Press release submitted on behalf of Messe Düsseldorf North America

At this year’s drupa  trade fair (May 28 – June 7 in Düsseldorf, Germany), Messe Düsseldorf will present the drupa Imaging Summit for the first time as part of the special forum “drupa next age” (dna): Top-class speakers from renowned companies will give 20-minute keynote speeches and panels on the most important topics at the interface between imaging technologies and printing. This includes, in particular, the potential offered by the use of AI.

The imaging industry has come a long way in the last few decades. First the transition  to digital photography and workflows, and now the new big challenge of AI, are transforming the value creation of creators, companies and the industry. Along with many challenges, the new AI tools also create new opportunities and business areas.

At the drupa Imaging Summit, the major trend topic of Imaging Artificial Intelligence will be one of the central themes to provide information on the current status and tools, discuss new product ideas and demonstrate ways in which images can be optimized for better prints.

Picture This: How Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Revolutionizing Image Creation (presented by Dennis Oberfeld, Google Cloud/Customer Engineer) will show how AI is revolutionizing the image creation process. The participants will gain insights into Google’s powerful AI solutions, demonstrating how they streamline workflows and produce stunning results. Learn about upscaling, watermarking, and more – practical tools (not only) for print businesses and creatives alike. Dennis Oberfeld is passionate about enabling digital transformation and he works closely with clients to understand their unique needs and implement customized cloud strategies for optimal business results. Prior to Google Cloud, he spent nearly a decade at SAP, driving cloud adoption for company customers.

Image generation via Artificial Intelligence: Tools & Workflows (presented by Andreas    Jürgensen, Founder AI Imagelab | ai-imagelab.de) will give an overview of the current status of AI-generated images. Andreas Jürgensen will offer a brief insight about which programs are currently relevant – and which ones you should keep an eye on, in which processes AI-generated images are currently being used and in which fields of application they will become relevant. The presentation will be illustrated with application and image examples. Andreas Jürgensen is a photo engineer and has been working in the photo industry since 1993. His company juergensen.net operates Germany’s largest network of photo communities. At the end of 2022, he started to work with artificial intelligence and its use for image production. Together with Adrian Rohnfelder he started the AI Imagelab, a news blog about AI generated images and videos.

AI Unveiled: Navigating Past, Present, and Future in Photo Print Innovation (presented by Sarah Lefebvre, Director of Marketing at EyeQ Imaging Inc). The Creators of the leading Imaging Software, Perfectly Clear, will show the remarkable advances AI has made in recent years as Sarah Lefebvre will connect today’s applications of AI to real-world use cases and their impact on the printing industry. Visitors will learn about  the exciting possibilities of the future as she demonstrates the transformative impact of AI on photo printing – it will be about the intersection of innovation and practice at the forefront of AI technology. Sarah Lefebvre has made it her mission to help businesses achieve optimal photo quality. As Director of Marketing at EyeQ, she focuses on the company’s core message: the ROI that companies can achieve with Perfectly Clear, its automated photo and video editing technology.

The influence of Artificial Intelligence on future print products (presented by Adrian Rohnfelder, Founder AI Imagelab, ai-imagelab.de). In this highly illustrated and entertaining short presentation, Adrian Rohnfelder will outline possible print products of the future as a result of the new generative AI capabilities:

• Changes through AI support of existing products
• Key social media drivers such as pets and selfies for an abundance of AI-generated images
• Potential consumer needs for 2D, 3D and 4D printing

Adrian Rohnfelder studied business administration, worked for a long time as a freelance management consultant and made photography his profession in 2017. He has already won several awards, published in renowned publishing houses and appeared as a speaker at well-known events. At the end of 2022, he discovered artificial intelligence as a fantastic creative tool. He has published on the subject in magazines and has been working as a trainer since the beginning of 2023. Together with Andreas Jürgensen, he founded the AI Imagelab in mid-2023 as a platform for AI-generated images and videos.

Viesus™: Prints enhanced in the blink of an AI (presented by Servi Pieters, CEO of Viesus™)

Thousands or even millions of images are processed for printing every day, and the quality or pixel count of the images is often too low. This leads to lost time, complaints and missed opportunities. Visitors can learn about the behind-the-scenes algorithms used by leading companies in the photo printing industry to minimize suboptimal prints. This presentation will show how AI algorithms improve image print production, delivering quality without the need for manual intervention. As CEO, Servi Pieters leads Viesus™ in further developing AI and making it available on various platforms. In October 2022, he founded MyPrint.ai AG, driven by innovation with the application of generative AI technology in a webapp to print personalized and unique AI generated artworks.

All these drupa  Imaging Summitt presentations and several others will take place on the drupa next age stage on May 30 and 31 in Hall 7. https://www.drupa.com/en/Program/Forums/drupa_next_age

For the entire drupa next age program (May 28 – June 6 in Hall 7): https://www.drupa.com/en/Program/Programoverview?filter=true&forums=DrupaNextAge

Participation in the drupa Imaging Summitt and the dna program is included in the drupa ticket.

For further information on visiting or exhibiting at  drupa 2024, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: [email protected]; Visit www.drupa.com and www.mdna.com. Follow us on https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/drupa-tradefair/

For hotel and travel information, contact TTI Travel, Inc. at (866) 674-3476; Fax: (212) 674-3477; E-mail: [email protected]; www.ttitravel.net

Press release submitted on behalf of Label Summit Latin America

The 20th edition of Label Summit Latin America 2024 has closed on a high note, attracting 750 visitors from 25 countries. This year’s two-day conference took place between 12 – 13 March at the Agora Bogotá Convention Center for the first time in Bogotá, Colombia.

Across a busy two days, over 25 experts from well-known Colombian brands, label converters from the region and leading associations in Latin America’s label and package printing industry shared their insights and knowledge about the trends and technologies that are shaping the future of the market. Converters participating in the conference included Viappiani, Servibarras, CCL, All4Labels, AlfaPrint, Everest Printed, Impresos y Acabados, Ideartes Impresores, Etiflex Mexico, Kuresa and Sismode.

Hosted by Labelexpo Global Series, the conference had a total of 13 sessions featuring panel discussions and in-depth presentations.

Speakers included Juanita Jiménez, brand design leader from Colombian coffee brand Buendía, Eric Pell, client development director from Makro and Juan Zuluaga, departmental coordinator – Antioquia of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Topics featured included an explanation of sustainability terminology, a market analysis of Colombia and the wider region, the Colombia Plastics Pact as well as brand protection and traceability in smart labels.

Mirco Mazzarella, event manager, Label Summit Latin America 2024 said: “We’re delighted with the success of Label Summit Latin America 2024, and it was a privilege to bring this highly productive event for the very first time to the vibrant city of Bogotá. The positive feedback that we received across both days alike reflected the importance of keeping up with the latest industry trends and innovations in Latin America and beyond.”

Laura Reyes Castellanos, executive director at CEMPRE (the Business Commitment to Recycling) and keynote speaker on day one of the conference, commented: “The Label Summit Latin America 2024 event represented a valuable opportunity to explore and understand the dynamics of a consumer-oriented industry that has enormous potential to lead transformations that drive the circular economy and encourage changes in behaviours. Having these kinds of spaces is essential to continue exchanging knowledge and inspiring the development of sustainable solutions.”

An accompanying table-top exposition also ran over the two days, which saw 54 leading industry suppliers such as platinum sponsor ARclad, Mark Andy, HP, Cartes, OMET and Nilpeter network with delegates, giving them an exclusive preview of the latest technology in label and package printing.

Carolina Jaramillo Osorio, marketing director at ARclad said: “Having the opportunity to share information on sustainability to our customers and industry delegates means a lot to us, understanding how to meet the requirements of sustainable labeling can be very challenging, and we believe this event provided the perfect platform for us to continue working together towards this goal.

“The organization of the event was excellent, in our opinion, the conference program was really well planned, with highly relevant and diverse content. At our booth, we were able to experience a significant number of client visits, coming from different countries across the region, contributing to a very dynamic atmosphere where we even successfully closed several business deals.”

Press release submitted on behalf of Metsä Board

Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, inaugurated its upgraded folding boxboard machine in Husum, Sweden, on April 11. Metsä Board Husum mill in Sweden is an integrated board and pulp mill producing folding boxboard, uncoated white kraftliner and bleached chemical pulp. Project partners, representatives of Örnsköldsvik municipality, Swedish parliament, and the forest industry attended the inauguration ceremony.

In 2016, Metsä Board started up a new folding boxboard machine, BM1, in Husum with a capacity of 400,000 tonnes/year. An investment of EUR 230 million was completed in 2023 to increase the annual capacity of the BM1 folding boxboard machine to respond to the growing demand for sustainably produced packaging materials that support the circular economy. With an increased annual capacity of 600,000 tonnes of folding boxboard, the BM1 is Europe’s largest and most modern of its kind and is run with 98% renewable energy.

“With the investment in the folding boxboard capacity at Husum, Metsä Board is well positioned to meet the growing demand for fiber-based packaging materials. We are dedicated to supporting our customers with high quality and resource-efficient solutions that help replace fossil-based materials and support the circular economy,” says Mika Joukio, CEO, Metsä Board.

The project has included upgrades to the entire board mill as well as increasing the warehouse capacity at the port. The main parts of the investment are the extension of the board machine’s drying section, a new winder and an automated reel handling system. The new, fully automatic machine roll transfer and control system is unique in the paperboard industry. “The combination of the most modern available technologies with a very high degree of automation solutions gives us both a safer mill as well as lots of new improvement opportunities,” says Olov Winblad von Walter, VP Husum Board and Pulp Mill.

Between 2019 and 2023 Metsä Board Husum has undergone an extensive investment program. The first phase was completed in December 2022, including a new recovery boiler and turbine at the Husum pulp mill with an investment cost of EUR 380 million. The new modern equipment and processes enables Husum mill to significantly increase bio-based energy production and energy efficiency, contributing to Metsä Board’s target of fossil free mills by the end of 2030.

The Husum mill is one of Örnsköldsvik municipality’s largest employers and plays an important role for the region and in the large-scale conversion to the bioeconomy. Husum’s products play an important role in providing alternatives to fossil-based materials in consumer packaging globally, the main markets being Europe and North America.