Bengaluru-headquartered VeePee Graphic – which provides an array of solutions for the flexo and corrugated packaging industry – showcased three new products at LabelExpo 2022, held from 10 – 13 November at the India Expo Center in Greater Noida.

VeePee Graphic promoted its hybrid screening solution that can reproduce 350 lpi using conventional machines and inks without any changes in the entire workflow –  said to be a major breakthrough in flexo technology.

The company also showcased a futuristic product that integrates print and digital media with augmented reality. In addition, VeePee Graphic launched its Vee Ensure app, which can be used for product authentication and augmented reality. The app will help buyers identify genuine products and weed out duplicate items.

In the second product, augmented reality will help certain elements printed on a label come to life and give the consumer a wholesome shopping experience. Hybrid screening enhances images by reproducing a color gamut that cannot be achieved by conventional screening. “We're pretty excited about this hybrid screening that we just launched. In fact, a lot of people can't believe that this is possible to reproduce in flexo. This would be a game-changer for us,” Jai Chandra (JC), director, Veepee Graphic Solutions, told Packaging South Asia.

He said, “This is the third time we participated in the LabelExpo show. It is only getting better. This edition was very special because it was organized after a long break. We are very happy with the footfall. Serious customers who wanted to know what we are doing visited our booth and that was quite encouraging rather than having people just walking in and walking out.”

VeePee Graphic signed a deal with Esko for an XPS and CDI imager, which was announced at the Esko stand. JC shared with Packaging South Asia, “It's been a long relationship with Esko for the last 20 years. Getting a sixth CDI imager and a second XPS was a major decision for us. It was a conscious decision because we have understood the technology quite well and so it was the right thing to do.”

Label industry growing

According to JC, the label industry in India is growing, “It's quite encouraging as we see a lot of work moving from gravure to flexo. Earlier, it was more from offset to flexo. But now the trend is jobs moving from gravure to flexo, especially in the shrink sleeve segment. Probably in the next five years, the whole concept of narrow web is going to change – it's going to be more of mid-web presses rather than narrow web presses for the label industry. The sort of market that this industry is going to cater to is going to be much wider. It's just not going to be labels or paper stock, we're going to talk about shrink sleeves, and laminates.”

VeePee Graphic has been a key supporter of innovation since its inception. Asked about this approach, JC said, “Upgrading and updating our technology – that's the only way we've been able to come this long. Moreover, we don't want to be a part of the rest of the crowd. So we always come up with some innovative solutions, which is paying off.”