LabelExpo 2018
Sticky Business Inc attends LabelExpo Americas 2018!
PHOTO: courtesy of LabelExpo-Americas
That’s a wrap! Or this year you might say, that’s a shrink sleeve! Another fascinating LabelExpo came to conclusion last week after a three-day extravaganza of all things related to the label industry. Manufacturers from all over the world came together in Rosemont, IL to showcase their latest print innovations from substrate and ink options to label converters and digital presses. Some booths exhibited printer systems bigger than a semi-truck trailer demoing a multitude of capabilities from prepress input to label output. Others presented modular machinery with much smaller footprints and special features like self-contained ventilation units or LED stroboscopes for non-stop quality assurance. You can count on most booths having cool giveaways to draw you in and start the talking.
Sticky Business has attended LabelExpo for the past several years and always comes home informed and inspired by the scope of technology the pioneers of the label industry have achieved. In everything from business management software to finishing systems to ink that changes color with body heat, there is no shortage of new mechanisms to wow the attendees and trade people.
It was encouraging to see the collaboration of companies in TLMI’s Ecovillage to work towards a more sustainable and environmentally conscious print industry. TLMI, or Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute, partnered with LabelExpo, Convergen Energy and Channeled Resource Group in a green initiative to collect all the waste matrix from the event’s demonstrations and convert the discarded material into fuel pellets. These fuel pellets can be used as an alternative to coal but with a lower carbon and overall emissions footprint. Pretty neat!
Some years Sticky Business has acquired a new piece of equipment to expand our printing power and other years, a new supplier or genuine friend-in-print has been made. Pretty much any visitor to LabelExpo is likely to end up with bags of sticker samples and printed materials, pens, magnets, rulers, totes, a pocket full of chocolate and a wallet full of business cards. Time to start emailing some of those new contacts!