After two years of trade fair cancellations due to the pandemic, LEONHARD KURZ finally wanted to bring the future of surface finishing back to life. The intention to bring the industry together in person for a major event finally gave rise to the KURZ LABEL WEEKS - an in-house trade fair lasting several weeks on the premises of the company's headquarters in Fürth.
After a certain amount of scepticism in the run-up as to whether the format would even be accepted by customer and partner companies as well as representatives of the trade media, it is now clear: the KURZ LABEL WEEKS were a complete success, exceeded all expectations and ultimately even went into extension.
A total of almost 400 visitors from 19 countries accepted the invitation to the Franconian metropolitan region. They were all able to convince themselves of KURZ's comprehensive competencies - not only as a supplier of sustainable transfer products, but above all of efficient, innovative machines. Various demonstrations offered visitors the opportunity to experience the advanced technologies live and up close. A special highlight was the possibility to implement individual orders on site. Visitors could send their own substrates and designs to KURZ in advance - in Fürth, these jobs were then implemented together with KURZ employees.
Positive feedback throughout
"I find this in-house solution much more familiar and pleasant than a large trade fair," reports Birger Christiansen, Managing Director of Ellerhold Glücksburg GmbH. "In addition, the KURZ LABEL WEEKS have inspired us to focus even more on the topic of sustainability."
KURZ LABEL WEEKS opened its doors on 20 June 2022 and was originally scheduled to run until 28 October. However, due to the continuing high level of interest, the exclusively positive response and the unchanged high demand for viewing appointments, the exhibition was unceremoniously extended by a further six weeks until 9 December 2022. Christopher Gabel, Managing Director of Goetz + Müller GmbH, is also enthusiastic about the event: "I really liked the format because you could discuss all the possibilities in a relatively private setting and take time to find out about all the topics." Marco Jannsen, Operations Manager at Ellerhold Glücksburg GmbH, adds: "We took home a lot of good tips and will now try to implement as much of them as possible."
Impressive design, high quality and sustainability
Digital finishing was one of the focal points of the in-house exhibition. Thus, the latest metallisation units of the group of companies were presented live: the DM-UNILINER 2D with inkjet technology of the subsidiary MPRINT and the DM-UNILINER 3D of the subsidiary STEINEMANN DPE. Both modules offer the greatest possible flexibility as they can be used independently of the existing printing system and process.
Another highlight was the presentation of the material-saving cold transfer unit DISTORUN®, which enables the reprinting of free areas on already processed transfer products completely in the sense of sustainability. In general, KURZ placed great emphasis on cold transfer finishing - not least because it is a sustainable alternative to laminates. The KURZ LABEL WEEKS portfolio was rounded off by the presentation of KURZ's diverse hot stamping finishes, which make products stand out from the crowd with an impressive portfolio of colours, diffractive as well as semi-transparent and haptic effects.
More than just a label
Functional labels with added value for manufacturers, brands and customers are also very much in vogue. In this sector, KURZ presented a brand-new security label developed together with its subsidiary SCRIBOS, which offers reliable protection against counterfeiting and at the same time allows the integration of various interaction options or bonus programmes for end customers. To retrieve the stored information, it is sufficient to scan the QR code of the label with a smartphone.
Thermal transfer technology, which also had its own appearance at the KURZ LABEL WEEKS, also falls into the area of product security. Today, thermal transfer ribbons (TTR) already enable efficient and sustainable label design. LEONHARD KURZ has further developed this technology and implemented additional functions (TTR Unique UV and TTR Unique VEROSPEC®) with which labels and other TTR prints can be equipped with customer-specific security features.
Successful format with future potential
The host is naturally delighted with the successful event. Just like the visitors, KURZ is also taking away many ideas from the trade fair weeks. Markus Hoffmann, Member of the Board, Senior Vice President Business Area Industrial & Business Area Application at LEONHARD KURZ, sums up: "In order to be successful in the future, you have to make the right decisions today. During the KURZ LABEL WEEKS, we had the privilege of talking in detail with many of our customers. From this, we can very well deduce what we need to do in the next few years to continue to make our customers successful in the long term."
One thing is certain: the KURZ LABEL WEEKS were an enrichment for all participants - a new edition in the future is therefore almost certain. Interested parties who were unable to come to Fürth in person have the opportunity to find out about all the solutions and processes on show online at the website https://labelweeks.kurz-graphics.com.
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