Samir Patkar, regional sales head – Asia Pacific for Gallus, said that both Gallus and Heidelberg will highlight how digitisation will change the label business. “It’s our endeavour to support our customers in mastering this paradigm shift.”

Patkar emphasised that there are compelling reasons for the label print CEOs to attend the Gallus Innovation Days, where the Gallus will present a variety of new products following this year’s motto – Solutions for Printing Champions.

He cited the recent USD 16-bn acquisition of Flipkart by Walmart, the global retailer, and Amazon’s USD 5-bn commitment to the Indian market to highlight the growth of label and packaging market s in India. “Today, according to reports, the e-commerce market stands at USD 15-bn. Further, India’s retail market is expected to increase by 60% to reach US$ 1.1 trillion by 2020, on the back of factors like rising incomes and lifestyle changes by middle class and increased digital connectivity,” said Patkar.

“The highlight of the event will be the unveiling of Gallus Smartfire, an affordable option for getting started with digital label printing. The Gallus Smartfire is easy to operate, and apt for ever-changing short job runs. At the Gallus Innovation Days, we will present the features and capabilities of the sure-fire equipment with live demonstrations. The Gallus Labelfire is going to make waves with a newly-added, fully-integrated screen printing unit that will allow the use of transparent substrates, and set new quality benchmarks in label printing. The Labelmaster Advanced will rev up interest with its new and automatic transverse and longitudinal register control,” Patkar added.

The Gallus RCS 430 is now equipped with flying imprint, and a UV booster for extremely quick UV ink drying. The Gallus ECS 340 is now made capable of manufacturing multi-layer labels, with its web shifting feature. Heidelberg will present the rotating die-cutter Speedmaster XL 106-DD, with makereadies and production three times faster than similar flatbed die-cutters. “So, it’s going to be quite a show,” Patkar further stated enthusiastically.

More than 30 partnering companies are going to present their products and services for the label business in hall 1, which Patkar said, exceeds all records of former Gallus Innovation Days.

Two years ago, more than 800 visitors from all over the world travelled to Switzerland to attend the Gallus Innovation Days. This year, Gallus hopes to continue this success story on an even bigger exhibition area, which includes the Gallus Print Media Centre Label.