importance and value of using the product along with its packaging and labeling to target, engage and sell to a new market.

Day two saw the focus of presentations turn to the latest technologies, capabilities and applications.

Mark Andy gave the keynote presentation and spoke about new technologies coming to market, as well as the benefits and possibilities offered by in-line lamination as a way to streamline short-run package printing.

Jerry Henson, sales manager at Mark Andy, gave the keynote presentation and explored how new mid-web flexo technology can lower overall costs and how streamlining printing work can increase productivity and revenue. Mark Andy also exclusively announced the development of in-line solventless lamination capability for its Versa Max series presses designed for flexible package printing.

Chris Baker, vice president, sales and business development at Highcon, spoke about new developments in short-run finishing for folding cartons, such as the company’s Euclid system. Highcon has recently confirmed its first Euclid installation in North America at Philadelphia’s Anro.

Day two also included two panel discussions, with digital press suppliers Xeikon, HP Indigo and Screen discussing the implementation and integration of digital technology into package printing operations, while a printer panel discussed the requirements and challenges faced by those on the ground, with representatives from Zumbiel Packaging, Palmas Printing and Multi Packaging Solutions answering questions from the floor.

Tasha Ventimiglia, event director for Packprint Summit Americas said: ‘We are very pleased that we have received so much positive feedback from delegates and exhibitors after two busy days full of presentations, intense panel discussions and focused sessions.

‘Packprint Summit America was born out of our award winning Labelexpo events and designed to deliver excellence to the package printing industry too. It has been a success and we hope that it has given our audience new ideas, the inspiration and confidence to shape their businesses in the coming months.’

The two-day conference was also supported by a table-top supplier exhibition (pictured, top), where 36 key suppliers to the package printing industry presented their technologies and products during networking opportunities throughout the program.

Kristin Adams, marketing manager at Collins Inkjet, said: ‘Given that Collins has manufactured industrial inkjet inks for 23 years, Collins is in a great position to assist package and label printers in their transition to digital printing. It was great to hear questions and concerns directly from end users.’

Jesper Jorgensen, global sales manager, Nilpeter, said: ‘We used [Packprint Summit Americas 2013] as a gateway to gathering additional information on a labeling industry in transition.

‘We experienced extensive knowledge sharing with co-vendors, presenters and panel speakers at the conference. We got a clear vision of the industry transformation in progress, and trust that extensive promotion of the event will attract more people from the packaging industry in the future.’

Sean Marske, president of Colordyne Technologies, added: ‘We have just finished participating in a number of shows and conferences over the past 60 days and the environment of Packprint Summit Americas was refreshingly conducive for meaningful, one-on-one networking.

‘We established a number of high-quality sales opportunities who were able to become intimately educated about our differentiated digital label press products and services. We look forward to Packprint Summit Americas growing for the mutual success of both the industry and our company.’

Package printing is to again feature as part of Labelexpo Americas 2014, after making its official debut in 2012 with the Package Printing Workshop feature area. This follows a record-breaking presence for the Package Printing Workshop feature area at Labelexpo Europe 2013.

Labelexpo Americas 2014 takes place in Chicago on September 9-11

Read more about package printing’s presence at Labelexpo events here