Automated Digital Print Manufacturing will be one of the key themes addressed by Xeikon at Labelexpo Europe 2017 (Brussels, September 25 to 28), where the company will feature its industry-leading digital label printing capabilities in the new Automation Arena. Xeikon’s unique customer service approach, offered by its dedicated Solutions & Premium Services team, will take centre stage in demonstrating the benefits of automation for any label converter.

“Automation allows people to perform more efficiently and with more creativity,” states Filip Weymans, VP Marketing Xeikon. “We have all experienced the massive impact mobile communications have had on our personal lives, with our smartphones truly becoming personal assistants that can make us more efficient. A 'revolution' which will only become even more pervasive. Label converters will benefit from staying current with these automation trends to streamline manufacturing, reduce labour costs and cycle time and adopt a near-lights-out production process. This reality is closer than you might think, with some converters already taking advantage of automation that frees employees to spend time on creating solutions for customers rather than spending time on repetitive, non-value-added tasks.”

Visitors to the Automation Arena in Hall 11 will see two live automated, highly integrated production press lines for digital and conventional label production. They will gain first-hand insights into the benefits this level of automation can bring to label converting operations, taking time, touches and cost out of the production process. The demonstration will preview how automated label production may evolve over the next five to ten years as the trend of combining automation and data exchange in manufacturing, known as Industry 4.0, continues to gain steam in the print and packaging industries.

Xeikon will participate in the digital label production line with its flagship Xeikon 3300 press with in-line laser die-cut unit, integrating solutions of key industry partners CERM, Esko and AVT to demonstrate the potential of a fully streamlined, automated operation. Full set-up details are available on the Labelexpo Europe website.

“We believe that a visit to the Automation Arena will be a true eye-opener,” Weymans adds, “especially those who have not made the leap to an Industry 4.0 approach to label manufacturing. For those who have begun to automate their operations, this future-oriented demonstration will spark new ideas for increased efficiency.”

In addition to its participation in the Automation Arena, Xeikon’s dedication to bringing future-proof automation to the label production process will be showcased on its stand in Hall 5. Xeikon Solutions & Premium Services offering is a unique and creative approach to total customer service, handled by a dedicated team that supports label converters in setting up, optimizing and meeting all their label production needs – including prepress, workflow, substrates, printing and finishing.

Weymans comments: “This approach places Xeikon in a unique position in the industry. Our goal is to help customers start, manage and optimize their printing and converting businesses, offering a different kind of support from installation, to getting machines up and running, through to optimizing existing operations. An important aspect is Xeikon’s aXelerate program, helping customers develop applications and build their business on Xeikon presses. Our customer service approach is application driven, and the market is reacting very positively to this all-encompassing approach.”

While Xeikon naturally provides the digital printing equipment, front-end as well as finishing solutions, the company partners with a long list of industry suppliers to integrate complementary solutions that customers may require to achieve their full automation vision, as such rounding out a total solution. This community of Aura partners continues to grow, as do the linkages among them as more customers move in this direction.

At the heart of all Xeikon’s digital print offerings is the Xeikon X-800 digital front-end. Intuitive, open standards-based and totally modular, it is capable of dealing with a large number of file formats and tackling variable-data print jobs at rated engine speeds. It is easy to integrate into any required configuration which allows the Solutions & Premium Services team to provide tailor-made solutions outside of the Aura network if required to ensure a fully customized solutions according to customer needs. “This means our solutions can fit the customer environment rather than requiring the customer to force-fit its operations to some pre-designed concept of automation,” Weymans concludes.