With the largest stand it has ever had at a Labelexpo and running four live press demonstrations throughout each day as part of its complete Pressroom display, Mark Andy hailed the last European event to be held under the Labelexpo brand as a major success.

The whole concept of the Mark Andy stand was to demonstrate how a label converter can use the company as a single source supplier for all production requirements from pre-press to finished product, and all processes in between, as well as supplying all essential consumables through its print products division, MAPP.  The four presses on working display were: the Performance Series S9 and the Pro Series from Mark Andy’s flexo portfolio, while the Digital Pro MAX and the Digital Series HighSpeed 1200 represented the company’s digital/flexo hybrid capabilities.

Launched in 2024 and being shown at an expo in Europe for the first time, the S9 is a mid-web press based on sleeve technology that is designed for converters looking to diversify their capability beyond labels into flexible packaging and folding cartons.  In Barcelona, the S9 was shown in 26” (660mm) web width with nine print stations running at 300m/min and converting printed rolls on a Rotoflex VLI-700 inspection/rewinder.  The Pro Series is Mark Andy’s fully functional servo-driven entry-level label press.  It was shown in 17” (430m) width and was fitted with eight colors, cold foil, delam/relam and a die cutting unit.

The Digital Pro MAX is Mark Andy’s flexo/toner-based hybrid.  Its modular design allows for a variety of specifications for printing and converting inline.  It had a 13” (330mm) web width, was fitted with one flexo unit, CMYK digital toner engine, cold foil and semi-rotary die cutting.  Top of the range and the fastest digital hybrid in the world is the Digital Series HD HighSpeed 1200 line.  Also launched in 2024, and an evolution of the popular DSHD series that was developed entirely in-house by Mark Andy, this production system offers almost limitless variety in specification of printing and converting options with the possibility of retrospectively upgrading as demand changes, making it as future-proof an investment as is possible.  Capable of 480 ft/min (146 m/min), it offers the 1200 dpi resolution required for top-end label production.

Also on the stand were an Arpeco tracker, an Anilox cleaner, a VPM 300 plate mounting table, and a roll lift.  ProWORX is Mark Andy’s supporting software that streamlines digital label production.  It showed automated step-and-repeat imposition with Label Suite, on-press color and RIP control via ProWORX DFE, and real-time performance tracking through ProWORX Analytics.  It offers a unified platform to boost efficiency, accuracy, and uptime for converters running hybrid and digital workflows.  The MAPP Print Products Division showed a full cabinet display of KM drums, toner, Tesa cleaning rolls, doctor blades, cleaning wipes, splicing and mounting tapes, digital ink and GEW UV bulbs.

In addition to the live machine demos, Mark Andy hosted two special events on the stand.  ‘Cocktails and Conversación’ offered an opportunity for customers, the media, and various industry luminaries and VIPs to enjoy drinks and canapes in an informal atmosphere as well as engaging in one-to-ones with Mark Andy personnel on a variety of subjects.  The second was hosting a delegation from ESD the Turkish Label Manufacturers Association, who were given a private demo of the each of the machines on show as well as enjoying some great Mark Andy hospitality.

But, for Mark Andy, the show really began the week before with an escorted visit by a party of Latin American label converters to one of Mark Andy’s leading European customers, Mirmar SA in Valencia.  Established back in the 1980s and currently managed by owner Jaime Mir Pastor, the company occupies a 3,000sqm facility that employs 35 and produces more than 25 million sqm of self-adhesive labels and 75m sqm of paper for cash register rolls each year.  A major user of Mark Andy printing presses, Mirmar now has six Performance Series flexo presses from six to ten colors, as well as two DSHD hybrid lines.  After seeing the presses in commercial production in Valencia, the party relocated to Barcelona for Labelexpo.

With the organizers, Informa, announcing a rebranding of the Labelexpo Global Series of events from January 2026, visitors had much to contend with – a new location and a new name, LOUPE, an acronym for Labels and OUter Packaging Embellishment.  If the numbers are accurate, more than 40,000 attended the Barcelona event, making it by far the largest of the eight global shows that attract around 125,000 visitors.  The name change has been prompted by a need to expand the scope of the event into the flexible packaging and folding carton sectors, which Informa believes are unlikely to be attracted to an expo with ‘Label’ in its title.  Reaction was generally positive, with all agreeing that the industry continues to develop and grow.  Whatever their name, Mark Andy sees these global events as solid bases from which to support its customers by reacting to their ever-changing needs.

Summarising the event, CEO Duane Pekar stated: “It was my pleasure to welcome customers old, new, and prospective to our stand in Barcelona and I’m proud of how all the Mark Andy team worked together to make the expo so successful for the company.  The exhibition certainly attracted many high-level decision makers, and this has stimulated different conversations about what changes are needed from a leadership perspective.  We view this exhibition as an excellent opportunity to build relationships and enjoyed keen interest in all our technology, but especially our Performance Series S9 flexo press and our high-speed DSHD flexo/inkjet hybrid line that were making their European show debut.”