The first edition of Labelexpo Europe since 2019 was one for the record books. Event organizers reported a total of 637 exhibitors taking part in the show, which welcomed 35,889 visitors from 138 countries as the global industry returned to Brussels Expo from Sept 11‐14.

Conventional flexo technology made a return to Labelexpo after an absence from the Americas show in 2022, with much success. Meanwhile, digital technology continues to be a clear addition to many converters’ technology toolkits.

It was a fantastic sight to see so much state‐of‐the‐art flexo press technology at Labelexpo Europe 2023 after all the talk about the ‘death of flexo’ after Labelexpo Americas last year.

Labelexpo Europe 2023 was a manifestation of an industry-wide commitment to environmental concerns and innovation

Advancements in water‐wash flexo plate technology played a major role at Labelexpo Europe 2023, offering faster and more sustainable flexo plate production and banishing the negative quality perceptions of older generations of water‐wash technology.

Today’s label and packaging converters are more efficiency‐ savvy than ever, and looking for suppliers that can help them streamline production and get more out of their equipment at a time when workers are in short supply.

A record 161 Chinese companies attended Labelexpo Europe 2023, demonstrating products and services that covered the entire label supply chain, from materials, to inks, printing equipment, finishing equipment, rollers and curing solutions.

Ancillary products play an important supporting role in the production of labels and flexible packaging— from anilox rolls, barcode systems, doctor blades, cleaning solutions, curing, platemaking, web guiding systems and more.

At Labelexpo Europe 2023, we saw an increased focus on automation, efficiency and waste reduction on both inline flexo presses and digital press finishing lines.