The label market is on the rise as myriad of advanced materials and ultra modern manufacturing processes got emerged to woo customers in all parameters—be it offset, digital or flexo—signifying a time for the industry to embrace ‘Sustainability’ in the ecosystem of label printing & production. All talks and discussions buzzing around the LMAI Conference 2023 at Jaipur, held from July 20–22 at Hotel Leela Palace in the Pink City, inevitably determined that all packages will be sustainable by 2025.
After a gap of four years, Label Manufacturers Association of India (LMAI) brought back its landmark LMAI Conference with full of excitement, entertainment, new trends, technologies, and future aspects. The three days of the conference witnessed some trends that seem accurate and relevant when it comes to production runs that get shorter these days as well as some USPs of production processes from machine manufacturers in which influence of digital is vital and sustainability is futuristic.
Rajesh Nema, President, Label Manufacturers Association of India (LMAI), marked the onset of the conference with an exciting welcome address, mentioning the participation of 37 exhibitors and more than 400 companies with the offering og 600 plus benefits at the conference this year. Major brands present at the conference included Avery Denison, Heidelberg, HP, Flexo Image Graphics (FIG), Weldon Celloplast, Acme Rolltech, UV Graphics, Gallus, Omet, GEW, to mention a few.
“After all, I would like to thank all the 38 sponsors without them, we wouldn’t make the conference so eventful. We organise it (conference) under the theme revolving around ‘Creativity, Innovation, and Sustainability’. While ‘Creativity’ and ‘Innovation’ can by far be achieved, ‘Sustainability’ is not something easily applicable with every product. In our agenda set for the conference, a host of distinguished keynote speakers including inspirational speaker Boman Irani will take on the aspects of future ‘sustainability’ in the industry.”
In the subsequent session, Saurabh Agarwal, Vice President & General Manager, Materials Group, South Asia Avery Dennison, in his keynote address stated that ‘Sustainability’ is at the centre stage now and this forefront is driven by consumer preferences and government regulations. He further stated that the theme of the conference this year is suitably chosen considering the dynamics of today’s label and packaging market.
Labelexpo Europe 2023 presentation
Jade Grace – Managing Director, Labelexpo Global Series, as a Special Guest at the conference, made an impressive presentation on Label Expo Europe 2023 by inviting all to attend the global expo to be held in mid-September this year at Brussels, Belgium. He mentioned that more than 600 exhibitors from all over the world will participate in the expo.
Setting the conference’s Agenda & Presenter Guidelines, Manish Desai, Conference Chairperson, LMAI Conference 2023, said that consumers these days are taking actions to improve circularity where labels and packaging become central. He pointed out a research study that reveals 25 percent of consumers made purchases based on the environmental friendliness of packaging, while 23 percent actively searched for environmental information on product labels. “We are pretty sure that the speakers at the conference will provide solutions to these challenges in their presentations,” he said.
Lifetime Achievement Award
In the Felicitation Ceremony, Ramesh Deshpande, Secretary, LMAI, was honoured as the winner of the LMAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 in recognition of his contribution to the SMSE subsidy for the Indian exhibitors participating in the Labelexpo Brussels under which the Government of India will reimburse 50 percent of the cost of exhibition space and 75 percent of air travel charges.
Sustainable packaging
Second day of the LMAI Conference 2023 was dawned with a welcome address by Jaideep Singh, Honorary Secretary, LMAI, followed by a string of interesting, impressive and power-packed sessions. In one of the sessions titled ‘Driving Growth in the PSL Industry with Creativity, Innovation + Digital and Sustainability’, Priyanka Singla, Segment Development Director – LPM, South Asia, Avery Dennison, emphasised on ‘sustainable packaging’ as ESG (environmental, social, and governance) guidelines will change the sustainable landscape. “By 2030, Avery Dennison will reduce scope-3 GHG emissions by 30 percent and vote for circularity,” she mentioned. Avery Denison is one of the platinum sponsors of the event.
Exhibitors at a mini expo organised on the sidelines of the LMAI Conference 2023 showcased their key products, machines and technologies which will be presented at Labelexpo Europe 2023. Gallus was among the main exhibitors which presented its flagship label presses, viz. Labelmaster and Gallus ECS 340. Alexander Uwe, Global Product Manager – Digital Labelling Solutions, Heidelberg – Gallus in the session titled ‘Gallus Innovation – Unleashing the Future’, touched upon a special emphasis on their latest flagship product ‘Gallus One’—a hybrid digital press with inline converting. Talking about ‘sustainability’ from a different angle, Uwe mentioned ‘Gallus One’ is a reliable and sustainable system when it comes to total cost of ownership.
With the keynote speakers taking on motivational discourses and discussions, the second day of the conference wrapped up with fully animated speeches from Boman Irani who successfully walked the audience through his witty personal story of triumph amidst a handful of challenges he had faced throughout his life. As the audience expected, Irani ended his session with full of excitement in a thematic tune of the 1969 Frank Sinatra song My Way.
Prolific panel discussion
Third day of LMAI Conference 2023 had a stimulating panel discussion on ‘Challenges in Creating Sustainable Innovations in Labels’ in which Harveer Sahni, MD, Weldon Celloplast and LMAI Board Member, moderated the session with a line of panellists comprising Ankit Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Holostik; Hemant Paruchuri, Director, Pragati Pack (India); Devendra Solanki, Director Sales, Sicon Packs; Rajeev Chatwal, Managing Director, Kwality Offset Printers; Upal Roy, Managing Director, India/Middle East/Africa, Flint Group; Manish Kapoor, Sales Manager – Indian Subcontinent, Nilpeter; Umesh Kagade, Segment Manager, Labels and Packaging, HP Indigo; and Sanjeev Sharma, Director Product Management, Avery Dennison South Asia.
All talks and discussions at the panel discussion were woven around ‘sustainability’ and why it is a ‘pinch-point’ amongst label printers. The panellists highlighted ‘sustainability’ may well be a penny or too expensive as it may matter too in the price sensitive Indian market but all agreed on the fact that considering the grave situation the world is facing, everybody needs to find innovative and creative ways to arrest the degradation and chip in a bit to the environment.
Speaking on the topic ‘Greater Saving and Simplicity in Flexo’ Hrishikesh Kulkarni, Regional Sales Manager – West and South India, Sri Lanka, Miraclon, asserted that brand expectations and market trends are causing a shift towards using flexography for label and packaging printing. He emphasised the fact that selection of right plate matters in which ‘sustainability’ in printing is not just about the use of sustainable substrates or greener inks, but reduction of production waste, press downtime and make-ready times, in which Miraclon believes in using the right technology in the optimum way as the biggest enabler to produce sustainable label and packaging printing.
Closing moment
As the closure of the LMAI Conference 2023 came up, Vivek Kapoor, CEO, Creative Labels Pvt Ltd and Former-President of LMAI, proclaimed, “Let’s take a moment to reflect on the valuable insights and knowledge shared by the distinguished speakers and participants at the conference. All the presentations and discourses at the conference have shed light on ‘Creativity’, ‘Innovation’ and all aspects of our lives, from personal growth to business development, and how the ‘Sustainability’ has been on the forefront of our actions.”
Incorporated as a central body to promote the label manufacturers and their suppliers across India, LMAI boasts a membership of more than 270 profound members. With its administrative and registered office in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, the association supports highly experienced professional team on the board who keep on organising technical seminars/workshops and LMAI Conference on alternate
