Amit Ahuja of flexo press manufacturer Multitec will be at the ElitePlus conference in Mumbai on 4 & 5 September and at Labelexpo Barcelona from 16 to 19 September. He answers some of Packaging South Asia correspondent Aayush Pandey’s questions just before these exciting back-to-back global events.
How will you project your flexible packaging capabilities at Labelexpo?
At Labelexpo Europe 2025, Multitec will showcase the S3S sleeve-based flexo press, which is designed to meet the dynamic needs of both labels and flexible packaging. One of the most exciting industry trends we are seeing today is the convergence of the two worlds — label converters are moving into flexible packaging with shrink sleeves and small pouches, while flexible packaging companies do not want to miss out on the explosion of short-run jobs being driven by the astronomical rise of FMCG startups.
The S3S is poised to leverage this burgeoning trend. It is a versatile workhorse that can easily handle substrates ranging from 10-micron films to light monocartons, while maintaining real register accuracy — making it a suitable fit for converters from either side of the industry. We will also emphasize its short-run advantages – print without cylinder costs, ultra-fast job changeovers in under four minutes, ultra-low waste enabling freedom from MOQs, and zero-gap jointless printing. By running live demonstrations throughout the show in Barcelona, we aim to demonstrate how converters can achieve profitability, agility, and flawless quality in applications that were previously considered unviable with flexo.
Any current users we can mention in our preview for labels/flexibles?
Multitec has over 680 presses installed across 47+ countries, with customers ranging from leading label converters to flexible packaging specialists. While some of our global clients prefer confidentiality, we can mention that converters successfully running flexible packaging on the S3S platform are there in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Across geographies, they are producing pouches and sachets for snacks and confectionery, underlining the robustness and versatility of our presses.
Application segments your presses are especially well-suited for?
The S3S is particularly well-suited for short-run flexible packaging, including wraparound labels for the beverage industry. Prelaminated materials and pouches for food, confectionery, personal care, and agro and prelaminated material. For in-mold labels, lamitubes, self-adhesive labels, specialty films, and shrink sleeves.
Its ability to switch jobs quickly, print with minimal waste, and eliminate cylinder costs makes it ideal for converters serving diverse SKUs, seasonal packaging, and promotional runs.
What, according to you, are the current industry trends?
We see four clear trends shaping the label and packaging industry today –
- Shift to short runs – Brand owners are demanding agility, personalization, and SKU proliferation.
- Sustainability and waste reduction – Minimizing setup waste and running lean production is a key requirement.
- Hybrid and versatile presses – Printers and label converters want equipment that can serve both labels and flexible packaging on the same platform.
- Speed to market – Converters are under pressure to deliver faster, which makes quick changeovers and reduced lead times critical.
The S3S was designed to directly address these trends.
What do you think will be the highlight of this edition of LabelExpo?
The very fact that Labelexpo Europe 2025 is not just showcasing the world of labels but also bringing a spotlight onto flexible packaging and folding cartons reflects a powerful global trend – converters aspiring to become true one-stop packaging partners. This edition of Labelexpo will be particularly important because it will highlight how flexo technology has evolved to compete with gravure and digital across the entire packaging spectrum — from labels to pouches to cartons.
We expect to see a strong emphasis on automation, waste reduction, and sustainability-driven solutions — all of which are critical for the future of packaging. For Multitec, the highlight will be demonstrating, through the S3S, that short-run packaging of every kind is not only possible with flexo but also highly profitable, enabling converters to expand their capabilities and capture new growth opportunities. What sets the S3S apart is its advanced automation with three direct-drive servo motors on every print station — eliminating gears and, with them, the flaws typical of conventional flexo presses. The result is extremely high print quality, perfect precision, and flawless printing across labels, films, and cartons alike.
Growth, development, and change since the last edition two years ago?
Over the past two years, Multitec has not only expanded its footprint in terms of the number of presses installed — now over 680 globally — but also made significant inroads into key markets such as mainland Europe, where we are seeing both new installations and repeat orders. This reflects the trust and confidence that converters are placing in our technology.
Two years ago, we were a new entrant in the flexible packaging space. Today, our mid-web series caters not just to established flexible packaging manufacturers but also to new converters looking for agility and reliability, making Multitec a trusted partner in this arena. Importantly, the S3S was developed with the convergence of labels and flexible packaging in mind — a true versatile workhorse designed to cater to a much broader spectrum of packaging needs, from labels, IML, shrink sleeves, and all the way to short-run pouches and cartons.
Your company’s capacity expansion plans?
At Multitec, capacity expansion is a continuous journey rather than a milestone. We have been steadily scaling up our manufacturing infrastructure and investing in advanced production automation to meet the growing global demand for our presses. What is particularly exciting is how our in-house machine software development team has proactively embraced AI, deploying intelligent agents to make our production cycle more transparent, cohesive, and efficient. As a result, knowledge latency across the shop floor has been reduced to negligible levels, with seamless visibility into manufacturing status and processes across the company.
A visit to our facility makes it clear that we are always in growth mode — expanding our built-up area, adding more machinery, and adopting systems designed to cut turnaround times. Our focus is on increasing production output by 15–20% annually, without increasing manpower, by driving smarter systems and higher efficiencies.
On the innovation front, beyond the S3S, we are working on solutions that further integrate digitalization into our presses. The ethos at Multitec has always been to listen closely to the changing needs of the market, understand the real pain points of our customers, and shape our technology roadmap to address them. That philosophy is what continues to guide our growth — both as a company and as a trusted partner to converters worldwide.
Naresh Khanna and Shardul Sharma will cover ElitePlus for Packaging South Asia and IndiFoodBev. Naresh Khanna will also cover Labelexpo Barcelona, and Shardul Sharma will cover Drinktec Munich. If you would like to advertise in our review issue of October or subsequent issues, please contact Purva Dwivedi or Mohit Tyagi.
