Label Summit Indonesia 2014 which took place at Jakarta’s Balai Kartini between 18-19 June saw nearly 50 market leading companies showcasing their products and services to 297 attendees. Held for the first time in Jakarta, the second edition of two-day conference and pop-up exhibition comprised a mix of real life business case studies, panel discussions and technical presentations highlighting the latest printing technologies.

Event highlights included Xeikon’s Filip Weymans’ keynote presentation. Weymans opened the conference with a thought provoking account of how personalization is growing in importance around the world and why packaging is playing an increasing role in triggering positive emotions between brands and the consumer. Weymans outlined how trust in brands is growing at a local level as brands use social media to create and form communities in particular regions. 

Another highpoint was the free and frank exchange between the printer panelists Andy Arto of Satyamitra Labeljaya Pratama, Ajanta Packaging’s Ramesh Raju and Ben Testa from Labelhouse. Sharing common challenges they discussed how best to supply end users in different parts of the region by forming strategic partnerships and the difficulties faced in sourcing raw materials compared to other markets such as Europe. Prompting many questions from the audience, they also talked about the pros and cons of digital printing.

Day one’s content was heavily focused on the latest in new printing technologies and applications. Chris Bodger of Mark Andy and Nilpeter’s John Andersen’s presentations on making an informed decision when selecting flexo and combination printing were well-received by delegates. Highlighting the challenges and opportunities, they gave an insightful look into how to optimize the conventional printing and decorating processes whilst achieving production efficiency and reducing operational costs. There was also a series of short presentations exploring the latest in niche technologies including a look at the latest developments in low energy UV systems by Alpha-Cure’s Steve Haines.

The second day covered topics including package printing, next generation materials for high performance and functional labels and branding and design. Stand out sessions included Marco Ogliengo of Zalora Indonesia’s top tips on how to transform your business by using online marketing and social media platforms. He gave his advice on understanding the process, pitfalls and benefits and convincingly demonstrated how the internet can enhance an existing business model.

Also popular was the event’s closing session on best practices to make your company more sustainable. Jouni Komulainen of UPM Raflatac talked about the importance of managing natural resources and measuring the environmental impact across the label supply chain. Ditto Santoso of Tirta Investama (Danone Aqua) shared details of Danone’s worldwide sustainability culture and policies; explaining how the brand had adopted numerous procedures such as reducing water consumption and the weight in its bottle packaging to cut costs and operate more efficiently.

Jade Grace, event director explains: “Label Summit Indonesia 2014 has been useful for visitors and exhibitors alike. The printing industry here is very fragmented and is still in its infancy compared to the western label market. There is a real desire to learn more about and understand what is going on in the global market place and the Summit has provided a good opportunity to find out about the latest technologies and trends. It has also served as a valuable networking platform; enabling printers to open up alliances with one another and also with new suppliers.”

Quotes from exhibitors and speakers:

Eddy Kusnady, P.T Avery Dennison Indonesia: "Label Summit Indonesia was a well-organized event to meet all customers and related industry partners." 

Geert Van Damme, Cerm: “Label Summit Indonesia gave us the opportunity to introduce our MIS solution to the Indonesian label printers without entering their comfort zone. Any interested visitor could listen to our public presentation and he could have a chat afterwards in our table top space. Meanwhile we could meet other suppliers and talk about business opportunities in the region, common projects and collaboration. We started new long lasting relationships with several visitors and participants thanks to this Summit.”

Marcus Greenbrook, GEW: “Label Summit Indonesia gave us the opportunity to present and discuss with customers, face to face, the latest in energy efficient UV systems. The feedback from customers is that rising energy costs are a great concern for them and the need for energy efficient UV systems are paramount to them.”

Jack Malki, Jet Technologies: “Jet Technologies enjoyed a successful Label Summit Indonesia, with the largest representation at the event. Supported by overseas partners Kocher + Beck, Pulse Roll Label, SMAG, OMET, SPG Prints and Ruco, clients had the opportunity to meet and speak with global experts in their respective fields in a relaxed format. Clients had been telling us that they want serious partners who are able to support their business. The local market is developing rapidly and clients have told us that their biggest hurdle remains the technical expertise of their teams and ensuring that they are able to implement world-class solutions in their market.”

Ben Testa, Labelhouse: “Label Summit Indonesia gave us the opportunity to get a snap shot of the global, regional and local markets from a variety of perspectives. The other speakers I spoke to were very informative and comfortable to provide additional information on their topics in private. As a label printer I found the environment more conducive to developing relationships with suppliers than other events as it is more intimate and focused. As a speaker I found the process to be very rewarding and have quickly developed relationships with other speakers in the panel I was involved with.”

Doren Teh, Siegwerk: “It was a great experience and success participating in the table-top exhibition at Label Summit Indonesia 2014. Most of our visiting attendees especially companies from the label segment maximized their time to network with our peers - working in alliance, sharing ideas and exploring major new benefits. The panel discussions constituted pertinent information in global and market trends in SEA, emerging opportunities in packaging concepts and generating a good idea of label technology trends.”

Marco Ogliengo, Zalora: "Great experience. Event is organized to maximize networking and knowledge sharing opportunities."

Filip Weymans, Xeikon: “Indonesia is an important member of the Asean growth area, a region which is open to new technology such as digital printing. The summit has enabled us to speak with the leading label printing companies and highlight the capabilities of our technology and was also the ideal platform to inform people of the success of existing digital print users.”