Innovation at the Heart of UK’s Largest Packaging Show

15 February 2018



Innovation at the Heart of UK’s Largest Packaging Show


Innovation at the Heart of UK’s Largest Packaging Show

The UK’s largest annual event for the whole packaging supply chain, Packaging Innovations, Empack and Label&Print, returns to Birmingham’s NEC on 28 February & 1 March 2018. The two-day event will showcase the most cutting-edge packaging technologies and feature a free-to-attend educational seminar programme with over 20 hours of CPD-accredited content. With over 290 exhibitors already signed up and more than 6,000 decision makers set to attend, the show is set to be the most innovative to date.

James Drake-Brockman, Divisional Director of Easyfairs’ Packaging Portfolio, comments: “We know that one of the key reasons visitors attend the show year-on-year is to discover all the latest innovations within the marketplace, so it is fantastic to see so many of our suppliers unveiling their new products and services at the show. With so many new launches planned for the show, Packaging Innovations, Empack and Label&Print 2018 promises to offer buyers and retailers a fantastic opportunity to get hands on with the very latest packaging solutions and uncover trends and developments that will have a major impact on their business.”

Innovation on Show

Innovative products, design and functionality are, as always, at the heart of the show. For instance, Dantex Group will be introducing its latest innovation, the PicoJet Digital UV Inkjet Press. It is a 7-colour printing system, which can be custom configured to offer wide colour gamut printing. Working at 350mm width and at 75m/min (250ft/min), the PicoJet incorporates 600dpi at 2.5pl dot size and is ideally placed for high quality and long run lengths. In addition, the highly popular PicoColour UV Inkjet Press will be running on stand, demonstrating its enhanced capabilities, which includes CMYK + white finish, chilled roller printing and a full variable data option.

Graphic Packaging International will be launching IntegraflexTM, which incorporates the best features of a folding carton and flexible packaging for an effective on-the-go eating experience. The recyclable concept has the ability to stand on its own and is a great option for packaging hot snacks.

Greenearth Food Packaging will present its brand-new range of oven-proof, biodegradable ready meal containers made from paper pulp. The range will be available with lids and in various sizes and colours to enhance the aesthetics of products.

Automated Packaging Systems will launch its new AirPouch delivery system at the show. The new system will offer customers using AirPouch cushions in its packaging process the potential to supply multiple work stations with strings of AirPouch cushions from just a single machine. The system utilises the AirPouch Express 3 machine to inflate AirPouch material on site.

Nth Degree will be showcasing its new TruPack range – the complete solution for creating colour accurate samples, mock-ups and prototypes. It allows customers to quickly and easily produce any form of packaging, including cans, pouches, shrink-wraps, bags, cartons, flow wraps, labels, and all with spot accurate colour. Plus, it can also create samples onto any substrate.

Printer brand, OKI, will be launching the OKI 4 and 5 colour label printers, as well as its first roll fed label printer live on the showfloor. The OKI 4 and 5 devices, which are quick and easy for short runs, require no set up costs and offer media handling flexibility, as well as ensuring less wastage. The OKI 4 and 5 will join its portfolio of printing products, including the industry’s first digital LED Five Colour A3 printer.

Paper and cardboard packaging manufacturers, Graficas Salaet, will be launching two new products at the show. Its new Black Pizza Plate and its Step and Twist Tulip Cups. Also on show will be its extensive range of packaging for the food industry including baking cups, paper bags, trays, cake boxes and boards.

Russell Richardson will be presenting its new reel splitter, which allows it to process and securely destroy packaging even more efficiently. The new reel splitter will join the company’s heavy-duty primary shredder, which can process larger volumes of material such as wrappers, cores, palletised paper and other bulky waste.

OAL will showcase APRIL EYE, an intelligent date code verification system set to cut food waste in the supply chain. Developed in partnership with the University of Lincoln in a retailer led initiative, APRIL EYE uses artificial intelligence to read back and verify date codes, preventing product recalls related to the incorrect application of date codes. By removing human error from the supply chain, APRIL EYE reduces food waste related to the incorrect date coding of products.

Falconer Print and Packaging will showcase its new designs for the drink and luxury packaging markets. Developed using its in-house foiling capability, innovative embellishments, embossing and the use of differing boxboard.

AG/CAD will present the DYSS X5 digital cutter and sheet feeder, featuring the latest K-CUT Vision software. The machine has been designed specifically to handle all the prototyping, sample making and short/medium run production needs of corrugated, and solid board converters. The X5 comes in a variety of sizes with versatile tooling to suit all common packaging substrates. Folding boxboard, corrugated, display board and even structural honeycomb boards, textiles and paper can be processed, along with many other materials.

Cambrian Packaging has expanded its extensive range of mist sprays, lotions pumps and triggers, with several new product launches planned for the show. It will also be demonstrating how its unique Flairosol sprays perform when mounted on cylindrical bottles and its ability to supply HDPE bottles in post-consumer recycled material.

Multi Packaging Solutions, part of WestRock Company, will use Label&Print to showcase its range of paper-based consumer packaging. The Multi Packaging Solutions stand will also display the extensive range of paper and board available from WestRock Board, including folding cartons, labels, tubes and cartonboards.

Exciting Show Content

In addition to a packed showfloor, the Packaging Innovations Conference Programme will be running across five unique seminar stages: The Keynote Stage, The Innovation Stage, The Label&Print Stage, The Ecopack Stage and The Packaging News Stage. The two-day educational agenda will feature over 20 hours of CPD-accredited content with major names such as Tesco, Coca Cola, M&S, Co-op, Innocent, ASDA and Thorntons, set to take to the stage.

Whether it’s reducing waste through smarter packaging, finding more energy efficient solutions or finding more recyclable materials, sustainability is one of the most hotly discussed topics within the industry at the moment and will be the focus of the Ecopack Theatre. With Brits buying £133bn of goods online every year, Carbon Smart Ltd will take a close look at what packaging manufacturers and providers can do to ensure that eCommerc packaging is sustainable for the planet and its people when they present ‘eCommerce packaging doesn’t need to cost the earth’.

Simon Reid, Sustainability Manager at Innocent Drinks will also shine a spotlight on the issue of sustainability within the packaging industry with his talk ‘Addressing the Plastic Bottle Dilemma’.

Ron Cregan, Founder of Endagered Species, will analyse the effects plain packaging regulations could have if they were extended to industries such as alcohol, confectionery and snacks. Cregan will examine the multibillion dollar hit that the regulations could have on some of the world’s biggest brands, including Coca-Cola and Kraft in his presentation, ‘Plain Packaging - The Hazard Ahead’.

The show will also feature The Pentawards Exhibit, bringing cutting-edge design onto the showfloor, giving attendees a global perspective of the best and most creative packaging designs from the last year.



Privacy Policy
We have updated our privacy policy. In the latest update it explains what cookies are and how we use them on our site. To learn more about cookies and their benefits, please view our privacy policy. Please be aware that parts of this site will not function correctly if you disable cookies. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy unless you have disabled them.