Auspack 2017 is on this week in Sydney, featuring a showcase of exciting new technologies and services for the packaging industry - including more than a few goodies for printers.
Hailed as the largest Sydney show in Auspack history, this year's exhibition fills two halls at the Sydney Showground in Olympic Park, and includes must-see items for anyone interested in packaging print.
Visitors could not help but comment on the large number of Chinese packaging firms in the hall. The sales thrust from up north is a fact of life that local producers have to face. Speed of delivery and quality are the only viable weapons with which the local industry can compete.
Another notable feature is the huge amount of automation on display. Robots are everywhere and the number of human touch points in the process are drastically reduced. The use of robots can certainly eliminate the labour cost advantage of the Chinese industry.
The print packaging sector was highly visible with some well known brands flying their flags. Jet Technologies, at stand 475, was hosting the official launch of partner Screen GP's new entry level digital label press, the Truepress L250AQ. Designed for existing converters who want to move into short-run work, as well as commercial printers looking to enter the label market, the L250AQ boasts a small footprint, ease of use, and a cost of entry under $100,000. "It's small enough and simple enough to work in an office environment," said Peter Scott, managing director of Screen GP.
According to Scott, the L250AQ has been a popular exhibit at the show. "We've done some email marketing campaigns too, and we've had far better than the usual response, so I think there's a lot of interest in this market for a relatively low-cost, easy-to-run machine that can get people into labels - which are seen as a growing part of the industry," he said.
More compact still are the desktop label printers on display at Label Power (stand 487) and QLM Label Makers/Label Print Systems (stand 292). Both stands feature the Epson ColorWorks C3500 and C7500 label printers, built for printers who seek on-demand high-quality labels at very short runs. QLM Label Makers also has Toshiba thermal label printers, while Label Power is showing off the VIPColor VP700, which like the Screen L250AQ is powered by Memjet technology.
On the software side, Hybrid Software (stand 140) is demonstrating the Packz pre-press suite for packaging design. The program, which features native PDF support, includes a range of pre-press, editing, and quality assurance tools such as smart selection, warping, auto-analysis and repair of quality issues, and a barcode creator and editor.
Auspack 2017 runs until Friday, March 10. Registration is open now.