The development of digital printing technology in China’s label market is seeing its share of ups and downs, especially after the shortage of raw materials and workforce during the pandemic. Some press manufacturers are broadening their application areas while others are persisting in their core areas. However, all see environmental sustainability as a challenge for the label and packaging sector.
A key region for the label and package printing industry, South China is looking forward to hosting Labelexpo South China 2024, once again, at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center from 4 to 6 December.
Based on traditional offset and flexo printing equipment for many years, Weigang launched its digital print equipment in 2023 in answer to market demand. “Compared with traditional printing, digital technology presents broader market applications, such as the popular personalized variable data, short order business, and a quicker production process and delivery time,” Zhou Xiang, general manager of Weigang said.
Traditional flexo printing and digital printing technology will reach a balanced state after a period of development and play different roles in their respective fields, he says. “In addition to serving local customers, Weigang actively develops overseas markets, and the proportion of overseas business has reached a quarter of the company’s total business. Their presses have been exported to more than 80 countries in Europe, America, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, including India.
According to Lynn Lin, director of Pulisi, the development of China’s label market has entered a stable state. “With the expansion of international machine manufacturer’s production bases, the downgrade of consumption, and the escalation of the trade war, the development rate of China’s label market will inevitably slow down in the future.”
“In fact,” he says, “the speed of domestic economic recovery after the pandemic has not reached our expectations. Fortunately, Pulisi laid out overseas markets in advance, and the overseas proportion of the company’s business reached 40% in 2023 and is expected to grow to 60% this year. At the same time, digital printing technology with low energy consumption and less waste also helps the process of sustainable development in this industry.”
Based on its accumulated experience, customer feedback and resources in the inspection area, Pulisi launched its digital printing equipment in March 2021. Since then, the company’s digital printing installations have reached more than 150 units in China, Korea, Russia, India, North America, and Europe.
“India is the fifth largest economy and we are very optimistic about this market. Pulisi has established a service and after-sales team in India to provide local technical support. However, we have to admit that the several geopolitical or international relation crises have brought many uncertainties to the business expansion in the Indian market,” Lin said.
A note to label converters
China’s label printing industry is paying more and more attention to environmental protection. While the relevant national and local environmental protection policies are increasingly strict, more consumers and brand owners are paying attention to sustainability.
To achieve environmental goals, the label printing industry needs to make efforts in aspects ranging from materials, ink, printing process, and post-press processing to delivery management, in which the whole chain of suppliers should participate. In addition to the retail apparel segment, RFID tag applications in aviation, automotive, and logistics industries are also increasing, and its growth rate exceeds previous expectations.
