The LMAI Conference 2023 in Jaipur organized from 20 – 23 July 2023 by the Label Manufacturers Association of India (LMAI) centered around the cyclic themes of creativity, sustainability, and innovation – and set the tone for Labelexpo Europe in Brussels.
Hosted after a break of four years, the inaugural event of the conference saw a discussion on the influence of digitization, along with the conferment of the Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 and a mini-exhibition of label manufacturers and suppliers.
Avery Dennison, Weldon Celloplast, Kwality Labels, UV Graphics, GEW, Jindal-SMI, Zonten, Nilpeter, Monotech, Kurz, Apex International, Newgen Printonics, Flexo Image Graphics, Alliance Printech, Acme Rolltech, HP, Gallus, Heidelberg, Vetaphone, Omet, and Brotech were among the big label machine manufacturers and suppliers that attended the vibrant 2023 conference hosted at The Leela Palace.
Starting with an address by LMAI president Rajesh Nema, Day 1 of the event veered toward more focused discussions. Saurabh Agarwal, vice president and general manager of Avery Dennison, spoke on the ‘doom and gloom’ that the label industry has faced so far. “The themes for this year’s conference are very apt considering the dynamics of today’s market. However, moving onward and upward will not be possible if digitization does not become a key focus. Digitization can be an enabler of the conference’s cyclic themes.”
Disruption creates opportunity, Agarwal said, “Before the pandemic, the margins were great because there weren’t so many norms in place. The pandemic created a disruption. Innovation and sustainability became an answer, allowing our industry to be creative and digitally efficient. Now we need solutions beforehand. The labels sector needs to perform more actively and intelligently. We should make labels do more than we think is possible in the most sustainable manner and aim to provide the consumer with better than the best.”
Jade Grace, managing director of LMAI Europe, unveiled the theme of the upcoming Labelexpo Europe – ‘Modern Legends of Print’. The event will take place from 11-14 September in Brussels, spanning nine halls with more than 600 exhibitors and 200 product launches.
“This edition of Labelexpo aims to have the highest number of product launches we have seen to date. The Indian packaging industry has grown manifold in the past years and LMAI is very excited to host Indian exhibitors at the show in Brussels. Avery Dennison, Omet, Gallus, Heidelberg, Multitec, UV Graphics, Mark Andy, and other esteemed names from the Indian packaging industry will be a part of the show,” Grace said
Ramesh Deshpande, secretary, LMAI, was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award for the year 2023 in recognition of his contribution to the MSME subsidy for Indian exhibitors for Labelexpo Brussels. Under the subsidy, the Government of India will reimburse 75% of airfare by economy class and 50% of space rental charges for micro & small manufacturing enterprises of general category entrepreneurs participating in the show.
A mini-exhibition was held at Leela Hotel for networking and round table discussions with partnering industries and the media. Speakers from both manufacturers and suppliers set up stalls showcasing their recent or upcoming solutions. Most presenters showcased the machines they will launch in Brussels. Among the exhibits, Gallus gained the best traction and inquiries about their recent innovation – the Gallus One label press, which comes with an inbuilt die-cut unit.
The inaugural day ended with the felicitation of the event sponsors amid cocktails, dinner, and live music.
