Winners announced for 16th Label Industry Awards

The 2019 Label Industry Awards honoured Avery Dennison, Esko and GMG in Belgium on the first night of Labelexpo Europe 2019. Now in their 16th year, the Label Industry Awards recognise the most innovative, influential and successful work from the label and package printing industry across the globe over the last 12 months.

GMG GmbH & Co. KG won the Award for Innovation (for companies with up to 300 employees), for its GMG Calibration Creation Wizard. The product enables customers to create colour-accurate mock-ups for labels, flexible packaging and cartons, using GMG Colour Management software with an Epson SC-80600 to achieve accurate reproducible proofs.

The Award for Innovation (for companies with more than 300 employees) went to Esko for its Esko Print Control Wizard software, developed to simplify the implementation of screens and dot grain curves in the reprographics process. The software can control where the transition from AM to FM occurs, with a button used to change transition points, allowing the operator to see the immediate impact on tonal values.

The Environmental & Sustainability Award was given to Avery Dennison for its Recycled PET Liners. The liners are made with 30% recycled PET post-consumer waste from PET bottles, while maintaining the liner materials needed for supply chain labelling success.

Robert Rae of GEW took out the Rising Star Award, having joined the company in 2014 following a career in research with P&G. Rae utilised his chemistry degree from Durham University to develop LED products and launch an LED system at Labelexpo 2019.

Reynders won the European Converter of the Year Award, for its investment in the production of ‘loyalty stamps’, which has resulted in over six billion labels printed and supplied all over the world. The company also promotes sustainable label alternatives and has plans to reduce water, gas and electricity consumption.

Clive Smith, founder of Labelexpo, received a Special Recognition Award, honouring his creation and ongoing development of the largest label and package printing exhibition in the world.

The R. Stanton Avery Global Achievement Award, which was previously announced in June, went to Jim DeFife, VP of Pressure-Sensitive Materials, Multi-Colour Corporation. The award honours the contribution an individual has made which has impacted the growth of the international label industry.