It was a pleasure greeting many of our customers and meeting new printers that made the long journey from Asia to attend Labelexpo Europe.
All our local agents were at the show, too, and will bring back valuable information for printers in their countries, who couldn’t make it to Brussels.
MPS Asia & local agents at the MPS booth at Labelexpo Europe 2019
Here’s my look back at Labelexpo!
Beyond the Machine
Visitors to the MPS stand learned the meaning behind ‘Beyond the Machine’.
MPS came to Labelexpo with a focus not only on machinery, but also on services and processes that provide a key supporting role.
This concept visually transformed into a fully-equipped press anchoring the middle of the stand, surrounded by four equally supporting ‘islands’: Applications, Service, Productivity and Connectivity.
Join me on a journey to each island as I further explain:
Applications: Wall of Fame
Attracting deserved attention on this island was the Wall of Fame, displaying labels of 10 nominees from the first edition MPS Label Awards, as well as four specialized customer labels. A variety of both beautiful and exceptional, but also cost-effective and operator-friendly applications were presented, with a selection of machine technology and innovations also shown.
On day 2 of the show, a large audience gathered on the stand for the MPS Label Awards ceremony where three winners were announced…one which was an Asia customer! Keep reading to find out who.
Service: value of on-site customer inspection visits
Marc-Jan Goossink, Manager After Sales and his team were in the Service island explaining the new Service Level Agreements, and showing printers how MPS plans on-site customer inspection visits based on machine performance analysis (part of the Talk to Me connectivity platform).
Valuable processes that extend beyond a top-quality printing press were also shown, including how to improve productivity in the production process through saving waste and time – with information straight from an MPS printing press.
Watch this video to see an example on-site customer inspection visit:
Connectivity: Talk to Me
Over in the connectivity island was Willem Meijer, a young enthusiastic MPS Software Engineer demonstrating the dashboard of the newly developed Talk to Me analysis tool. By delving deep into machine productivity, MPS can proactively analyse and report the performance to improve the customer’s overall printing process.
MPS recently announced that the ‘Talk to Me’ connectivity technology, providing real-time data exchange and control, will now be introduced into all future MPS presses on a global scale.
Productivity
Also introduced at Labelexpo in the productivity island was the new patented E-Sleeve. Developed by MPS, this new sleeve technology improves printing results and productivity by replacing the mandrel and inner core of the sleeve with a new system.
Key features of the MPS E-Sleeve include optimum pressure settings to avoid unnecessary bouncing, precise concentric runout properties, constant parallelism for ideal register across the entire print length and increased dimensional accuracy for optimum register between all colours and die stations.
That’s the end of our 4-island tour. Now back to more show highlights!
Unveiling of wider EF SYMJET hybrid press
Making its debut at Labelexpo was the new, wider version of the hybrid EF SYMJET.
Built with an exclusive partnership with Domino, the MPS EF SYMJET inkjet/flexo platform press is now available in 340 mm/ 13” and 430 mm / 17” widths and can be equipped with multiple flexo units, lamination and embellishing units, die-cutting and many more converting options.
A combination of nine labels were printed during live demonstrations, with various embellishments including digital cold foil, hologram- and lenticular 3D effects, de-lam re-lam and micro texts.
First-edition MPS Label Awards Ceremony
Visitors to the MPS Label Awards Ceremony were greeted with champagne and felt glamourous in a Hollywood, red-carpet style surrounding.
Takara Pac from Japan was announced as winner of the Flexo category, and was personally there to accept their award!
Their winning label Nori (seaweed) body scrub was printed with flexo on 140mm web width with 7 + 2 colours (repelling varnish) using T&K Toka inks, PP Avery Dennison substrate, at a press speed of 50 m/min.
About this winning label, the independent MPS Label Awards jury said: “A smart use of double foil, and tactile varnish makes this a beautiful, delicate label. The use of tactile spot varnish, in register with cold foil, delivers a high standard label.”
We congratulate Takara Pac on their deserving win!
MPS breaks sales records
Labelexpo Europe 2019 concluded in celebration for MPS with a record number of twelve press sales, in a combination of EFS & EFA flexo presses, EXL-Packaging and EF SYMJET hybrid equipment. Deals were signed for Asia, too!
Labelexpo laid the groundwork for many recent technology developments for MPS. We’re excited to bring them to Asia, and share with you the ‘Beyond the Machine’ experience.
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