Australian delegates from the label and package printing industry, including converters, brand owners and designers, joined their peers from South East Asia at the recent Label Summit Indonesia 2013 in Bali.
The event, organised by Labelexpo, attracted an audience of 255 delegates to hear insights into the growth opportunities the ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) region offers for the label and pack printing industry.
The event also incorporated a busy exhibition floor with over 30 exhibitors, including stands by Australia's Label and Tag Manufacturers' Association (LATMA) and such companies active in the local market as Esko and UPM Raflatac.
Highlights of the conference included a keynote presentation by HP Indigo’s Christian Menegon and Jeniaty Satjawiguna of Master Label, focusing on making the move from a conventional to digital workflow.
Their presentation looked at how converters need to adapt their business to have a digital capacity to improve efficiency by being able to handle short print runs and deliver high value print and product quality.
A special printer panel discussion at the event featured five of the region’s top converters, including Prestige Labels from Singapore, Pyramid Labels of Indonesia and the Philippines’s Super Enterprise.
A presentation by Brenton Barrett from Multi-Color Corporation of the US gave a detailed industry overview and examined some of the current challenges facing converters in the global marketplace.
Exploring the latest trends, he highlighted that the Asia-Pacific region is experiencing massive growth in label consumption of approximately seven per cent, and will account for 73 per cent of global retail packaging volume growth through to 2016.
“We’re on the cusp of the South East Asian industry burgeoning and becoming one of the largest players in the global market,” the managing director of Labelexpo, Lisa Milburn, said.
“Not only have we demystified new technologies and shared best practice, but the summit has provided a unique insight into the latest commercial opportunities across the continent, looking beyond just growth figures but also the truth behind the realities of investing and operating in the South East Asia region.”
The Label Summit Indonesia was told the Asia-Pacific region will account for 73 per cent of global retail packaging volume growth through to 2016.
