One-day conference events in Cincinnati, Orange County and Toronto will preview Labelexpo Americas 2022 and discuss key market trends.

A series of free roadshows in selected cities across North America, organized by Labelexpo Global Series, will give label, packaging and commercial printers a ‘sneak peek’ into the technology on show at Labelexpo Americas 2022 later this year. 
The roadshows will take place in Cincinnati, Orange County and Toronto and are only open to printers, end users and trade press. The roadshows are supported by Gold sponsors HP, Epson and ABG and Silver sponsor Xeikon.

Labelexpo Americas 2022 show director Tasha Ventimiglia commented, ‘We will be working with the TLMI, key local printing associations and sponsors to bring an educational insight into the world of labels and package printing and all the opportunities available within this dynamic industry.’

The roadshow kicks off in Orange County on 20th July, hosted by Fullerton College. 
Fullerton College offers hands-on training on modern high-speed equipment, with specialist streams in print. Working closely with the Printing Industries Association of Southern California (PIASC), this roadshow will provide unique insights on the workforce issues surrounding the labels and package print industries. Printers will also hear about trends and case studies throughout the one-day conference program. 

The Cincinnati leg of the roadshow takes place on 28th July and will be hosted by Haney Packaging. Haney Packaging describes itself as a ‘packaging micro-factory’, providing a one-stop shop from pack development to prototype, test marketing, and everything in between. Micro factory customers have access to what Haney describes as ‘the industry’s largest library of recyclable and compostable packaging solutions.’ The roadshow will include a tour of Haney’s impressive facility, while supplier partners will cover industry trends, end-user case studies and specialist technical subjects in the one day conference program.

The final leg of the roadshow takes place in Toronto on 3rd August at the High Park Brewery. High Park Brewery describes itself as Toronto’s first ‘collaborative’ brewery, a Certified Benefit Corporation which forms part of a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Roadshow delegates will hear about their partnership with a local designer and printer to develop a new identity for the brewery which includes their community links and commitment to  sustainability. This will complement a core program focusing on trends and key technology advances in label printing today.

Lisa Milburn, managing director of Labelexpo Global Series, commented, ‘At Labelexpo Americas 2022 the labels and package print industry will finally reunite under the Labelexpo banner for the first time since the pandemic began. These roadshows will give printers a unique insight into the vast range of exciting new technology which will be launched at the show and will deliver critical market trends information to help guide converters’ future investment decisions.’ 

To register for the North America roadshows, follow this link: https://go.brandprint-expo.com/e/707733/labelexpo-roadshows/7ktgx4/1378376802?h=ZfnUGA2DcXCvnppd14YpeDFul43hNWTljufzqTMnnTU 

Shorewood, IL – IST America proudly announces 30 years of providing exceptional UV curing solutions to the North American marketplace. As one of the earliest daughter companies formed by Germany-based IST Metz in 1992, IST America initially established a sales and service organization strategically based in Chicago to target OEM press manufacturers and end-use customers in the rapidly growing North American marketplace.

Throughout the 1990s IST America’s influence grew quickly, encompassing both the sheetfed and roll-fed markets. Over the course of that decade, UV delivered an advanced application platform to sheetfed printers, providing a more flexible and productive solution with the ability to print on the widest range of substrates while offering the ability to dry trap or semi-dry trap between print units. Around this same time, the narrow web market was witnessing the rapid increase of press installations that included multiple print formats like letterpress, UV flexo and rotary screen on a single press. Printed packaging buyers were demanding greater opacity, higher color integrity and finer vignettes and gradations with their printed products – specifications that were beyond the scope of conventional printing and drying methods.

IST America President, Bill Bonallo, comments, “If we have a secret, it’s the quality of the products we represent together with the team we have created. They are skilled, driven, loyal and truly understand the sense of urgency our customers demand and deserve. In the U.S., the industries we serve run fifty-two weeks a year, seven days a week and normally twenty-four hours a day. Companies do not have a lot of patience when it comes to the need for support, no matter what time of day, or day of the week. IST America has the largest parts inventory of any IST subsidiary in the world. With tens of thousands of systems in the field our installation base is massive, and we proudly populate the vast majority of the best-known printing and packaging companies around the globe. We take IST’s ultra-high performance and highly reliable equipment and provide our customers with the same level of attention and service that their customers expect from them, every UV curing day. That is our formula for success.”

Today, IST America is still headquartered in the Chicago area with sales and service personnel in strategic locations across the U.S. The company’s in-house team handles parts operations, service operations, financial management, logistics, and technical support. IST remains a leader in influencing the way that the printing, packaging and industrial markets optimize print quality, sustainability, energy efficiency and performance.

www.ist-uv.com/en-us

Kennesaw, GA – Earlier this year, Berry Global, headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, earned “Best of Show” at the 2022 FTA Flexography Awards in the narrow web category for its Jergens Body Butter Sandalwood Tube. The award-winning tube, along with Berry’s two previous “Best in Show” prints, was produced exclusively on the Gallus RCS narrow web press from Heidelberg.

As the longest running and most prestigious annual print competition, the FTA Flexography Awards are trusted by flexographers in the package and label industry around the world; their mission is to honor outstanding companies who have created exceptionally printed pieces. The Jergens Body Butter Sandalwood Tube stood out amongst other applicants due to its consistent registration, multiple special effects, and watermark finish. According to one FTA judge, “How do you know when you’re looking at a Best of Show? When the judges ask each other ‘What don’t you like about this print?’ and nobody can come up with anything to say! A spectacular job by this printer.”

Using a combination of process inks and spot colors with gold cold foil and soft-touch coating, the tube was printed completely inline on the Gallus RCS thanks to the machine’s modular capabilities. “Having various print and finishing capabilities all inline,” said Megan Burns, Creative Services Specialist for Berry, “eliminates issues that we see with some of our other print technologies, where we have to take items off one machine and put them back on a different press.”

In addition to its modular design, the Gallus RCS achieves the highest quality print results possible thanks to its high degree of automation, robust design, state-of-the-art servo drive technology and intelligent user interface. The machine’s advanced technology helped Berry achieve tight registration – even at top production speeds – on a difficult pearlescent multilayer polyethylene substrate. “We tend to see registration issues because of the stretch of the material,” said Kirk Birchler, Color and Technical Director for Berry Global, “but the press does a good job of keeping that to a minimum.” The RCS also helped Berry achieve color consistency throughout production, which was imperative for the design’s nature-based image with a range of light and dark tones.

Focused on the beauty and personal care markets, Berry Global chooses the Gallus RCS and high-quality Screeny products due to their ability to create a premium product for their clients. According to Burns, who provides production feedback for Berry’s clients at preliminary design stages, “We’re not limited to only being able to cold foil in this station and only silkscreen in that station. We have a lot of flexibility to meet our customers’ design needs and expectations.”

About Berry Global
Berry creates innovative packaging and engineered products that make life better for people and the planet by leveraging its unmatched global capabilities, sustainability leadership, and deep innovation expertise to serve customers of all sizes around the world. Harnessing the strength in the company’s diversity and industry leading talent of 47,000 global employees across more than 295 locations, Berry partners with customers to develop, design, and manufacture innovative products with an eye toward the circular economy. Through the challenges the company solves and the innovations it pioneers, Berry’s customers benefit at every stage of their journey.

New, Compact ColorWorks C4000 with Comprehensive Connectivity and Dynamic Image Quality Now Available

Los Alamitos, CA – Epson America today announced its newest on-demand color inkjet label printer, the ColorWorks® C4000, is now available through Epson’s authorized partners. The ColorWorks C4000 features comprehensive connectivity in a compact design for businesses that require high-resolution print quality and durable barcode and product labels.

Setting it apart from other on-demand color label solutions, the ColorWorks C4000 is compatible with ZPL II®, SAP, major middleware, and more for seamless integration into existing workflows. In addition, the C4000 has remote management tools to provide a streamlined way to manage and monitor a fleet of printers. With the ColorWorks C4000, businesses can harness the power of communication through color with crisp, photo-quality color labels on demand, at up to 1200 dpi resolution.

“Regardless of the industry, businesses need to keep up with swift changes and are looking for reliable, easy-to-use solutions that can maximize mobility and efficiency,” said Andy Scherz, senior product manager, Commercial Labels, Epson America, Inc. “No matter the label application – product, packaging, barcode, or shipping – the ColorWorks C4000 can deliver high-quality, durable color labels on-demand, with added features of connectivity and management tools, at a comparable price point to thermal label printers.1”

Additional ColorWorks C4000 features include:

• Remote Management Tools – For managing large fleets over the network

• Optional Wi-Fi connectivity2 – For printing from compatible devices3

• Compact, Robust Design – Dust- and water-resistant for high-duty-cycle environments; ideal for commercial use and smaller workspaces

• Exceptional Image Quality – Engineered with Epson’s PrecisionCore® printhead technology to deliver ultra-sharp text and precise barcodes and varying droplet sizes that can produce a huge gamut of vibrant, accurate colors, smooth gradations and fine image details

• Durable, High-quality Labels – Meets BS-5609 certification4

• Enhanced Productivity – Eliminate the need to preprint; speeds up to 4″ per second5 and a fast time to first label

• Reliability – Engineered by Epson for demanding applications and backed by industry-leading service and support

Availability

The ColorWorks C4000 gloss and matte color inkjet label printers are available now through Epson’s trusted authorized retailers. For additional information, visit epson.com/colorworks. A brief video overview of the new ColorWorks C4000 is available here.

About Epson
Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to co-creating sustainability and enriching communities by leveraging its efficient, compact, and precision technologies and digital technologies to connect people, things, and information. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson’s goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of around JPY 1 trillion. global.epson.com/

Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).

# # #

1 Printers and consumable costs are similar when comparing similarly featured leading brand thermal transfer printers and supplies for similar high-durability images on similar media.

2 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™; level of performance subject to the range of the router being used.

3 Most features require an Internet connection to the printer, as well as an Internet- and/or email-enabled device. For a list of Epson Connect™ enabled printers and compatible devices and apps, visit www.epson.com/connect

4 ColorWorks CW-C4000 inkjet printer with UltraChrome® DL pigment ink, used in combination with Neenah Kimdura™ poly media, has been BS-5609 certified.

5 Printing in Max Speed Mode, 300 × 600 dpi resolution, 4″ (101.6 mm) print width. Print speeds are based on the print engine speed only. Total throughput time for any label depends on factors including label size, file size, print resolution, speed of data transmission, etc.

EPSON, ColorWorks, PrecisionCore, and UltraChrome are registered trademarks, Epson Connect is a trademark and EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2022 Epson America, Inc.

Silver Fox Ltd., the UK’s only carbon-negative manufacturer of cable labels, has acquired their first Nilpeter printing press, an FB-Line complete with a UV-LED system. The UK-based and -owned company develops, manufactures, and supplies very high-grade cable, wire, and equipment labelling solutions used in a wide range of demanding industrial sectors around the world.

Your Starting Line for High Performance
The FB-Line represents the latest generation of highly efficient label printing. Nilpeter has added a large number of new features, such as Automated Plate Positioning System (APPS), pre-register and re-register functionalities, and packaged the machine in an attractive, new design. This latest FB-Line is an answer to market requests for added automation, higher ease of use, and increased operator friendliness.

“This new machine, coupled with our increasingly knowledgeable and skilful local workforce, will allow us to further support and enhance our growing network of distributors across the globe. Additionally, these new production capabilities will enable us to be even more responsive to customer needs, as well as open up the opportunity to develop new and innovative label types, for use with our Fox-in-a-Box® labelling kit,” says Nicholas Michaelson, Managing Director, Silver Fox Ltd.

Press Unveiling
On the 24th of June, The Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, unveiled Silver Fox’s new specialist printing press. Made by Nilpeter, the bespoke press is over 10 meters long. It has allowed Silver Fox to achieve 100% in-house production and meet the growing needs of their customers. As a proud UK-made, UK-owned company, Silver Fox is delighted to showcase their expanding production facilities.

“It was a very interesting project selling a press to Silver Fox. It was great finding a new customer away from our traditional marketplace – finding such a bespoke product of cable making systems, which has never been on our radar. However, the FB-350 was up to the challenge and gives Silver Fox not only additional capacity but opens their marketplace to some special constructions. We wish the team even more success in the future,” says Nick Hughes, Nilpeter Ltd.

About Silver Fox
Silver Fox develops, manufactures, and supplies cable, wire, and equipment labelling solutions for use in a range of demanding industrial sectors around the world including, among others, Rail, Data, Power, Construction, Renewable Energy, Oil & Gas.

Founded in 1977, Silver Fox manufactures all its products in the UK and ships them globally, either directly or via an ever-growing network of distributors. Silver Fox tests its labels at recognized independent UKAS certified test laboratories in compliance with MIL and other standards.

Additionally, Silver Fox is ISO 9001:2008 registered. Silver Fox’s commitment to global business was recognized in 2005 by the Queen’s Award for Enterprise – International Trade.

www.nilpeter.com

Mondi partnered with the National Test Centre Circular Plastics (NTCP) in the Netherlands to prove effective sorting of its plastic packaging during the recycling process.

Real-life scenarios were created to prove Mondi’s mono polypropylene (PP) pouches and reel material are designed for recycling, can be identified during the recycling process and sent to the correct recycling stream.

The tests validate how Mondi’s recyclable mono-material packaging can contribute to European plastics strategy recycling targets.

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has carried out a series of tests to prove its mono-material polypropylene (PP) pouches and rollstock material can be sorted into their appropriate recycling streams.

Implemented in collaboration with the National Test Centre Circular Plastics (NTCP) in the Netherlands, these tests, simulating realistic packaging waste management conditions, were designed to determine the sortability of Mondi’s recyclable mono PP packaging. Using state of the art technical set-ups, the tests were carried out on pre-made retort and standard pouches, spouted pouches, and top web and thermoformed semi-rigid tray material. These are made from mono PP-material and used for demanding applications that require a high barrier protection, such as wet pet food or processed meat.

Replicating real-life scenarios, the tests prove that Mondi’s top web and thermoformed semi-rigid trays are successfully sorted into the correct recycling stream. Mondi’s pre-made pouches were also detected accurately, setting the standard for sorting streams which still need to be developed throughout Europe, supporting high quality input for plastic recycling processes.

Thomas Kahl, Channel Manager FMCG & Industrial at Mondi Flexible Packaging, says: “To achieve the plastic recycling targets defined in the revised PPWD[1], the sorting and recycling of plastic waste must be significantly improved. As a market leader we are strongly committed to contribute to this target by testing the sorting performance for our packaging. The outcome of the tests show that our mono-material polypropylene packaging is recognised and categorised into the correct sorting stream in advanced waste management facilities. We are particularly proud that we also succeeded for demanding applications such as retort wet pet food pouches.”

The tests are part of Mondi’s ambitious MAP2030 sustainability commitments to deliver circular driven solutions with innovative packaging and paper solutions, keeping materials in circulation and preventing waste. Mondi has pledged to make all of its packaging and paper solutions reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, working closely with cross-value chain collaborations like CEFLEX and 4evergreen, to eliminate unsustainable packaging and develop harmonised designs for recycling or circularity guidelines.

Marcel van Eijk, R&D manager at NTCP, says: “We conduct independent tests and experiments that contribute to closing the plastics cycle. By replicating real life situations for Mondi, we were able to thoroughly assess the sortability of its packaging products. We could prove that top-web and tray combinations can be recognised in different sorting streams and Mondi’s stand-up pouches support sorting strategies that need to be developed and implemented at larger scale.”

For latest information on Mondi’s sustainability performance, have a look at the 2021 Sustainable Development report here.

[1] Packaging and Paper Waste Directive, 2018, European Commission.

Mondi’s stand-up RetortPouch Recyclable scoops Swiss Packaging Award, demonstrating packaging innovation and creativity.

Packaging developed in partnership with Hilcona, a European market leader in fresh, ready-to-eat food, for Coop’s own brand range.

New mono-material packaging is recyclable and its exceptional durability helps to reduce food waste.

Mondi, a global leader in sustainable packaging and paper, has been recognised by the Swiss Packaging Institute (SVI) for its RetortPouch Recyclable solution. The packaging won the Swiss Packaging Award for the Sustainability category and was developed for Coop’s private label range of healthy pulses and grains sold in Switzerland.

RetortPouch Recyclable, made of polypropylene (PP)-based mono-material, offers exceptional shelf life and reduces potential food waste. The innovative packaging can replace complex multilayer unrecyclable packaging that uses aluminum or metallised layers to provide high barrier food protection.

RetortPouch Recyclable is able to withstand high temperatures during the retort process used in food preparation and is suitable for a wide range of applications in the ready-made food and pet food industries. The packaging, which is used for Coop’s products that are manufactured by Hilcona, has an attractive yet sturdy stand-up design that includes a transparent window to allow consumers to view the product on-shelf.

“We are very proud of this award. Hilcona has played a key role in the development of a truly collaborative approach to this award-winning packaging, looking closely at how we could protect the product, while delivering convenient packaging that worked for Coop and the consumer in a sustainable way,” explained Hilcona packaging expert Julia Bredemeier.

Christoph Höfling, Head of Product Development Mondi Korneuburg, adds: “We’re delighted to have the RetortPouch Recyclable recognised by the Swiss Packaging Institute (SVI). This solution is a result of our EcoSolutions approach to creating sustainable fit-for-purpose packaging, working in close collaboration with our customers and partners. RetortPouch Recyclable is an innovative, easy to use mono-material packaging solution that can reduce food waste while being an attractive option for food manufacturers and retailers alike.”

Italian label converter Emmedue Srl has installed a Mark Andy Digital Pro 3 flexo/toner hybrid press at its plant in Gravellona Toce close to Lake Orta. The new press is seen as the beginning of a new era for the company that has specialised in label printing for the Italian domestic market for many years. Now, it aims to focus on selling its labels to nearby Switzerland.

Company owner, Maurizio Maffioli explained: “Digital printing is an integral and essential part of every label converter’s plan to grow and develop its business. It improves customer service especially on shorter run jobs that need variable text and graphics. We see Digital Pro 3 as the perfect solution for our current and future needs.”

Founded in 1984, Emmedue specialises in label printing for a variety of customers in industries as diverse as automotive, food, and logistics. “Digital Pro 3 is our first digital press devoted to roll-fed printing. We believe it will help us expand our markets and open new doors to completely new sectors like beverages, and especially wine producers,” he added.

Digital Pro 3 offers inline combined flexo and digital print units as well as die cutting. Emmedue is impressed by its production speed of up to 23 m/min in full CMYK mode. This makes for efficient production of small and medium runs printed on different substrates, without pre-treatment. And another benefit is that its modular concept will allow the company to expand the press as needs grow, making it a future-proof investment.

All we expected from digital

Emmedue is the first Italian converter to install a Digital Pro 3. Mr Maffioli explained:

“I have followed Mark Andy’s activities on social media, especially LinkedIn and watched presentation videos of its equipment on YouTube shown to us by FDM Srl, their Italian dealer, who were instrumental in guiding us through this key investment. We already knew that Mark Andy was a longtime supplier to the label industry and that its presses have a great reputation for reliability.”

He said that his company was looking for a digital solution that would fit its current printing department and create new market opportunities. It would also need to help the existing production lines by increasing the added value element to meet customers’ expectations on the increasing number of shorter runs. Before the Digital Pro arrived, this work was printed traditionally, which kept the customers satisfied, but was often inefficient for Emmedue.

“We chose a Digital Pro because it incorporates the benefits and strengths we expect from digital technology. Print quality is always a top priority for us, but we also needed repeatability, variability, and speed of delivery. The inline flexo unit allows us to apply varnish or cold foil in one pass, and the semi-rotary die-cutter allows us to use many of our existing dies. That’s why the Digital Pro 3 matches our expectations perfectly,” he added.

Speaking for FDM, Sales Manager Enrico Firenze commented: “We realise how important digital technology is for the development of self-adhesive labels in today’s market and knowing of Mark Andy’s long experience and expertise in this sector, we believe the Digital Pro 3 is the perfect machine for printing with inline finishing both for start-up businesses and existing label converters that need to reduce the time and cost of offline finishing of their digitally printed labels.” Digital Pro prints direct from PDF files with a 1200 dpi resolution and is equipped with an easy-to-use RIP. The press handles a wide range of substrates without any pre-treatment, like primer, offering significant time and money savings.

Focus on customers
This wide substrate capability is of particular interest to Mr Maffioli. “There are eco-friendly and special papers used for wine labels that are suitable for offset printing but give poor results when flexo printed,” he said, adding” Now we can offer shorter delivery times, on a wider range of labels in different runs, without any compromise in quality and repeatability. We can also add value in prepress, making pre-production samples to evaluate the impact of the final packaging for real, not just as a video. This will allow us to modify graphics or size if necessary.”

Once the Digital Pro is fully integrated, the company plans to expand its e-commerce business too with the addition of a dedicated b2b service for the production and delivery of labels to small and very small customers, like micro-breweries and artisanal food suppliers,
who need quality from a label printer that has years of experience and can support their low volume production.

Speaking for Mark Andy, Regional Sales Manager Josep Balcells commented: “The Digital Pro series was introduced at Labelexpo Europe in 2019 and immediately attracted interest from the market. We are very pleased with its growing popularity on a global scale, including this first installation in Italy. Emmedue highlights how important a Digital Pro can be for a well-established label printer, offering further product development and growth.”

This product diversity will enable Emmedue to reach a completely new range of customers and provide inspiration for other traditional flexo printers whose customers expect more diversity. Digital Pro gives efficient production of different label versions on shorter runs, leading to new market opportunities. These include co-operation with small local vendors, and individual consumers who need labels very occasionally. “Emmedue is the perfect example of a printer that has observed a market very carefully, identified the changes and responded to them with the most appropriate investment. Mark Andy is very proud to be a partner in this process,” he concluded.

FDM is new to the Mark Andy stable but the company dates back to 1986 in the Italian label market. Today, it represents a portfolio of high-quality manufacturers and has an established and well-proven reputation for its knowledge and customer support. As CEO, Mr Della Vedova, commented: “We are proud to be representing Mark Andy technology in Italy and look forward to building on this first installation at Emmedue with many more customers.”

About Mark Andy Inc.
Mark Andy is a pioneer of the graphic arts and printing industry. As the world’s leading manufacturer of narrow- and mid-web printing and finishing equipment, it supplies leading global brands, including Mark Andy and Presstek printing presses, Rotoflex finishing solutions, as well as a complete line of Mark Andy Print Products consumables and pressroom supplies. All products are backed by the largest customer support team in the industry, minimizing downtime and helping customers be profitable, efficient and at the forefront of innovation. Mark Andy does what it takes to understand each customer’s unique business, the challenges they face and the pressures they feel. It strives to provide products and services that help customers solve their problems and solutions that go a step further, allowing them to excel in their day-to-day operations, ultimately increasing productivity and reaching their full potential. For more information, visit www.markandy.com.

This year’s R. Stanton Avery Global Achievement Award has been bestowed on label industry veteran  Harveer Sahni. The decision was made by the Global Awards judging panel, consisting of Lori Campbell, chairman TLMI, Linnea Keen, president TLMI, Philippe Voet, FINAT president,   Greg Hrinya, editor Label & Narrow Web, James Quirk, content director Labels & Labeling and Jean Poncet, editor-in-chief Etiq+Pack,

Andy Thomas-Emans, Labelexpo Global Series strategic director and chair of the judging panel, commented, ‘The judges felt Harveer Sahni met all the criteria for excellence demanded by the industry’s most prestigious award for an individual’s global contribution to the growth and development of the labels industry. His history in building a company to manufacture self-adhesive labels in India, through to his central role in building the Indian label association and then acting as an influential ambassador on the world stage, all helped the judging panel to come to their decision amongst a field of excellent candidates.’

Harveer Sahni started his career in 1971 working in his father’s stationery company, Weldon Sales Corporation. In 1978, as part of expanding the company’s stationery product range, Sahni set up a 20-inch coater to manufacture self-adhesive BOPP tapes – one of the first to do so in India.

Making full use of his BSc Chemistry background, Sahni used the Weldon laboratory to research development of new products including inks, adhesives and coatings. At this time he also ventured into industrial adhesives, plastic blow molding and injection molding.

With demand for self-adhesive stickers starting to take off in India through the 1970s, in 1978 Sahni invested in a siliconizing line, developing and producing poly-coated release liners and later a barrier coating for uncoated woodfree or brown sack kraft papers that could accept silicone release coating.

In 1984, Sahni made his own way to London for a surprise visit to ‘Label Guru’ Mike Fairley, gaining inspiration and useful insights into label converting trends. In the late 1990s a one-meter coater was installed to carry out both silicone coating and to produce release liners, and in 1997 Weldon started manufacturing self-adhesive labelstock, soon adding another coater to focus on liner manufacture.

With the dawn of the 2000s, Sahni moved the business from coating tin catalyst-based silicone chemistry to a solvented platinum catalyst system and then on to solventless silicone coating – a line which is still in use. In 2003 Sahni again was a pioneer setting up the first Nordson Hotmelt adhesive coating line in India.

The global recession of 2008 led to Sahni reducing dependence on manufacturing and setting up as India agent for leading global manufacturers of print and converting equipment, tooling and consumables.

In the late 1990s Sahni welcomed the entry of  ‘big brother’ Avery Dennison to India, recognising that this would help drive development of the entire Indian label converting industry. This also pushed Sahni into developing export markets, and Weldon was soon selling to over 30 countries.

In 2001 Sahni became involved in helping his friend Anil Arora establish the India Label Show, which Tarsus Group purchased in 2007, when it became Labelexpo India.

Weldon became the first Indian labelstock manufacturer to exhibit at Labelexpo Europe and also in this decade Sahni became the first Indian national to be on a FINAT committee, and he was a judge for the World Label Awards multiple times.

Sahni sits on the board of directors of the Label Manufacturers Association of India (LMAI) and has curated, along with the LMAI team, many events bringing together label printers, suppliers and print buyers. Sahni was part of the LMAI delegation to meetings of the L9 group of global label associations, with LMAI hosting an L9 meeting in India in 2018.

In 2017 the LMAI conferred upon Sahni the award for Lifetime support to the Indian Label Industry.

In 2005, Sahni started his highly influential blog “Self-adhesive Labels Industry in India and The World”, now consisting of over 200 articles on success stories, technical articles, market size, events and mergers & acquisitions. The blog is nearing half a million page views this year.

Lisa Milburn, managing director of Labelexpo Global Series, commented, ‘I would like to congratulate Harveer Sahni on winning the R. Stanton Avery Global Achievement Award. It recognizes Harveer’s central role in building the Indian self-adhesive label industry from its earliest days, and later his major contribution to promoting the Indian label industry on the world stage.’  .

For more information about the Label Industry Global Industry Awards, visit the Awards website.