Drupa-, Interpack-like visitors for W&H's first-ever virtual expo
Over 2,000 visitors from 120 countries tuned in for live flexographic and gravure press demonstrations, technical sessions and virtual meetings held by Windmoller & Holscher
17 Jul 2020 | 1006 Views | By Aultrin Vijay
From 24-25 June 2020, machine manufacturer Windmoller & Holscher (W&H) held its first-ever virtual expo, which was put together in just six weeks, to present technologies and products initially planned for industry mega shows – Interpack and Drupa – that have been postponed until spring 2021.
Peter Steinbeck, managing partner at W&H, said, “The past months have been a challenge everywhere. Yet the flexible packaging industry is as busy as ever. That’s why it was so important for us to hold a virtual expo and show our customers new technologies and applications that are available now and can help them run their production more efficiently.”
To accommodate different time zones of visitors, the virtual expo was held live three times a day. Filmed in the 1,20,000 sqft W&H Technology Center in Lengerich, Germany, and the W&H Academy, two live machine demonstrations and eight technical sessions were broadcast live. In addition, the expo offered the opportunity for one-on-one meetings and both individual and group chats.
The live machine demonstrations included the Novoflex II flexographic press highlighting the new Ruby IoT system for analysing production data to optimise processes and the newly redesigned Heliostar II gravure printing press.
The live technical sessions were targeted to package printers, industrial sack producers, paper bag manufacturers and film extruders. A session showcasing an all-PE film structure as an alternative to PET for stand-up pouch applications generated significant interest.
Other technical sessions covered flexible packaging topics, including sleeve handling solutions for flexographic presses, printing solutions for industrial sacks, heavy duty films for FFS sacks, remote service and paper sack production on machinery from W&H subsidiary, Garant Maschinen. Videos of the demonstrations and sessions are still available for viewing through the W&H sales team.
“We have been able to accomplish a lot digitally over the past few months from sales calls to live machine trials to service support to the Virtual EXPO. The experience and insights we’ve gained have been invaluable. At the same time, personal meetings cannot be replaced. they are very important for building relationships and trust. Both digital and personal communications have their place,“ concluded Steinbeck.