Harveer Sahni

Total Post: 298

Indian Label printers to meet in Jaipur, excitement builds up!

Indian Label printers to meet in Jaipur, excitement builds up!
LMAI team at first 2011 conference
In the chronology of self adhesive labels in India, July 2011 will go down as one of the most important historical times when the first LMAI conference was held at the picturesque Park Hyatt Hotel in Goa. The longest serving President of LMAI Vivek Kapoor and his team had targeted a delegate strength of 125 but the event was so successful that the final count was 270! Rooms fell short and delegates had to be accomodated at nearby hotels. We were in the initial stages, not sure if another conference will be held later and when. However in the end of the conference the decision was unanimous, it has to be a regular biennial event and so it is. Report of the event with pictures is available on this blog at  http://harveersahni.blogspot.in/2011/08/lmai-conference-innovations-unlimited.html   
Labelexpo team at the 2013 conference
Two years on in July 2013 the Indian Label industry was back in Goa with a bang, this time at the Grand Hyatt, a much bigger venue than the Park Hyatt as a larger gathering was expected. True to expectations of the LMAI team the number of delegates crossed 390, a commendable job. World class entertainment was delivered after learned speakers had shared their knowledge with the delegates in an extremely focused conference. My report on this event as well is available at http://harveersahni.blogspot.in/2013/08/rocking-at-goa-indian-label-conference.html. At the last LMAI conference  there were murmurs that the venue needs to move to another destination but there were many who were adamant that it should remain in Goa. As time elapsed the murmur in Goa became louder leading to a decision to move the conference northwards to a heritage city in Rajasthan. Finally it was decided to hold the conference in Jaipur.
 
Jaipur the capital of Rajasthan state in India was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, a Kachwaha Rajput, who ruled Jaipur State from 1699-1744. Initially his capital was Amber, which lies at a distance of 11 km from Jaipur. He felt the need of shifting his capital city with the increase in population and growing scarcity of water. Jaipur is the first planned city of India and the King took great interest while designing this city of victory. According to that time, architecture of the town was very advanced and certainly the best in Indian subcontinent. In 1878, when Prince of Wales visited Jaipur, the whole city was painted in Pink color to welcome him and after that Jaipur was titled ‘Pink City’. Still, the neat and broadly laid-out avenues, painted in pink provide a magical charm to the city. Jaipur is rich in its cultural and architectural beauty, which can be traced in the various historical and aesthetic places that reside in the city. This city of victory really wins the hearts of the people with its splendid charisma and heritage.
 
LMAI conference is slated to be held in Hotel Fairmont in Jaipur on the 16th, 17th & 18th of July 2015. Fairmont Jaipur is an ode to the pink city through awe inspiring architecture and decor, inspired by the Mughal Dynasty and Royal Rajputs of yore. This luxury Jaipur hotel is nestled amongst the majestic Aravalli hills, all 199 rooms and suites are elegantly appointed, to reflect a perfect blend of traditional Rajasthani décor and modern amenities. Over 400 delegates consisting of converters, material suppliers, consumable suppliers and press suppliers are expected to congregate at the conference venue. The event promises to deliver value in terms of knowledge, networking and entertainment. The industry constituents are already excited to share the good times with colleagues. Expecting a shortage of rooms the LMAI management has also made arrangements in hotels nearby.
 
Vivek Kapoor
Commenting on the event, LMAI President Vivek Kapoor says, “Over the years, the LMAI Conference has become an important platform for addressing various industry issues. This year we have increased the duration of the conference from two days to three days to ensure that the delegates, who travel from around the country and world to attend this event will get ample time to network and conduct B2B discussions”. Chairperson of LMAI 2015 Conference, Guraraj Ballarwad says, “The label industry in India faces significant challenges in this ever changing dynamics of label manufacturing and it is necessary to identify changing trends that help gear the Indian industry to meet those challenges.” Leading printers and Industry stalwarts have also expressed optimism and excitement at this forthcoming event. Sanjeev Sondhi of ZIRCON TECHNOLOGIES INDIA LTD. says, “This conference is an excellent platform for label fraternity to sit together and look for ways and means to make this industry more vibrant in terms of technology, operations and improving profits”. In South India, Sivakasi based Seljegat’s Raveendran feels that while industry events like this conference is a good occasion to network and share experiences with peers, yet he says, “The content needs to be more wholesome. Instead of just the sponsors making speeches, it would be better if we have neutral speakers who can shed light on the way forward.” He further adds, “Label Printers would like to dwell on what direction the label industry is moving globally and the impact of multi process printing and converting equipment in enhancing capabilities to develop specialty labels. This will help them make investment decisions”.

Finally the young Chandan Khanna heading multi-location Ajanta Packaging having multinational presence with units in Daman(India), Baddi(India), Thailand and Ajman(UAE) sums it all. He says, “The LMAI conference, which comes once in two years is an event that personally I try and ensure I attend. The presentations, open panel discussions, the getting together with your peers and industry suppliers in a relaxed environment is good for all industry constituents. I feel, positive changes occur from the networking whereby all in the industry stand to benefit. It is a must meet event. I am looking forward to being at the conference”.

With excitement building up and registrations coming in at fast pace, the LMAI conference promises to deliver value and fun in the heritage pink city of Jaipur. I look forward to an august gathering where competitors, suppliers and customers will rejoice togetherness!

The above article maybe reproduced by magazines giving credit to the author.

Written by Harveer Singh Sahni, Managing Director, Weldon Celloplast Limited, New Delhi, India April 2015

RIP Hanumantha Rao, Founder Pragati Offset. My tribute!

RIP Hanumantha Rao, Founder Pragati Offset. My tribute!
Hanumantha Rao, the founder of Pragati Offset who passed away peacefully on the 2nd of March, 2015 was a man who grew from grass root level and became a legend in his lifetime leaving behind a legacy for his enterprise to excel in print and for generations to follow! The inertia for growth that originated with inception of the enterprise by him, has not only been carried forward by his two sons and grandchildren but has actually received further impetus from their passionate dedication to print. When I visited their home in 2011, it was indeed a very warm and eye opening experience for me. It was an ideal situation, with family bonding and respecting traditions. There, I found the true meaning for, “Athithi Devo Bhava”(The guest is like GOD), this; from the respect that the family bestowed upon me and my son Pawan that evening. I too come from family owned business but this was class! Four generations in the same room in perfect unison. Hanumantha Rao’s grand children were playing around while I enjoyed the evening with him, my friend; his son Narendra Paruchuri and his grand children. Hanumantha Rao took immense pleasure in telling me that his great grand children accompanied him to the press some afternoons after school. This was amazing foresight this man had, motivating the fourth generation as well. I am always sure that this enterprise will stay indebted to its founder in laying the path to continuous growth and excellence by personal indulgence!
 
 
 
On the 1st of September 1962, Hanumantha Rao who after completing his BA Hons. (philosophy), a short stint as a journalist with Visala Andhra and five years as manager of Sarathi Cine Studios also doing small roles in films out of which some even with the late N T RamaRao, set up a small printing press with one treadle press and three workers. The three men that he employed were a binder, a composer and a machine man. Surprising as it may sound two of these men are still associated with his company even after almost 50 years, though only in advisory capacity.
 

 
Hanumantha Rao had some basic knowledge of printing from his time spent at printing detective novels written by his friend Narayana Rao in Chennai. Also he was a quick learner and does not shy from saying that he learnt and grasped well from his otherwise trained workers. He fondly remembers the first job he printed was a folder with Ganesha on it! The first big order that came his way was the 1973 voters list. Thereafter it was always the way ahead to be traversed and soon he bought his first offset press, a second hand single colour OM-4 Russian Offset Press. He vowed to be a quality producer and set standards that would be the way forward for his company. The foundation had been laid and the journey into excellence in printing had begun. It was time to induct more working hands in this business.
 
 




The ensuing generations of this family are not resting on their laurels, they strive hard to retain the saga at Pragati, “Winning awards for print excellence, is a way of life for them!”
 
 
 



 

Author: Harveer Sahni, Managing Director Weldon Celloplast Limited New Delhi March 2015

The life of a label-III

The life of a label-III

Converting process:

 

Designing a label is a designer’s job, passion and creative indulgence, but converting it into a label that will deliver the envisaged results of communicating with the consumer, is the job of a label converter.  If, as I mentioned in the earlier two parts of this series, the designer has taken care of the converters capabilities and challenges, the result is close to being as desired. However, if at the designing stage the eventual converting process is not revisited, converting may become a nightmare and may call for more time and involvement to make changes in design. Let us consider a label that is not one of the regular shapes like a square, a rectangle or a circle. If it is a like a star or an odd shape with sharp corners, it will be a challenge to die cut the labels slowing down label conversion, bringing up the cost of label. In such a situation label dispensing may also become erratic. Such label presses are now available with many label printers that die-cut and remove waste matrix of  complex shaped labels while converting but then these options are not available with all venders. The designers need to consider ease of conversion and dispensing. Sometimes designers tend to create labels in the shape of objects like a flower, a dumbbell, a butterfly, a bird or even like a falling drop. These shapes will either be difficult to die cut and will substantially slow down the label press during conversion. I am not suggesting that such shapes should not be indulged in, but on the contrary if the product and its marketing warrant’s it so and can support a higher conversion cost, it may even become a necessity to create such complex labels. At times when it is an innovation being created to reach out to a specific customer segment, the challenges in conversion and speed must take a back seat. Die-cutting in label conversion in-itself is a very exhaustive topic and an intricate technology which is beyond the purview of this article as we are dealing with the life of a label from concept, design, and conversion to its final resting on the product and its performance there from.

 

Brand Promotion:

 

Any brand from inception onwards, in its journey to success keeps gaining value as it reaches out to the product’s targeted audience. Label is one part of the package that contributes towards the brand promotion from the word go! The aesthetics and the decoration part have been dwelled upon earlier in this series, yet a very important part of the label is brand promotion. While the aesthetics and decoration of the label tempts the consumer, to impulsively lift the product off the shop shelf but it is the brand promotion in-built into the label that will bring the customers back to make a repeat purchase. A product may have been created with lot of skill and effort to be the best buy for the discerning consumer. Its commercial success will depend not only on repeated purchase by the impulsively indulgent buyer but by his spreading the message by word-of-mouth to others about the product. The information on the label should communicate the strength and reliability of the manufacturer. The label should deliver a message that the brand is “value for money” bringing appreciation from the judicious buyer who inadvertently becomes the brand’s ambassador. It is easy to mimic successful brands, but one must realize that the learned and well-informed consumer is quick to recognize a copy. I refer to this issue of duplication later in this article. The label needs to communicate the research and effort being put into creating the product to meet the emotional and aspirational requirements of the users. The label and eventually the product itself must communicate that it will add to the stature of the user. The message on label in the shortest form, given the limited space, is required to be conveyed emphatically and should be very strong and bold in branding! The content on the label is necessarily required to create an aura promoting brand recall. One must be mindful of the preferences and sensitivities of the target audience that could be children, young people, males, females or the elderly. The brand promotion capabilities of the label will create a communication link between the product and its consumer thereby establishing a channel for successful sale of the product on an ongoing basis. Often sales promotion is also incorporated in the label like free extra quantity or freebies with each purchase but here a word of caution is to be remembered, one should not confuse brand promotion with sales promotion. Brand promotion is a priority for building stature and value of a brand in the customers mind while sales promotion is a temporary step to give intermittent boost to sales. While brand promotion brings long term gains, sales promotion gives shorter gain.

 

Brand Protection:

 

As brands attain popularity and grow driving-in more revenue, another set of people wanting to make quick money by cashing in on the value of these brands, start to create look-alikes, duplicates and counterfeits. The innocent user falls prey to such unscrupulous elements by buying these non-standard products. They are exposed to dangers of being harmed by usage of such spurious products. Consumer is unable to judge whether the product is duplicate or the original product sold by the brand owner is of inferior quality. The brand is likely to suffer in value and reliability for no fault of theirs. The menace of counterfeits has attained gigantic proportions. According to a report by “The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)”, Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods has risen steadily in the last few years – even as overall trade volumes stagnated – and now stands at 3.3% of global trade, according to a new report by the OECD and the EU’s Intellectual Property Office. Trends in Trade in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods puts the value of imported fake goods worldwide based on 2016 customs seizure data at USD 509 billion, up from USD 461 billion in 2013 (2.5% of world trade). 

 

 

It has become an imperative to incorporate security features in labels and packages, as a part of brand protection keeping in mind that all brand protection features need to facilitate brand authentication as well. What good is a security feature if the user cannot verify its authenticity?  Holograms have been used for quite some time and they have a high level of security in them but in recent time holographic labels without security features but resembling the original holograms have made it difficult for the consumers to differentiate between the original and fakes. The topic of security is large and needs to be dwelled upon separately, however still I emphasize that security features need to be considered while designing labels for leading brands. These may be tamper-evident labels, labels with micro texting, thermo chromic inks, invisible inks, holograms and labels with special printing effects that help in brand protection. Building-in security or anti-counterfeiting features in labels and the packages is an exercise that needs to be revisited by brand owners and by label designers from time to time. If the label security features have not been reviewed for long, it is possible that the counterfeiters will develop something resembling it. It is a known fact when referring duplicators, “If someone can make it, there is someone who can fake it”

 

Innovation:

Consumer is the king! It is a famous quote, I would modify it a little and say, Consumer is the king maker!” If consumers approve of a product, it could deliver fortunes to the brand owners. So, to reach out to these king makers, the brand owner must innovate both in the package and label design. One sometimes wonders what innovation one can create in a label. A small patch of label that carries the brand and its information, can be decorated as mentioned earlier in this series with foiling, embossing, varnishing, lamination and die-cutting in various shape. However, in an effort to catch the consumers fancy, labels must have innovations as per the label segment they cater to. A food product label is created with a natural effect where you can see and feel the texture of the label. Portraying freshness, a leaf or a flower may be created to exhibit water droplets that one can touch and feel. These are accomplished by using diverse printing and processing technologies on their combination presses. Development of such labels is the outcome of creative capabilities of innovative label printing companies. I quote some of the innovations that I have seen in recent times;

 


Consider a wine label; Wine enthusiasts like to know about the wine before indulging in it. They wish to know the quality of grapes used for making that wine, the region and the terrain where the grapes came from. The label is made like a book to be read! One cannot put all this information on a single label, so labels are produced like a small booklet affixed to the wine bottle.

 

 

 

The hazards of using infected syringes, has been highlighted for long to curtail the spread of infection. There is an imperative need to dispose-off the used needles safely. I visited the Schreiner facility in Munich Germany, some time ago and was shown labels where after use the needle is broken on to a plastic trap which forms a part of the label on disposable syringe. These traps are then sent for safe treatment and disposal.

 

 

 

 


Another interesting example is a label created for the Heinz tomato ketchup pack. On one side if you open the pack, ketchup can be squeezed out like it is done from a regular bottle. However, if there is need to use the ketchup as dip, one can peel off the entire label by pulling the tab on another end to expose the ketchup and get a feel as if it was in a bowl.

 

 


Other innovations are like a safety temperature indicating label on cooking gas cylinders that would change colours to indicate safe temperatures or Braille labels on wine bottles for the physically challenged blind who also like normal people enjoy their wine and will like to read the information as wine lovers.

 

Summary

Label printing and converting technologies continue to evolve and I have written about the different processes on my blog where a lot of information is available. The printing that initially surfaced as letter press, moved over to flexographic printing followed by stand alone or hybrid presses incorporating combination of flexo, digital, screen, offset Rotogravure printing and diverse embellishing process like hot-foil, cold-foil, UV varnish, embossing, debossing, front and back printing all done in a single pass. The packaging development specialists now need to be well versed with all the technologies and processes. In this three-part series, one can see the journey of the label from concept to its life on the product after application. It goes through a technical life cycle interacting with diverse technologies from design, to printing, conversion, dispensing and life thereafter. Each of the technologies that the label encounters in its life cycle including the chemical, mechanical and physical properties is a science it itself. Before concluding we must keep in mind the end-of-life waste management while creating a label or package. The whole chain of persons who contribute to the life of a label are a team who eventually rejoice in the success of a product that adorns a label they created.

The complete 3 part series are accessible at the following links;

https://harveersahni.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-life-of-label-i.html

http://harveersahni.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-life-of-label-ii.html

https://harveersahni.blogspot.com/2022/02/life-of-label-iii.html

 

Written by Harveer Sahni, Chairman, Weldon Celloplast Limited, New Delhi-110008 India, January 2015 and updated in February 2022

The life of a label-II

The life of a label-II

A close look into label creation and development

 
 

India • In part one of this series of articles the author referred to the general importance of labels. Part two deals with the imperative, that the label design has to be a parallel creation when the package is being designed.

 

In the part one of this series, I wrote about the importance of label. It is however an imperative now that the label-design must be a parallel creation when the package is being created and designed. In earlier times one would just decide on a container depending on the product being a liquid, powder, or a product. If it had to be a bottle, it would either be glass or plastic and then the shape would be thought of. For cost effectiveness some products would go into printed or unprinted LDPE or PP bags. If the product is a solid one, it would probably end up in a paper-based package like a carton. A bottle would get a simple screw-on cap and then the rectangular label would separately be designed to adorn the package. The labeled bottle would again go into a mono carton and then into a corrugated carton. While the basics appear the same but modern-day technological mindsets have undergone a sea change on how to go about creating a package and its labels. Now extensive brainstorming is done before creating primary packaging on issues such as product chemistry, its construction, shelf life, usage, lifespan, aesthetics, convenience of product delivery from the package, product decoration on the label, communication capability of the label with the consumer with ease, value building for the brand; its enhancement, protection and its authentification, security features, pricing information, manufacturing/expiry dates, bar coding, etc.  With evolution, growth of consumerism and increased retail selling; packaging waste is also now generated in gigantic quantities. So, for this reason each of the above considerations, the recyclability, waste disposal and sustainability must be kept in mind at every stage of package design.

 

 Package:

 

Packaging design needs to start in reverse from the farthest end in the life cycle of a product with consumer as the end user in focus all the time at each stage. It is the consumer for whose attention and impulse to buy and comfort to use, the package is designed. One would imagine that once the product has been bought and has been used, its life cycle has ended. However present-day environmental obligations compel us to start our planning on how the packaging waste will end up, whether it is bio-degradable, or recyclable or reusable. So obviously the planning to create a package must begin with the end consumer and environment in focus at each stage. Now at the very outset we need to study the product that we have to package. It could be liquid, powder, or an appliance. It could be a chemical or a food product. Let us for the purpose of understanding the designing process consider packaging of perfumed hair oil. Large scale bottling of lubricating oils and cooking oils is done in HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) containers. HDPE is known to be somewhat porous and on long storage for months, oil seeps to the surface. Since the lifespan is short and since the lubricating oils are on shelves of gas stations before they are opened and used up, not much attention is given to the slight porosity. Similarly cooking oils are stored in cooking cabinets away from sight again it is not of much consequence. However, in case of perfumed hair oil which has to sit on dressing tables; first the porosity can make the bottle look greasy and dust attracting over long storage and secondly the perfume will gradually evaporate degrading the product. For this reason, the material of the bottle must be carefully chosen. Aromatic liquid preparations and volatile liquids like nail polish remover when packed in HDPE lose their aroma and lose levels due to evaporation. For this reason, PET becomes the preferred material for such packaging. Glass would be an ideal material and with full recyclability as it provides the best shelf life but due to the weight and its fragile nature, plastics are preferred. Similarly, when we decide to opt for flexible packaging, tin packaging, glass packaging, paper-based packaging etc., we need to dwell on how the chemistry of the product will react and stay well in the selected packaging materials. The shape of the package must be made attractive but at the same time convenience of use is importance. In case of lube oils, cooking oils and milk packaging the neck is moved to one side to facilitate pouring. Also, in bigger packs handles are molded-in to provide ease of lifting to the consumers. Additionally caps with pouring devices inbuilt or pumps are also used to make dispensing a pleasure. Once the material of the package has been selected the shape has to be created and it should keep in mind the behavior of the stability of the package on the packaging line during high-speed filling, capping and labeling process. Space needs to be provided for labels and their position, also ensuring that the label will easily dispense to be positioned correctly. The size of label should also be such that it takes into account the label printer’s press width with minimum waste matrix and deckle wastage to achieve cost effectiveness. The shape of the package should also be such that it can be placed and transported with ease and safety in secondary and tertiary packs. Another point for consideration is to provide the space for applying tamper evident label or seal wherever necessary. Most liquor bottles require government seal to be put on caps, but the uneven surface makes firm anchorage of the self-adhesive seals a challenge leaving room for tampering.

 

 Label Design:

 


\As I said label has to be in mind all along. It is the communicating arm of the product. It actually becomes the one part of the package that attracts the consumer’s attention, tempts him or her to lift it off the store shelf and then becomes the communication link between the manufacturer and the buyer. At this time, it does the job of being the best salesperson that the company has. It has the consumer’s focused attention there on. It is thus that it becomes the all-important part of a package. The self-adhesive label’s journey starts at the label stock manufacturers plant and meets the label designer’s ideas in the pre-press department, gets decorated and converted on the label press of the converter. Finally, it meets and is united with its life partner, the package at the product manufacturers packaging line. Hereafter begins the harsh journey experiencing product handling by different people, usage and facing diverse environments. The labelstock consists of primarily three components i.e., the release liner, the adhesive and the face material. Each component has to be in the mind of the package and label designer. Even though the release liner ends up in the waste dump, yet it is the most important part of the label converting and dispensing operation. The release levels will ensure speed of conversion and dispensing. 

 

 

If the release level is too tight then the waste matrix will keep breaking adding to down time and it will not dispense labels well. Also, if the waste matrix is too thin it will also amount to matrix breakages. On the other hand, if the release level is too easy then the smaller labels will lift with the matrix and may fly off at the label dispensing line. The designer needs to select a size that will not add to waste yet provide a waste matrix that will lift easily and will help in faster conversion. Finally, the liner, if it is paper, is adding to a gigantic waste problem as proper recycling facilities are not available. A filmic liner is thinner, decreasing the tonnage of waste generated and it is also recyclable. As for the liner to be used and the release level the stock manufacturer needs to be taken into confidence. Largely the optimum release values set by coaters, work across a very wide range. There is lot of work being done to produce linerless label materials still there is time before the product is developed to be used on existing packaging lines. The adhesive is a crucial component and needs the designer’s attention at the designing stage. It is the link between the label and the container such that it must adhere and perform well. HDPE is a hard to wet substrate and normal general purpose acrylic emulsion adhesives do not deliver a permanent bond. Specially formulated adhesives need to be used. Further if a removable label needs to be affixed and later removed, then removable adhesives are needed. Finally, the label material which is the top layer of the label stock and becomes the face of the product is also called the facestock. The designers need to do a careful selection as this is the part of labelstock that along with adhesive goes with the label on to the product. This is the most important part of label design and its integration with all the final packaging is what the product will eventually deliver.

 

 

Designers need to make the maximum indulgence in selecting the right face material. To design for printing excellence, creating appealing and convenient shapes of the packaging is an eventuality for any consumer product but what to print upon is an imperative and there is a world full of options. Not much long ago it was just deciding whether to use paper or film. By and large it still happens this way, however as vision expands and as we look around considering the possibilities that exist, labels start looking for an interesting avatar! Some parameters and inputs could provide the answer on what the label face material should be, but the way markets are evolving it needs a more intense thought process. To select the face material for a label we need to be again starting from the extreme end of the chain. We need to dwell on disposability or recyclability, endurance of usage conditions, compatibility with the product chemistry, cost analysis, aesthetics that aid selling, convertibility in supplier’s plants, statutory information, variable information on the label and capability to accept the desired printing, decorating and converting processes.

 

 

Consider any toiletry in a bathroom; it must be there all the time facing harsh and diverse conditions. It has to bear cold water, hot water, dry weather, cold weather, hot and humid environment, soap and continuous squeezing of the bottle. If the bottle material has been selected as HDPE, then the label in such a case cannot be paper as it will not withstand conditions to which it is exposed. Brand owners cannot expect their product to have a shriveled-up label lying in a customer’s bathroom for other guests to see such a situation which would have adverse impact on their brand image. Going further down the chain, a label should ideally be of a polymer that can be recycled along with the bottle. In a situation like this a PE film as label face will be preferred as it will behave same as the bottle material in recycling. However still, the selection of label face material cannot be limited due to above parameters only, even though they are necessary considerations. It must be worthwhile to deliver the sales impetus to the product that it will be applied upon. In present times designers have the options of a very diverse range of face materials. Examples are uncoated paper, coated art paper, Kraft paper, textured paper, metalized paper, foil laminated paper, PE Film, PET film, BOPP film, PP film, hybrid films, metalized films, clear transparent films, fabrics, cork sheets and the options go on increasing as per the designer’s imagination.

 

The final Label design

 

This needs the magic touch! The shape of the label must be in synergy with the package. One cannot have a square label on and oval container! Once the shape of the label has been decided we again need to design the label with the product and consumer in mind. A pharma label will be simple line jobs having consistency and legibility. It must carry all the statutory information, contents usage and dosage information. Recent government regulations have made it mandatory to print 2D barcodes to facilitate track and trace mechanism as a measure to counter duplication and fakes. Given the small size of most the primary pharmaceutical packs putting all this on a label becomes a very challenging proposition. When we consider the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) products we are required to decorate the labels with high resolution images with real skin tones. Capability of the label printer is of importance as we move to higher end  labels. Most labels are printed on flexo presses. These labels need excellent registration controls on all UV flexo presses with hot or cold foiling and combining, screen, offset or gravure printing on hybrid presses for special effects. Shapes are die-cut conforming to the shape of the package. These labels have a very tough task of convincing the consumer to buy so they need to be designed to communicate. The label must have product information with high resolution graphics to hold the customers attention. Since lot of information is required regarding usage, manufacturing dates, retail prices, bar codes, licensing details, contents and manufacturers address, a separate label is provided behind the container. The front label that is the face is made as attractive as possible to tempt the customer to reach out for it and the back label starts to communication with the user. As we go on to wine and liquor labels the need for attractive graphics becomes even more demanding. As the store shelves get crowded with number of brands and strict laws restricting advertising of alcohol, labels become the major platform to advertise and catch the consumer’s eye. Wine and liquor labels require very high level of decorating capabilities from label printers. The labels have textures, advanced graphics, foiling, printing with metallic effects, embossing and additional effects. It is for this reason that companies who indulge in liquor labels have made large investments in high end combination presses where in they can incorporate flexo printing with offset, screen and rotogravure printing to achieve the special metallic colour effects so prominent in highly decorative labels.

 

In the next part of this series on life of label, I will dwell on die-cutting, brand protection, building security in labels, additional decoration and finally innovations in labels.

 Written by Harveer Sahni, Chairman, Weldon Celloplast Limited, New Delhi-110008 India, October 2014 and updated in January 2022

FINAT RADAR: a 360° tour of the Label Industry

FINAT RADAR: a 360° tour of the Label Industry
 
FINAT is the European association for the self-adhesive label industry with members from many countries around the world, including India. 
 
 
SCOPE AND FUNCTIONS OF FINAT;
 
 
 
·         Providing a networking platform for converters, suppliers and indirect suppliers
 
·         Represent members' interests
 
·         Provide a central source for industry information
 
·         Offer education and technical publications
 
·         Represent the industry's views
 
·         Establish and maintain industry-related best practices, standards and test methods
 
·         Offer a global communication platform for regional and national associations world-wide
 
 
FINAT has commissioned to "market research agency LPC" an initiative called “FINAT RADAR”, to provide a convenient and up to date ‘radar screen’ to monitor trends and developments relevant to narrow web label business. The reports contain an overview of trends and developments per region in the demand for self-adhesive materials as well as equipment installations, as indicators of consumption and investment inside the industry. Finally, the closing chapter of the RADAR is dedicated to a topic of special interest. The first edition compared notes with industry’s counterparts from across the Atlantic. The FINAT RADAR thus offers a full 360˚ scan of the industry and its market. The first edition of the RADAR was released in June 2014.
 
 
 
FINAT has now released the second edition of FINAT RADAR and for this, input was received from a large number of label converters throughout the different European regions and other parts of the world. The second major source of information was the series of one-on-one interviews with a panel of more than 50 major brand owners in key markets globally. Thirdly and fourthly, the report contains consumables and investment data obtained from the leading materials and (conventional) equipment suppliers. And finally, having recently completed Labelexpo India, the special interest section of this report contains a comparative overview of the main characteristics of the Indian label market.
 
 
 
I present the FINAT RADAR-II for the benefit of the global label fraternity…
 
www.finat.com
 FINAT CONVERTER VIEWPOINT Growth, Challenges and Opportunities 
 
Once again, FINAT member converter companies in every major European region filled out detailed surveys for the compilation of this second edition of RADAR. Total annual revenues for all respondents in 2013 was more than € 1.3 billion, representing more than 10% of the total EU label market.  A number of the questions in the most recent RADAR Converter Survey were similar to those asked in the first edition. Repeating certain questions enables us to track specific data and to compare and contrast this data to past surveys so that we may gain an understanding of growth and/or contraction rates in the European narrow web marketplace.
Each participant was asked to indicate the region in which their factory is located. If a participant’s company headquarters was in another region, the participant was asked to answer the questions in the survey as only applicable to the factory in which they work. This ensures the data obtained is relevant to a specific European region, rather than being applied across all of Europe. The graph below indicates a geographic breakdown for all FINAT Converter Survey Respondents…Read More.
 
The FINAT RADAR is presented by Harveer Sahni, Member of membership Committee of . It can be reproduced unedited by publications after informing the presenter or the Finat secretariat at info@finat.com Posted December 2014.

The ten most defining moments in the Indian label industry upto 2014

The ten most defining moments in the Indian label industry upto 2014
Nostalgia is an important trait of human existence. We have memories good and bad but if we live only the nightmares, life will not be worth living, essentially; we need to put the not so happy past, behind us and move on. On the other hand if we get nostalgic and sentimentally reminisce a part of the past that brings back smiles to us, remember the pleasurable moments that gave solace and whereby we made happy associations that have left yearning and longing for the time gone by; life becomes so much more meaningful. Evolution and nostalgia are inseparable. Imagine a time when we did not have cars, planes and other modern modes of transport. I can remember my father with a strange smile on his face talking about the early days of his business. Those were the days when he started his career in the 1930s; he peddled his stationery articles in retail markets on a cycle. Even though he bought his first car in 1947, yet the thought of times when he used his cycle, brought a look of satisfaction and euphoria on his being. I remember somewhere in the 1950s we got our first telephone. Before that when our father left for work each morning we knew we would see him or talk to him only in the evening without any communication in between. With evolution we have reached a pinnacle of connectivity, every member of the house has mobile phones and we can see and talk to the person in real time all across the globe. Now it is difficult to imagine a day without wives calling every two hours to check on you and ask, “Where are you?” Even though when through activated location services she can see where her husband is. When we got our first black and white TV in the 1960s there was only one TV channel broadcasting two hours in the evening. Neighbors used to come over and sit to watch the TV with us. It was like a mela (a village fair) each evening. Now with evolution of television which is history in itself, we see our neighbors maybe once in six months. Label printing in this country has also evolved from a very nascent stage in the 1970s to what it is now. I feel extremely nostalgic about this evolution that has taken place and continues to progress at a rapid pace, this so because I have grown and lived with it for most of these years in evolution of label printing. People who have contributed to the industry in the early years and have set the foundation of the industry have been very close to me and have shared their individual experience in the industry with me over the years. I personally believe chronicling the events that lead the industry to reach where it is today is a service that the industry at large will be appreciative in time to come. The generations that follow will have something to refer to when they wish to learn and take inspiration from the past. It is for this reason that I wrote my article, “History of Indian Label Industry” eight years ago in August 2006. For a long time now I have wanted to update the article but the exercise is arduous and calls for indulgence in time and money because of the industry having spread over the length and breadth of this country. When my elder son Pawan asked me to write this article on the “Ten most defining moments of Indian Label Industry” I agreed for various reasons like, it links me to my passion of writing about labels, it will be an extension of my article on the history and it will further trigger the mindsets to take evolution in this industry to another level.
My efforts to collate the events and defining moments has been possible with support from industry veterans like Bharat Mehta of Super Labels, Kamlesh Shah of Letragraphix, Sudhir Samant, Rajesh Nema, Manish Desai, Kusum Dunglay of Reydun, …. I appreciate their inputs and thank them for this. I have listed the ten most defining moments of the Indian label industry below.
 

 

1. For the label industry what more defining time than the time when the industry was actually initiated and came into existence. The credit of bringing self adhesive labels, in their present form, to India goes to a US multi-national, Johnson & Johnson. It was around 1965 that they entered into the manufacture of self adhesive labels. They installed a rotary label press. They sold only converted labels and did not offer any labelstock to others in the market.  The first self adhesive label produced by an Indian printer also started around the same time in 1965, almost thirty years after Stanton Avery produced the first self adhesive label in Los Angeles, California. Manohar Lal Bhatia, a screen printer, producing water transfers in his company, Sharat Industries, did pioneering work and produced what was the first self adhesive sticker in India. Using a PVC face stock with pressure sensitive adhesive supplied by Calico and a Polyethylene sheet as a release liner they manufactured their stickers. The reason they did not use paper as face material is that silicon release liners were not available and Polyethylene provided for a very tight release due to which the paper would tear off.  Thereafter these stickers became the forte of many screen printers. It was in the beginning of the 1970s that Shanti Lal Doshi & Co. started to produce self adhesive labelstocks in Mumbai. 1972-193 was a landmark year that lead to birth of the self adhesive labels made by Indians, in roll form. It was at this time Jeetubhai Shah in Mumbai imported a flatbed Iwasaki label press to produce self adhesive labels. In the second half of 1970s Super labels, Pressure Tags and R K Papers had started to produce self adhesive labels at Mumbai, Better labels in south while Liddles and Rikki Sales in New Delhi.

 

 



2. The initial growth of labels came from flatbed label presses followed by the semi rotary letterpress and then on to intermittent rotary letterpress. This intermittent letterpress printing technology that was and still is, in use, came from the eastern countries like Japan, Taiwan and then China. The shift from letterpress to flexo started in the 1990s. Though in 1983 Liddles in New Delhi had acquired a used Mark Andy press but it was in 1993 that Patel Printing Press in Ahmedabad bought a new Mark Andy Label Press. Around the same time Super Labels at Mumbai installed an Aquaflex. This shift from letterpress to flexo was indeed a very important and defining moment for the Indian label industry. As flexo printing came to India, with it in the mid 1990s Dupont introduced their photo polymer plates in India. At that time it was in the form of analog plates for conventional flexo printing. In 2002 Numex Blocks, Mumbai bought the 1st CDI (Cyrel* Digital Imager) in India and thus DuPont introduces digital plates in India, which brought revolution in high quality flexo printing in India.  Eventually with installations of ESKO CDI Digital imagers with the workflow (Software), India moved from conventional Flexo to Digital Flexo (Standard resolution) These exciting happenings brought the quality levels of label printing in India to the next level, matching Gravure and Offset quality.
 

 

3. With introduction of full rotary flexo presses in the 1990s the label stock consumption in India picked up pace and with that also started the setting up of coating and lamination plants all across India in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Chennai. Labelstock production technologies also started evolving.  It was during this period that the ordinary sticker started to become an engineered product called self adhesive label. At this moment I would like to quote Kamlesh Shah of Letragrafix, he says “Meanings of both the above words are different. Stickers” are used for publicity purpose whereas Self-Adhesive Labels are being used on products (Containers, Bags, Bottles, Information, etc.). One would not necessarily get repeat orders for stickers but will definitely get repeat orders for Self-Adhesive Labels”. 
The labelstock consists primarily of three components, the release paper, the adhesive and the face paper. As label dispensing technologies found automation in packaging plants across the nation, exacting demands were being made on the quality of labelstocks being produced. Silicone coating chemistries changed from the solvented tin catalyst system to solvented platinum catalyst systems to finally settle down with now largely used solvent free platinum catalyst silicone coating. This provided consistent and reproducible release levels required for faster converting and dispensing needs. A market that was passionate about using only glassine liners has evolved now to use different base papers like CCK, SCK, Polycoated, Polyester, etc.  At this time the adhesives also found a lot of shifting first from solvented to hotmelts and now to largely emulsion adhesives. Variants like permanent adhesives, high temperature adhesives and removable also started to be offered. A market that was predominantly limited to Semi-Gloss or Chromo Art paper and Woodfree or Maplitho paper, transformed into using face stocks like, high gloss paper, BOPP, PE, PET, etc. Such changes in the Indian label scenario brought India in the focus on the international stage. At this time in 1996-97 the world’s largest labelstock producer Avery Dennison moved into India by setting up manufacturing facility in Gurgaon in North India. This was followed up by Raflatac setting up slitting facilities in India. This entry of multinationals into India was indeed a very defining moment that changed the way labels and labelstocks would be sold in the country.
 
4. The Indian label printers are unanimous about one change that defined its future till date. All the leading printing companies who I approached for their inputs came back so strongly to reaffirm that this was the most defining moment that I felt like researching more on this and writing in detail about it. However due to the space constraint I will just present here some of the comments of various printers who responded. Now the defining moment! “The switch over to UV Flexo”.
 
The comments; 

Bharat Mehta of Super Labels: “It was a game changing time and Super Labels was the first in India to install an all UV label press Gallus EM280 in 1997” This was reconfirmed by industry veteran Sudhir Samant.
Kamlesh Shah of Letragraphix: “U.V. Printing is a “Must” in all printing Methods!”
Rajesh Nema of Pragati Global: “I went from sheet fed offset to full rotary water based flexo. In 1996, I started with water based flexo and the learning curve was too big. The color matching of each job (even when it was a repeat) was a big problem because of the ever changing viscosity of the ink in the shelf & in the pan (while running on the press). Changing temperatures did also affect the print quality hence there was a lot of changes. Around 1999 I heard of full UV flexo and studied the press as also availability of inks. I could sense that UV Flexo would change the flexo printing scenario at one go and this is what happened. Although the ink costs were prohibitive and availability was a big question mark, I decided to go in for this technology. The learning curve was extremely small and from day one, my operators could operate the machine, handle the inks without any difficulty whatsoever. Gone are the days of measuring ink viscosity, ink pH, color variation, setting time (to get the exact color), and the wastage stands reduced. Because of higher strength of UV inks vis-a-vis water based inks, I could use higher line count aniloxes which enabled me to go to higher plate screen line count, finer print and reduced ink consumption (and higher speed too). Although the overall power consumption is higher in comparison to water based inks (this also is being taken care of by new UV technology), other advantages are far more than higher energy costs and more than compensates the higher energy costs. Any company moving from offset/letterpress to flexo is well advised to straight away move to UV flexo to get the grip in shortest possible time.”


5. Like “makeup” is an important part of a woman’s finishing touches to her appearance before she presents herself in front of an important audience, "finishing" as we term it in label converting, is a very essential part of creating a label that will attract the all important attention of a consumer. A label needs to be decorated before it actually becomes the engineered product that will become the inevitable sales tool for any product. It needs to have the right makeup on its face. To decorate it so we need more than just printing in flexo; a higher ink deposition of a particular ink, a shining gold/silver on it, an embossing that will catch the eye, a metal effect, a gloss and so on. India’s young and literate middle class is turning out a young middle class that is more demanding in value from the consumer products in modern day retail. Label printers wanting to deliver a product need to equip themselves with capabilities to dress up labels appropriately and for this, different print technologies need to be incorporated. An offset printer who is used to moving piles of paper from machine to machine in large factories may be able to do it but the effort is too cumbersome and in the end the labels will be in sheets and not in rolls. A narrow web label printer who is used to converting self adhesive labels into labels in a single pass would need to do this online in one go. Combination printing presses now provide the answer. Introduction and installation of the first combination presses in the first half of the new millennium, the decade of 2000, is another defining moment in the Indian label industry. Wintek in South India was one of the first to install a press with a combination of flexo and screen printing, Goodwork Company in New Delhi with letterpress and screen and Veekay Graphics in Mumbai with a combination of flexo and offset pioneered this change. The combination technology has continued to evolve and culminated with Pragatipack in Hyderabad opting for flexo with gravure, Zircon following it up similarly and then to top it all it is Renault Paper, part of Manohar Packaging group, who have installed a press with capabilities to print flexo, offset, screen and gravure along with foiling and embossing capabilities! The advent of combination presses being installed is another defining moment.

6. As the label industry started to evolve and printers aspired to meet global standards in quality, there was need to look around for machines and equipment that will help them print quality that would excel. Some printers would travel to Labelexpo in Singapore or to the main show in Brussels to see the machines displayed and evaluate where to invest. The smaller printers could not afford the exercise. As the last millennium was coming to an end, the need to have a label show in India was being felt. At the same time there appeared an imperative need for an industry association.  In 2002 Amit Sheth of Label Planet in Mumbai took the initiative and gathered a few printers in Mumbai and announced the formation of Label Manufacturers Association of India. The very same year Anil Arora organized the first label show in India, “The India Label Show” at Nehru Centre Mumbai. I am proud of my association and support I gave to Anil for making this show a huge success. I also managed to get Andy Thomas Group Managing Editor Labels and Labeling and another colleague from Labelexpo group part of the holding company Tarsus UK to visit the show.
It is history there after that by the time India Label Show reached its third edition it had been taken over by Tarsus and two years later it was renamed Labelexpo India. Nowadays exhibitions have become an important part of label industry in terms of technology up gradation and networking opportunities that they accord. The success of LMAI conferences in GOA have proved that the label printers look forward to such opportunities. The formation of LMAI and launch of India Label show (renamed Labelexpo India) was another defining moment.
7. As flexo and other Label printing processes continued to find up gradation in technologies around the world, printers in India also were looking out for adopting such changes that would make them globally comparable in quality. Like the defining moment when UV Flexo came in, similarly changes in machine design by international label press suppliers came to be noticed to become unique defining moments. Set up time for a job in a regular label press would waste at least 100 running meters of labelstock. Press manufacturers innovated to produce presses with short web path and chill drums and then further innovations brought in automatic registration control. These changes not only reduced material wastage to single digit but also reduced manual intervention in register control decreasing dependence on operators. Operators are already a commodity that is becoming difficult to source in times of increasing label press population. Similarly gear, marks wearing shafts, difficult changeover times tension controls were a consistent cause for worry for the quality conscious label printers. Servo motor technology changed life for printers as these are welcome changes.
8. As mentioned in the beginning of this article, a multinational Johnson and Johnson initiated label production in this country. Thereafter the Indian indulgence started at a very basic stage in screen printing, evolving and progressing into flat bed letterpress and then on to flexo and combination printing. Printers grew in size and stature as the economy and population grew. With the world’s eye on this huge growing young workforce creating a mind boggling marketplace for retail in consumer and industrial products, the multinational large players in label world turned their attention towards India. We are coming to a full circle. While many small deals brought in some international players like Brady’s-USA, Reynders-Belgium, Nordvalls-Sweden, Printcare-Srilanka, etc to India it was in 2012 that controlling stake in India’s largest label printing company Interlabels was acquired by European label company Skanem. This was indeed a defining moment that changed the way the larger Indian label companies would move ahead. This acquisition was followed up by ITW acquiring Wintek in Bangalore, Positive packaging acquiring SGRE in Bangalore and Huhtamaki acquiring Webtech in Mumbai. One goes on hearing rumors of other foreign companies on prowl but another positive sign is that Indian label companies have also dared to venture out. Ajanta Packaging has set up units in Daman, Baddi, UAE & Thailand. I would not be surprised if his next step is Europe! Syndicate labels, Prakash Labels and Stallion are some of the other label printers who have offshore manufacturing in UAE besides India.

9. A growing market registering double digit growth consistently for many years is always susceptible to investment beyond its natural growth. When such happens, it creates capacity higher than the demand which in turn results in intense competition. Even though the market is there and volumes are there yet margins come under pressure making ROI (return on Investment) a difficult proposition. Even when one continues to see expansions and investments in new equipment yet printers are found complaining of difficult times. At such time there is always a need felt for innovation and indulgence in new technologies. The need became an imperative in the middle of first decade of the new millennium. Somewhere around 2003-2008 printers began to actively indulge and experiment in innovation. One such initiative that has impacted my mind is a butterfly promotional label in film pioneered by the late Kartar Singh Dunglay at Goodwork Company. These were defining times when printers broke away from the custom stickers turned into labels and moved on to produce booklet label, multilayer labels, Security labels, customized promotional labels, etc. This change brought the much needed margins to the indulgent printers who dared to innovate. Evolving further printers are today buying presses with additional capabilities so as to produce unique and innovatively converted label products.

10. Printing Technologies in label printing have undergone a sea change from the time of inception. For the last two decades we have seen most of the development in flexographic printing. It surely remains the predominantly used label printing technology today. With continuous enhancement in plate technology, aniloxes, machine design, etc. this technology has become comparable to the best today. At this time one cannot ignore the entry of Digital printing and converting. Year after year at print shows around the world we see and ever increasing presence of digital printing technologies and equipments. While the digital seems to have impacted and succeeded in the sheet fed segment, it still has not found widespread acceptance in the label printing. Looking at the technology from computer to print without the plates, aniloxes, doctor blades, etc., pared with digital laser die cutting without the needs for magnetic cylinders and dies, it all looks and sounds so interesting. However the forbidding price structure for short runs in roll form, the cost of equipment, inks, etc indicates that the technology will need to evolve further and it will. The convenience in application hints that the time when this printing technology will find widespread usage in labels may not be too far. Pioneering efforts of label printers like Janus and Webtech in Mumbai and Reydun in Delhi, who acquired digital label presses, will go down in history as a defining moment.
The label industry in India has still a long way to go, as consumerism is on the rise and retail selling gains in significance; label usage is set to rise steadily. The per capita usage in India is still a fraction of what it is in Europe or USA. For a large population base a small increase in the per capita usage will amount to a huge amount in numbers. As volumes grow the waste generated by this industry is also going to grow manifold. It is an industry in which almost 50% of the product ends up in landfills. We have a gigantic problem at hand and need to address this problem is an imperative. Government legislations when they come will make life difficult for the industry. It is better that the industry leaders both users and converters of labels as also the users, apply their mind on this problem. At present we are just reading and watching what is happening in the western world. The local industry associations and other forums need to debate on it and find innovative solutions for the self adhesive label industry. If they do find solutions on this front, it will be the next most defining moment that will deliver a better environment for generations that follow.

Written by Harveer Sahni Managing Director Weldon Celloplast Limited, New Delhi October 2014 and was first published by Printweek India Vol VII Issue 7

Helmut Schreiner; From Labels to poetry in retirement-a poem for winter

Helmut Schreiner; From Labels to poetry in retirement-a poem for winter
 Helmut Schreiner who has seen life from being a destitute in the era, post world war II to the time when his father started his label factory in their 45 square foot garage, went on to eventually retire as Managing Director/CEO from that same company that he transformed into “The Schreiner Group” with a sales turnover of over 130 million Euros in 2012. Helmut Schreiner is now 75 years old and believes in the capabilities of the next generation. In September 2012, he handed over the reigns of the Schreiner Group to his only son 43 year old son Roland. Helmut, after 55 years of service to the family-owned company — with 38 of them in the role of managing director/CEO – is now serving on the advisory board. In may 2013 I wrote in detail about Helmut and his life in this blog and can be read at http://harveersahni.blogspot.in/2013/05/helmut-schreiner-adversity-to.html
 
He is now devoting a substantial part of his time to social activities and charities. He lives his philosophy, to be honest and true to himself. In retirements he is rediscovering himself and his inner passions by also devoting time to his passion for poetry. In July this year he sent to me a translation of his poetic expressions relating to Autumn. I found it an extremely pleasurable expression of time being spent in retirement. So I decided to share with the print fraternity, it is available at http://harveersahni.blogspot.in/2014/07/helmut-schreiner-from-labels-to-poetry.html , 
 
As the season begins to change and festivities approach, Helmut felt it is time to make yet another poetic expression. He wrote another poem expressing himself beautifully, He sent the poem to me and his communication says,, "While currently enjoying the autumn we approach wintertime and, with this, the turn of the year. The question, what will be changed and what will this mean to me I dealt with my new poem – as well as the question how we will celebrate the upcoming festivities." 

I reproduce the poem for my readers;


 
The winds of autumn chase the days,
Nature shows change in myriad ways.
As fog subdues my pondering mind
I muse what time will bring, will it be kind?
 
I could of course just wait and see
With guarded hope or cheerfully
What will be budding in myfield
Will flowers or green cabbage be my yield?
 
I start to sow the things to be,
Fill visions with my energy.
Change will invigorate my heart and soul
Fulfill my wish, achieve my goal.
 
Sowing as well as cultivation
Can both be joyful, bring elation.
Acting with purpose is divine
Even turns water into wine.
 
While we may celebrate in diverse ways
Tradition-bound or in the style of modern days
Our workings are the things that count
The star we choose to reach the mount.
 
Helmut Schreiner

The above can be reproduced by giving credit to presenter Harveer Sahni, Managing Director Weldon Celloplast Limited. November 2014
 
 
 

Labelexpo India 2014: Business, Networking and Fun!

Labelexpo India 2014: Business, Networking and Fun!
Inauguration of Labelexpo India 2014
The seventh edition of Labelexpo India opened in New Delhi on the 29th of October 2014 and ended on 1st November 2014. It is the most important show for the label industry in India and is attended by all leading label manufacturers in the country. India’s only label association LMAI (Label Manufacturers of India) is a supporter and sponsor for this important event which continues to gain prominence in the Indian subcontinent. As per the information received from Tarsus, the show grew in space by 10% with 176 exhibitors though number of exhibitors was down from 200 at last event yet the space grew due to bigger and better stands. The number of visitors was almost same, in fact marginally less at 7927 as compared to 8037 at the last show in 2012 due to timing of the event explained later in this post. However the show gains importance from the fact that international awareness has increased with visitors coming from 54 countries! Detailed analysis of the visitors this time has put forwarded some very interesting facts. The most important being the quality of visitors has improved, bringing in an extremely focused lot of printers spelling value for the exhibitors. Also the number of visitors who came to the show for more than one day has increased by a whopping 42%.  It shows that that show has been successful in getting an extremely focused clientele. It was a good show!
 
Most of the renowned international narrow web press manufacturers with the exception of Gallus
were present, however still the number of European flexo label presses displayed at the show was down to just Omet, Nilpeter and Rotatek. 
 






 Weldon-Omet stand labled as Technology Bar

 





 The Nilpeter Stand




 
Multitec Stand
Surprisingly the Indian Label press manufacturers made an impressive presentation with Multitec leading the way with display of three presses including one that was a full servo and full UV flexo. Other prominent Indian press manufacturers at the show were Alliance, Webtech, R K Label machines and Jandu.



 
Label Planet




The Amit Sheth lead Label Planet group of companies also put up an interesting bouquet of offeringsfrom label presses, slitter rewinders to other allied equipment.







The Esko-Dupont stand displayed the possibilities of supporting printers bring out qualities comparable to Offset. The samples printed at Zircon left all in awe especially for the metallic effects brought about without use of any metallic inks. While international die and tooling manufacturers like Rotometrics, Lartec, Kocher & Beck, etc. were present yet it was interesting to note that Indian magnetic cylinder manufacturer Precise Graphics and flexible die manufacturer Diehard dies also displayed yet again. Vinsak, Kumar Labels and Precise also displayed their slitter rewinders.
 
Avery Dennison Stand


While international labelstock producers Avery Dennison and UPM Raflatac were at the show, Indian manufacturers SMI, Weldon Celloplast, Shree Arihant and SticOn Papers also had a smart showing.  It is difficult to write about all the exhibitors I have still tried to communicate that India surely is now presenting itself well alongwith international producers.


 
The time of the show as regards weather was quite appropriate as summers had come to an end, yet the dates on which the event was held were expressed as uncomfortable by many printers. Diwali, the biggest festival in India is celebrated with lot fervor just as Christmas is celebrated in Europe, USA and rest of the world. Diwali preparations begin weeks in advance. People had just two working days after Diwali festivities ended before Labelexpo India began on the 29th of October 2014. Moreover being end of the month the printers were under pressure to deliver labels to customers so that they can meet their sales targets. These reasons indicate that there may have been many printers who due to the timing were forced to miss the event or came for a very short time as they were compulsively required to be in their workplaces. This information was brought to the notice of the Tarsus leadership who has in turn assured to look into the possibility of rescheduling the next edition of the show so that it does not clash with Diwali celebrations and there is a reasonable gap for exhibitors and visitors to get settled back in business after this important festival. Another point is that exhibitors have not been happy with the quality of services provided by ITPO (India Trade Promotion Organisation) despite the excellent organizational skills of the seasoned Tarsus team. Coupled with high handedness and rigid monopolistic stand of ITPO, it is expected the show may move to another venue. It is a little premature to say at this stage. However still I will mention here it is my personal view.

It was interesting to meet international friends and colleagues;




I had the pleasure of holding a meeting with Jakob Landberg Chairman FINAT membership committee to set targets in the Finat Membership Committee.





 





Another meeting at the Nilpeter stand with Jakob Landberg and Mike Russel of Mark Andy. Global friendship finds new meanings at such occasions






 On the sidelines of Labelexpo India there always has been a fun part. Many suppliers organize parties for their customers. This time there were three main parties, the one organized by Avery was the theme party for the Indian industry, the LMAI Avery Dennison Label awards evening; the second was the UPM Raflatac party and the third and very focused small party organized by Weldon Celloplast at the Weldon residence.

The LMAI Avery Dennison Awards Night:
 
Ferdinand Ruesch of Gallus handing award to Anygraphics
 
SMI team with Wolfram(Kimoha) & Mrs. Ruesch
 
Frank Burgos FlexoGurukul shakes a leg with Pawandeep and KD Sahni
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weldon Party:
 
 
The Weldon evening was for all their participating foreign principals including Omet, ETI, Link Label, Berhalter, Martin Automatic, Lartec, FAES, Lundberg, Vetaphone, etc. There were some leading printers like Hemant Paruchuri of Pragati Pack, Chandan Khanna of Ajanta Packaging, Sanjeev Sondhi of Zircon, Mahendra Shah of Renault (Part of Manohar packaging Group), Ahmad Kavoosi of Parsian labeling Iran and Thomas Mathews from Kimoha UAE. The Tarsus team was represented by Group Managing Director Douglas Emslie, Labelexpo group Managing Director Lisa Milburn, Group Managing Editor Andy Thomas and Event Director Claire Comery. Also present was Frank Burgos the President of FlexoExchange USA and heading the FlexoGurukul training program in flexo printing.  I could not attend the UPM Raflatac party despite invitation as the date clashed with our own evening. Maybe the next time we can co-ordinate better.
Douglas Emslie Group MD Tarsus in a turban
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Paolo Grasso(Omet), Frank Burgos(FlexoExchange) & KD Weldon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chandan Khanna & Mahendra Shah of Renault with KD
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sanjeev Sondhi Zircon with Pawandeep and Kavneet Sahni
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

UPM Party!

Pictures from the UPM Raflatac Party;
 


 

LMAI President Vivek Kapoor!






 











 












Meanwhile the biggest attraction of the Labelexpo India fun part is the LMAI awards night held at Hotel Le Meridian on the 31st of October 2014. Right from the opening day there was talk of tickets or passes for the event being in short supply. No one wanted to miss! The Tarsus team, LMAI leadership and Sponsors Avery were under pressure. Last time the pressure was seen and since it lacked control at the venue of the awards night, this year even though the controls were tight yet the demand for tickets was over bearing. This was because of a sudden growth in membership of LMAI in the last two years. The members were resenting just one ticket per member. It is also on agenda that for the next time a bigger venue maybe considered also additional tickets may be made available on sale. The evening started with speeches from LMAI president Vivek Kapoor and Lisa Milburn followed by an entertaining program and then on to the announcement of winners for the best labels. It was a great surprise to see Kuldip Goel lead Anygraphics bagging 10 out of the 20 awards followed by Rajesh Chadha lead Update Prints. Once the awards were over and the LMAI managing committee felicitated, it was time to party. The printers were all on the stage dancing with gay abandon and pulling colleagues to join them. Ferdinand Rüesch of Gallus who was a sponsor for one of categories of awards celebrated his birthday that evening and joined the dancing printers on stage along with his wife. Sometime closer to midnight I decided to go home but I am told the party went on for much more time and toward the end the charming and ever smiling Managing Director of Labelexpo Group Lisa Milburn sang on stage. Wow! I missed that… 
 
The above article is written by Harveer Singh Sahni, Managing Director, Weldon Celloplast Limited New Delhi in November 2014

Components of Self adhesive Labelstocks and the part they play in label converting.

Components of Self adhesive Labelstocks and the part they play in label converting.
This is a very large subject and a whole big book can be written on it as exhaustive information is availabel and needs to be dwelled upon. However still I have tried to reconstruct the gist of an article that I wrote in 2002 and have moderately updated it. I hope it benefits all the producers, converters and end users in Labels to understand the self adhesive materials.
 
The labelstock which is the starting material for self adhesive labels consists primarily of three main components.

1. The facestock: Which can be paper, film, foil, fabric, etc.
2. The adhesive: This is anchored on to the face stock.
3. The release liner or the protective backing: This can be paper or film.

We shall discuss each of the components separately and dwell on their impact in the process of label converting. There was a time here in India, not long ago, when with just one multi-purpose coater you could cater to most of the label printers, making release liners and then coating and laminating with adhesives on the same equipment. Alternatively silicone liners were outsourced but intense competition made in house siliconising an imperative. Though this may still hold good for many a labelstock manufacturer, yet things have changed at the higher end for the better. Specialized equipments for coating the newer silicone technologies, different adhesives like hotmelts, emulsions and solvented systems and other equipments to technically upgrade the labelstocks are finding place in the manufacturing units.

Face stocks: Paper remains the most widely used face material for labels, though in recent times filmic stocks
have gained substantial market shares. The most predominantly used varieties of paper initially were the uncoated matt, the one side or two side coated semi-gloss popularly known as the chromo art paper and the cast gloss also known as mirror coat paper but in recent times semi-gloss or one side coated C1S paper is the most used variety. The usage of woodfree or uncoated paper variety is also substantial but seems limited to plain price labels, mailing labels and VIP labels. With the advent of UV curable inks and varnishes which also provide high gloss attributes to labels, the usage of Mirror coated or cast gloss paper has not grown in labels or has decreased. Moreover because of stiffness of this paper, a self adhesive label may have edge lifting defect at higher ambient temperatures.  It is advisable that for tightly curved surfaces flexible varieties of face stocks be used. Now with customer needs getting to be more specific, it is necessary to use more modified varieties of paper. General requirements of the paper include the surface and mechanical characteristics. Printability is a function of the paper surface quality while mechanical properties like lay flat property, dimensional stability and flexibility, influence the processes of printability due to curling, die-cutting, waste matrix removal and label dispensing. While papers are largely used as they are supplied directly by mills however films need to be modified if not already done so by the suppliers. Modifications of the surface characteristics include top coating, metalizing, laminating, etc. For non contact printing like inkjet on films, a relatively porous surface would be needed requiring special coatings that will make ink dry by absorption. Various pigments, compounds, fillers, binders and primers are used to coat the surface. Different pigments possess different surface energies and ph stabilities, the binders which are vehicles to carry pigments; influence the anchorage of the ink or topcoat, the stiffness, the porosity and ink absorbance. Depending on the requirement of the printing process i.e. offset, letterpress, Flexo, gravure, screen, inkjet, laser, thermal transfer, digital, etc. the top coatings are designed accordingly. The top coatings for paper are mostly done at the paper mills where the paper is produced however some coaters develop their own coatings and coating methods to achieve different qualities in face papers but this is getting to be rare. Sometimes paper is coated with a barrier or a primer on the reverse side to prevent any migration of the plasticizer from the adhesive to the face or for acting as an anchoring agent for the adhesive. However the adhesive technologies have improved to an extent that this process is not largely required now. Other surface improvement techniques include latex impregnation for weather resistance, laminating with films to achieve hi-gloss, varnishing, top coating for frozen food and long life labels, special coatings with colorless leuco dye and acidic colour developer for producing direct thermal printing paper, etc. Due to requirements of producing in line to achieve economies of scale, now paper surface modification at the level of labelstock production is almost not there. Specialised converting companies supply modified paper for thermal transfer printing, direct thermal printing, etc. Labelstocks with textured surfaces are also in use in Europe and USA, especially for wine and gourmet food labeling. Some printers in India have become innovative and use special dies to emboss and deboss paper while converting on their label presses to produce textured effects. For mechanical properties requirements, (a) the strength of the paper is important (high for faster conversion and waste matrix removal requirements and low for security labels to achieve tamper evidence), (b) Bulk and moisture content of the paper influences the dimensional stability. An ideal paper would have 6% humidity. Most widely used face papers are in the range of 70-85 GSM. Today most of mechanical properties are left to mills and labelstock manufacturers just need to select the mill from which to source paper and decide on the grammage of paper that will deliver the desired mechanical strength. The label printers use from films of 15 microns to boards of 300GSM.

Synthetic face materials are finding extensive usage, given the requirement of the no label look and the better aesthetics exhibited by the film labels. Consider a shampoo bottle and the harsh environments it has to encounter in its lifespan. The heat, steam, cold, and sometimes dry conditions all exist in the bathrooms. Add to that the continuous squeezing of the bottle, well you can understand that paper will not do the job, it will not stretch with the bottle and return to its shape, you will end up having a wrinkled label, so you really need a film label and that to a flexible one maybe like Polyethylene. To get the right kind of printing the surface properties of the film are of very high importance. The surface properties required include, the surface tension to be higher than 40 dynes. The ideal would be to have an online corona treater. Films generally have better surface finish, good gloss or matt as required, excellent aesthetics and chemical resistance. Film manufacturers now offer improved surface properties by supplying top coated films for better printability. These films come with a print receptive primer coating. This however makes the product more expensive. Labelstock manufacturers do offer pretreated film stocks but the level of treatment falls on extended storage and leads to reduced anchorage of the printed matter. It is for this reason that an online corona treater is recommended. The ideal still would be a film top coated for print receptivity. As regards mechanical properties, the films have generally improved die cutting and faster waste matrix removal provided proper dies are used. The filmic materials require a sharper angle for blades than paper. Take for example LLDPE which is neither foldable nor stiff and difficult to die cut due to increased elasticity. One ends up blaming the release liner even though the problem lies with the selection of the filmic face stock or the flexible die. For automatic label dispensing the film has to be stiff enough and flexible enough to conform to the shape of the container to resist deformation. Today companies are using multilayer construction of films or hybrid films to achieve the correct properties in terms of printability, die-cutting, dispensability and squeezabilty.

Adhesives: As regards adhesives, again here the scenario is fast changing in India. Gone are the days when you could coat only the general purpose permanent acrylic emulsion adhesive and keep servicing all the segments in labels. With surfaces becoming diverse and the usage of labels becoming complex, a label printer needs to offer a wide variety of adhesives namely acrylic emulsions, solvent borne acrylics, Hotmelt adhesives, rubber resin adhesives, etc. with different grades such as permanent, removable, low-tack, medium tack, high tack, delayed action, deep freeze, high temperature resistant, etc.
The selection of adhesive is of prime importance and needs the continued partnership between the labelstock manufacturer, label printer and the label user. Consideration of the substrates, the conditions of application, the converting process, the storage and usage conditions is imperative before deciding on the adhesive. The adhesive cannot be such that it does not anchor on to the face or the substrate on which is to be applied. In either case it will create a non acceptable situation whereby either the face will come off leaving the adhesive on the substrate or the label will not adhere well on the substrate. Another point to consider would be that die-cutting is better in emulsion adhesives as compared to hotmelts. Also the high initial tack of hotmelts make the die-cut adhesive to rebond on keeping making waste matrix removal difficult. Hotmelt adhesives have very high initial tack while emulsion adhesive attain final tack over a period of time, so if a label has been fixed wrongly in case of acrylic adhesive, it can be instantly removed and refixed but it cannot be done so with hotmelt adhesive. As it will bond immediately and removal will amount to a damaged and wasted label. It is for this reason that companies who use large sized labels prefer acrylic emulsion adhesive to have less wastage due to wrongly affixed labels.

Release Liner: These are the most performing part of the labelstock. Unfortunately they land up in the dustbin as soon as the label is dispensed and starts its journey as a part of the final product. The types of substrates being used to produce release liners are:

1. Glassine, which is the most popular in India
2. SCK or super calendered Kraft
3. CCK or Clay coated Kraft
4. Saturated papers or papers impregnated with saturants.
5. Polycoated papers
6. Synthetic liners like BOPP, PET, LDPE, etc

The above mentioned substrates are coated with silicone formulations to become release paper or release liners. The silicone chemistries available and there evolution so far is as follows:

1. Solvented silicone with Tin catalyst and thermal curing: This is a cost effective product having post curing reaction and the cross linking reaction, triggered by the heat in the drying chamber, could go on for days. In this the consistency in release levels is always in question. The usage of this chemistry has reduced substantially in recent times. In fact the technology has virtually become obsolete and is on the verge of being phased out. The usage of Tin catalyst and solvent in the system is a deterrent for any converter due to suspected toxicity of Tin compounds and Toluene. The solvent in the system is a perpetual fire hazard. A small spark due to static build up could cause massive damage by catching fire.

2. Solvented Silicones with platinum catalyst and thermal curing: It is better than the tin system as it has no or little post cure reaction but use of solvents is continuous fire hazard besides being toxic and not friendly to the environment. Many Indian siliconisers had shifted to this system as it could be coated on their existing equipments but due to the problems mentioned more development in this product cannot be expected. I am not aware of this product being used in India by anyone.

3. The solvent less platinum catalyst system with thermal curing: This system came to be implemented in India around 2003 and requires specialized equipment to coat the materials from a 100% solvent free bath. It gives a much enhanced performance with improved surface gloss ensuring increased area of contact for the adhesive, consistent and controlled release levels and is reproducible. Weldon Celloplast Ltd. was one of the first amongst the Indian labelstock manufacturers to report a shift over to solvent free silicone coating in the latter part of 2003. Today all new installations are being made employing this technology.

4. Solvent less silicone with platinum catalyst and UV curing: It is much quicker but not widely used in India. Some installations have been made in recent times and this is the preferred technology for heat sensitive films. It also eliminates the need for solvents or long heating chambers. Caution again here because the normal UV curing results in inconsistency in release levels. The UV curing of silicone needs to take place in an inert nitrogenous, oxygen free environment. The availability of this silicone is at present also an issue as the silicone has to be imported and is not formulated locally.

5. Solvent less silicone with platinum catalyst and Electron beam curing: It is an improvement on the UV curing system. Again this chemistry has not reached India as yet. There are perhaps just one or two installations at present in the country.

The additional advantages of the shift towards platinum catalysts systems is that the reaction is not post curing. All the curing is done in the heat chamber itself and the reaction comes to a stop when the substrates return to ambient temperatures. Also there exists the additional possibility of achieving different release levels by employing Control release additives.
 
With evolution of the label usage, selection of the right base paper or liner is also now of utmost importance. In the earlier days Indian label printers, end users and labelstock manufacturers would only want to use glassine based liners. Everything else was considered lower in quality. As the market has matured, CCK (Clay Coated Kraft) are preferred liners for the sheeted labelstock market. The base paper experiences high temperatures in excess of 150 degrees C for thermal curing of silicones and at this temperature the paper loses moisture and shrinks. On adhesive coating and exposure to atmospheric moisture the release paper expands bringing curl to the gummed sheets. This is not acceptable in offset printing. For this reason now CCK is advised because it has a porous back due to which the paper quickly regains moisture to stabilize and impart flatness to the converted sheets. In case of glassine which is a highly calendered paper which will not absorb moisture quickly even when subjected to inline humidification. Glassines are the preferred liners for barcode labels where the transparency is a necessity for sensing the labels and also in auto label dispensing glassine is preferred due to consistent caliper for die-cutting, better release levels and higher tensile strength. All these applications are for labels in roll form. These properties aid higher speeds with lesser web breaks. Similarly other varieties need to be considered for demanding applications.

Die cutting and other issues:
Die cutting is a technical operation transforming web like materials to discrete items like labels. It depends on solid state components of the laminate like face material and the release liner. Their quality and combination are important. For a good clean cut it is necessary to have a uniform caliper, densified paper liner. The thickness and density of the face paper are less important. Best results are obtained by having a highly densified paper, like glassine as liner. However where lay flat properties are of importance it is advisable to use the densified Kraft liners with porous backing. Dimensional stability of the liner is of utmost importance. As mentioned earlier in this article, if a liner is exposed to high temperature without rehumidification while siliconizing it loses its moisture content. This can cause wrinkles or curling. It is always advisable as far as possible to maintain the moisture level at 6-7% for both the face paper and the release paper. Printers often encounter problems like
 
1. Over cutting: This occurs if the die punctures a little into the release paper, the rest of the paper will split itself causing a thru punch.
2. Undercut: If the die blade cuts only the face and does not go though the adhesive, there is the possibility of labels coming off with the waste matrix. This happens because the adhesive has also cohesive properties due to which the adhesive film stays together. It is important to cut the adhesive layer also.
3. Clean cut: In an ideal situation the die blade should cut through the face paper and the adhesive and come
to stop just before and on the surface of the release paper. Dies employed for die cutting also play an important role in die cutting. For example in case of paper if the angle of the blade is wider the waste matrix removal becomes better. However this may not be applicable for films as for a clean cut a different angle of blade is necessary. This is a very technical issue and needs the close cooperation of the printer and the die manufacturer.
As for face stocks the best cutting is that of paper followed by PET which is quite similar in cutting to Paper and then we have BOPP and PE.
 


Waste matrix removal is a highly technical operation. It depends on a variety of issues. The strength of the face material is of prime importance and equally important is the release levels of the release liner. But here one has to strike a balance. If the release is too easy the labels may lift with the matrix and in case of computer labels they may come off while passing over rollers and stick to the print head and damage the same. In case the release is too tight the waste matrix will keep breaking, making converting a painful process. Other issues that confront the label printer are tensile strength requirements of release paper for the automatic label dispenser, residual moisture in the adhesive, adhesives tend to lose tack in winters due to hardening of polymers, emulsion adhesives attaining peak performance over a period of time, lack of adhesion to low energy surfaces like HDPE and a host of similar requirements. All these can be addressed effectively when all the three, the labelstock manufacturer the label printer and the label user put their brains together as partners and design the product.


The above article is written by Harveer Singh Sahni, Managing Director, Weldon Celloplast Limited New Delhi. Presented at India Label Show 2002 and updated moderately in October 2014

Note: Print publications are free to reproduce the above article in their magazines by giving due credit to the author.

The life of a label-I

The life of a label-I
In the first of a series of articles being written , I dwell on the background of packaging and package printing, and assess the role played by labels.
 
Over the years packaging experts continue to draw inspiration from nature. Nature has provided packaging for its creations and has ensured its protection from dust, pollution and maintaining its freshness for the lifespan that nature has attributed to the product before it is consumed. There is no shortage of examples; bananas, oranges, coconut, nuts, eggs etc. Carefully observe each of such products, it has a covering depending on its need for keeping qualities and freshness. Furthermore, the packaging is organic, environmentally friendly and bio-degradable once it has delivered its purpose and is ready to be disposed off. To have an orange juice we have to use packaging that is polluting the environment and adding to unnecessary waste. It is though no real necessity, as a fresh orange is more nutritious and has all the good values that we need, yet modern day urbanisation has brought with it the need to process foods and create products such as orange juice to substitute peeling off a fresh orange and eating it fresh. Hence there is the need for attractive packagings that will enhance the shelf life of product and tempt the consumers to buy the processed/packaged products. In earlier years these natural packagings solved our purpose and it was all that was necessary because people bought fresh and ate fresh. Not long ago in India the street vegetable or fruit vendor would come to the colonies each morning after the men have left for offices. They would be shouting, “Aloo lo, Piaz Lo, Tamatar lo!” (Means take Potatoes, Onions or Tomatoes) and instantly you would have women popping out of their balconies and asking the vendor to wait. They would then be seen around the vendor’s cart, gossiping with their neighbors, buying vegetables and fruits from the street vendor. This is still prevalent in many semi-urban and rural areas in India. I am sure in the earlier part of the last century this kind of selling must have been existing in the western countries also. With evolution, literacy levels in urban India started to rise resulting in increased employment and higher disposable incomes, bringing about a change in lifestyles. As more members of urban households started to venture out to seek gainful employment, time became a commodity that was in short supply. There arose a need to buy for many days in one go. Initially the refrigerator was enough to store food but as the need to store food for a week, fortnight or a month was felt, scientifically created packaging that could prolong the shelf life as also tempt the customer to lift the products off the shop shelves  in modern day retailing, became an imperative. With this also emerged the need for a highly decorated and eye-catching labels!

 

 

When we walk in front of the shop shelves of any big retail store, it is observed that each time there is an urge to lift a product off the shelf it is because of the label that we establish the first eye contact with the product as a consumer. The label is the most communicative part of a package as it stirs the initial impulse to lift and read it. The label establishes the identity of the product, and it is the direct link between the product and the consumer. Once the consumer has taken the product in hand there is an instant desire to read the label and know more about the product. A good label makes the product identifiable and delivers the desired communication from the manufacturer to the targeted consumer. It is the unique selling tool once the product is in the buyer’s hand and delivers more value than a salesperson may by having the consumers focused attention while perusing the label. Consider any product, let us say two liquor bottles or shampoo bottles. Put them on a shop shelf without any label. We can be sure there will be hardly any person who will pick the product. Even if people do reach out for them, they are likely to go back on to the place where they were sitting. Today’s consumer is very well informed even in countries like India where still large number of consumer durables is sold unpacked. With the advent of television and mobile phones information is reaching out to smaller towns and villages in the remotest parts of every country. This situation has given a boost to the organized retail and with that as I explained, the importance of label has escalated.

 

 

A package in totality would consist of a primary packaging that would contain or hold the product being sold, a secondary packaging that would hold the primary packaging carrying the main product and finally the tertiary packaging or the shipper carton that would be used to transport the finally packaged consignment to destination. The label as we refer to it as the face of any product is affixed on the primary packaging. However, it also finds use on the secondary and tertiary packaging, serving various end purposes. The primary packaging is the most important part which is designed and decided depending on the product whether it is a powder, liquid, semi solid, solid or tablets, etc. The all-important label must be on the primary packaging and stay with it during the lifespan of the product in use. At times, the label becomes an integral part of the primary packaging. In case of pharmaceutical tablets, they would be blister packed in strips and the foil or laminate covering the strips would become the label. In case of toothpaste the tube itself would be printed to serve as a label. However, most other products especially liquids whether in food, pharmaceuticals, liquor or FMCG segment are packed in plastic or glass bottles. These must be labeled suitably and call for high end decorative design and production. Flexible packaging also is employed but largely in food and lubricant segment. Here again the packaging itself is printed to serve as a label, however flexible packs once opened need to be used in full and cannot be stored. In recent product innovations, flexible packs also come fitted with pouring devices and caps so that the packaging is not destroyed immediately but has an extended shelf life. In case of a secondary pack, here again most of the time the package, in case of consumer products is printed, same is the case with tertiary packaging however a large part of the shipper cartons is made of brown Kraft corrugated board with none or minimal printing. While the secondary packaging is imperatively printed or decoratively labeled, the secondary and tertiary packs also need to be labeled depending on the need. These labels can be barcodes, for inventory control, product information labels, simple logistic labels or mandatory for some products; track and trace labels.

 

The package

 

 

In urban organized retailing the package itself plays a very vital and sensitive role. Every housewife now wishes nice looking packages containing sauces, juices, milk, and other food item to adorn the shelves of her kitchen and the refrigerator. Designers continue to innovate and create packaging to catch the shopper’s fancy. I cite an example of changes in the packaging of shampoo in India. Initially it was glass bottles or shampoo bottles. In an endeavour  to increase the reach of the product to rural areas and make it affordable, someone decided to package the one-use shampoo in a small, printed plastic sachet to retail at just Rupee one(1.1 cent Euro) per piece. The product was an instant hit and marketers were talking about it and felt it was the brightest of ideas. It did not take long for people to realize that they were tasting shampoo each time they tried to open the sachet. Try opening one in a shower, it is a nightmare! Invariably you will end up using your teeth to cut open the pack and will taste some of the shampoo. Health concerns came to the fore with changing lifestyles and fancy shampoo bottles with highly decorated fancy labels were back in the bathrooms across the nation. Indians across the nation, make their local bread “ROTI” fresh each time they sit for a meal. The dough is kneaded fresh and the rotis come fluffy and blown to the table while they are hot! The floor for the bread or ROTI, locally called, “ATTA” used to be a passion to source at one time. Each household used to buy whole wheat from farms and take to the local colony floor mill to get freshly ground. They used to tell their guests with pride that their ROTIs were fresh and healthy! With a burgeoning literate middle class, all that is changed, the atta comes nicely packed and for the busy working executives. Pre-rolled semi-cooked rotis come vaccum packed and labeled with enhanced shelf life. They are available on shop shelves of retail stores. One could go on writing about packaging developments and innovations, but all these products need to be well labeled to deliver information to the consumer. An urban consumer today decides the quality of the product by perusing the packaging, its aesthetics and finally by reading the label. Growing health awareness makes them ascertain the manufacturing date, expiry date, contents, quality certification, brand authentication and calories, before they make a buying decision. A discussion and study on the package remain incomplete if the label is not discussed in same line of thought hence having dwelled on the package we now move on to labels.

 

 Labels

 

I have in the preceding paragraphs emphasized the role that label plays as an important part of the package. Before we dwell on the construction and development of labels, we need to understand the types of labels. We have wet glue labels, wrap around labels, shrink sleeves, in-mold labels and Self-adhesive labels. The subject of labels is quite exhaustive but for this series of articles I will try to restrict myself to self adhesive labels. Self adhesive labels or pressure sensitive adhesive labels as the name suggests are pre-gummed labels. These labels have contact adhesive that is sensitive to pressure and get activated on application with normal pressure. When manually applied, thumb pressure is adequate. The labels are broadly spread into three main sub-categories.

 

 

1.       Paper labels

2.       Filmic Labels

3.       Other special labels

The paper labels could be diverse types of papers like Matt uncoated, Coated semi-gloss, High gloss, Coloured papers and Textured papers. The selection primarily depends on the product and application. We shall discuss in detail as we move on to the designing of labels. Filmic labels find application for cosmetic and toiletries where high level of decoration is imperative. Transparent film labels are used for applications that call for a clear no-label look. The special labels can be anything that is coming out of a designer’s mind. One could have a cork sheet as a label material for a wine or liquor bottle. Other label face materials employed could be textile, aluminum foil, foam, multiple layered laminates, etc. 

In the following parts of this series, I will dwell on construction of labelstocks, important inputs needed before designing the package and label, the final label design and innovations in labels with examples.

 
Written by Harveer Sahni, Managing Director Weldon Celloplast Limited, New Delhi August 2014