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This year’s specialised exhibition in Lucerne, Switzerland, brought together a variety of software, hardware, and material suppliers demonstrating new innovations, David Osgar writes
Focused on the motto of “CONNECT”, the 15th edition of Hunkeler Innovationdays (HID) brought together professionals in digital printing and finishing. With a clear and precise design layout, the event played host to busy crowds, with everyone seeming to want to learn, invest, and collaborate – a goal for any exhibition organiser.
Hunkeler Innovationdays has long been heralded for its unique set up, offering a unique chance for visitors to see full production set ups replicated in an exhibition environment, where software and material suppliers can collaborate with manufacturers.
Walking around Messe Luzern, it was clear to see that a lot of important decision makers from all over the world had descended on the Swiss city, and not just for the local festival which entertained visitors navigating Lucerne in the evenings after the show.
The exhibition had a buzz that seemed to build on the 2023 edition, which was affected in part due to the reboot of the industry following the pandemic. Visitors seemed keen to look for new technologies and advancements to overcome existing challenges. Throughout the exhibition manufacturers like Canon, Ricoh, and HP attracted hundreds of visitors and customers, all keen to network and share stories of success.
So, let’s take a look at how exhibitors showcased their solutions to new and existing customers, and what stood out during the show.
Provider of woodfibre-based materials for print, packaging, and speciality markets, Sappi, used its presence at Hunkeler Innovationdays to highlight its woodfree coated paper – Magno Web.
The product is partially produced at Sappi’s Kirkniemi Mill in Finland, where direct fossil greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 90%.
The Magno range was used on a number of manufacturers’ stands to demonstrate its compatibility with high-speed inkjet printing. The paper company put particular emphasis on its Magno Web range which is suitable for demanding print applications.
The paper range was used to for the daily Inkish magazine which was handed out at the exhibition across its four days.
Speaking to Print Monthly, Conor Evers, head of marketing operations for Sappi Europe, emphasised the company’s focus on sustainability and education, promising more developments in these areas over the next year.
Evers said: “We are still committed to commercial print and want to continue to help printers with different challenges they are facing. We have always ensured that Magno works across a diverse range of applications. Our priority is to continue making sure our flagship Magno range delivers consistently across both inkjet and offset printing.”
Speaking ahead of Hunkeler, Evers said: “Today's printers are looking for solutions that deliver on both sustainability and performance.
"Our recent benchmark results confirm that Magno Web achieves both: setting new standards for environmental responsibility while ensuring the premium print quality that customers expect from high-speed inkjet applications.”
In collaboration with manufacturers like Canon and HP, Sappi wanted to prove the performance of its papers across the Magno range, with a variety of different formats available.
Magno Web comes in two finishes across weights from 90 to 250g/m2, which Sappi says demonstrates performance in bulk, stiffness, opacity, and consistency throughout its range.
Running alongside the SCREEN stand in Hall 2, IBIS Integrated Bindery Systems used HID to unveil its Smart Label-binder which has been optimised to produce Extended Content Labels (ECLs).
At the show the Smart Label-binder produced Pharma ECLs using lightweight (45gsm) OP medical printed stock and IBIS’s advanced ISG glue-binding technology.
According to the company, the IBIS Smart Label-binder has been developed following consultations with major label manufacturers and includes “world first technology advancements”. The Label-binder demonstrated at the show is a variant of IBIS’s well-established Smart-Binder.
Speaking to Print Monthly on the stand, John Cracknell, managing director of IBIS, said: “The unique gluing is the essential part of this production, and the other essential thing is the use of very lightweight paper, which is usually more unstable.
“Many of the booklets this machine produces need to have a laminate placed on top and then it’s wrapped around a product. Due to all this you need to have as much data and print in there as possible, and running thin paper at this speed is really tough which is something our competitors can’t do.”
IBIS was keen to demonstrate how its applications were key to many markets in print such as label and education print. The ability for IBIS products to be produced and finished inline in one location significantly improves security for highly confidential exam papers.
Ahead of HID, IBIS pointed to the continued growth of pharmaceutical labelling, which is expected to be worth over £9bn in 2025. With this in mind, IBIS is confident that ECLs will continue to see increased demand in the future.
Scodix, a provider of digital print embellishment solutions, used HID to showcase its collaboration with Winter & Company which has allowed Scodix to demonstrate its ability to embellish directly on uncoated media.
Speaking on the stand, executive vice president for global sales & marketing at Scodix, Mark Nixon, said that with 40% of the print market using uncoated substrates, Scodix realised this was a massive part of the industry that wasn’t being accessed.
With the increased popularity of short runs, Scodix’s new partnership means that its digital embellishment technology can be combined with Winter & Company’s book cover materials to create multi-layer enhancements and effective embellishments in order to tap into the premium publishing industry.
Nixon spoke to Print Monthly about the reputation of Scodix as a brand name known by printers when applying embellishments and that this was an innovation they can embrace. He added that digital technology has opened the potential to numerous applications including security foil and sheetfed labels.
Scodix’s presence at the show demonstrated the continued theme of collaboration, new innovations in materials and applications, and the ability to answer a simple problem posed by short-run printers.
Speaking ahead of the show, Franz Repp, EMEA president at Scodix, said: “The ability to print and embellish directly onto materials like leather and silk opens doors to tactile and visual experiences that just weren’t possible until now, allowing producers to elevate their offerings and captivate consumers with unique and sustainable solutions.”
Global manufacturer of technology, chemicals, and materials, Kodak demonstrated the speed of its latest web-fed inkjet press, the KODAK PROSPER 7000 Turbo Press.
On the first day of HID, trade media and industry analysts were invited to a demonstration of the new press, dubbed the “world’s fastest web-fed inkjet press”, which was on show in Europe for the very first time.
Using its Turbo mode, the PROSPER 7000 printed movie sequences from The Last Showgirl as well as two music videos, Kesha’s JOYRIDE and AntLive’s CAPTAIN ANTS. All movies were shot on KODAK film stock and were displayed via the press’s monitors to replicate the effect of a film being projected.
The movie sequences were printed with water-based KODAK EKTACOLOR inks at a speed of 410m/min (1,345fpm). The idea from Kodak was that the press achieved such a high frame rate that the movies were able to play back smooth via the printer’s quality monitoring system.
Jim Continenza, executive chairman and chief executive officer and Kodak, said: “With this unique showcase we celebrate our heritage in film and our current breakthroughs in high-speed inkjet technology.
“This combination highlights our ongoing commitment to innovation and developing cutting-edge technology that will revolutionise and advance the printing industry.”
At the presentation Continenza stressed that Kodak offer a wider array of print solutions than some might perceive and is a constantly growing business, especially in the chemicals and ink sector.
Continenza also emphasised that the company was not moving away from printing plates and continues to invest heavily in them. In relation to this Continenza discussed Kodak’s focus on the “and” era of print which is the embracing of digital printing alongside offset presses.
Complimentary products to this idea from Kodak include its KODAK SONORA Process Free Plates, its inkjet solutions like the PROSPER ULTRA 520, and its portfolio of CTP devices.
One of the big exhibitors at Hunkeler Innovationdays was of course Müller Martini, which merged with Hunkeler Group in December 2023.
Müller Martini demonstrated three smart factory solutions at the show quoting 6,800 participants, 120 exhibitors, and 40 live solutions across the entire exhibition.
Visitors to the Müller Martini stand were able to see the end-to-end production process of softcover products, starting at the printing press and finishing at the trimming robot. The HP Advantage 2200 web press worked in configuration with a variety of finishing solutions with the motto “from the white roll to the finished book”.
After being printed on the 2200 web press, products would then go to a Hunkeler Starbook Plowfolder before moving to a Vareo PRO perfect binder. Books would then follow a drying path ahead of a InfiniTrim trimming robot and a sorting line where the finished books were sorted and stacked.
Ronald Reddmann, product manager for softcover systems at Müller Martini, said: “Book manufacturers are currently facing multiple challenges. Declining print volumes down to ‘book of one’ runs require a high degree of automation, ultra-fast setup times, and highly flexible production systems.
“The skilled worker shortage requires complete self-adjusting inline systems controlled by a workflow system, like the proven Connex from Müller Martini, that minimise manual intervention and intermediate handling. Growing costs for energy and space call for lower costs by using state-of-the-art energy-efficient drives and control components, for reduced production waste rates (by avoiding producing faulty products to begin with) and for a compact machine layout.”
Müller Martini also collaborated with Hunkeler and HEIDELBERG to present an all-in-one inline system to showcase production from sheet-fed press all the way to the sorting line. The process demonstrated the production of three different books with live automated switching of formats, pages, and thicknesses.
The Jetfire 50 from HEIDELBERG was used to print both signatures and covers which was connected to a Starbook Sheetfolder from Hunkeler for book block production, specifically for the cut sheet segment. The inline system also included the Vareo PRO perfect binder and InfiniTrim trimming robot.
Müller Martini said the unique, automated system does away with the need for transport trolleys in order to produce products without any manual interventions.
Someone who has a big presence at Hunkeler Innovationdays is Deborah Corn, who is known internationally throughout the printing industry due to her platform – Print Media Centr.
Recently Corn has been recognised for her success in creating the largest network of women in print and graphic communications, called Girls Who Print. Founded originally in 2009 as a LinkedIn group, the initiative is now a global nonprofit organisation.
Working with several notable members of the European print industry, Corn has help developed Girls Wo Print in Europe and used HID 2025 to celebrate and recognise the organisation at an event which brought various women in print together from around the world.
Members from several manufacturers were present at a networking event on the first day of HID including staff from SCREEN, which has formed the first Girls Who Print group in Japan. Isabelle Niggli from Hunkeler AG greeted attendees and expressed her happiness at seeing the event organised for the first time at the exhibition.
Corn went on to thank everyone for attending and encouraged everyone to keep promoting the initiative in their respective countries. Corn highlighted the platform’s membership opportunities which give members the chance to access webinars, workshops, forums, industry resources, and mentorship opportunities.
For more information on membership, sponsorships, and donations, visit: members.girlswhoprint.net.
