After a break due to the pandemic, the largest international trade fair for the packaging industry will again be held in Düsseldorf this year – and the whole industry is looking forward to a reunion in the city on the Rhine. Thousands of exhibitors from various countries will present their innovations from May 4 to 10, 2023.

Together with several subsidiaries and partner companies, LEONHARD KURZ will showcase new finishing solutions, efficient machines, and technologies for reliable counterfeit protection at booths C36 and D43 in hall 8a. Late-stage individualization from MPRINT With its modular UV-LED digital printing solutions, KURZ subsidiary MPRINT will demonstrate the possibilities of late-stage individualization in sheetfed printing live on site. The innovative machines are suitable, among other things, for the digital printing of blister packaging, cards, and folding cartons, ensuring greater sustainability while offering efficiency and flexibility.

The core of the new solution is a vacuum conveyor belt on which various printing units can be installed (e. g., monochrome modules for imprinting barcodes or variable text, multicolor systems for imprinting security information in spot colors, or plug-in modules for integrating security features that enable reliable, digital brand protection). Monojet® is the solution for both static data, such as text or images, and highly dynamic data, such as barcodes generated from databases.

MPRINT will present a new design study based on the intuitive HMI with enhanced print software functions as a new operating concept for the fastest way to start printing. The company will also demonstrate an ‘All-in-One Digital Printbar’ concept that requires no additional peripherals since everything from the PC to the ink supply is part of the print case, thus saving space and simplifying operation. Combined with a development study of a new highly compact 4C digital printing module, MPRINT presents an absolute highlight. Especially for the integration in packaging machines, among others, this opens up new possibilities. With MJETeco, MPRINT will show a compact stand-alone solution in the label area (roll to roll), perfectly suitable for individualizing conventionally produced and highly finished labels at the last moment.

A unique feature of MJETeco is, for example, the processing of already cut out labels. This makes the system suitable for the industrial in-plant market and enables manufacturers and contract packaging companies to individually adapt label production to the actual production volume, making it more efficient and sustainable. Proof of sustainability and added value KURZ and KURZ Digital will jointly demonstrate the Digital Product Passport (DPP). This solution offers the opportunity to store comprehensive information about the product, the manufacturing, the resources used in the process, the supply chain, and sustainability.

At the same time, the DPP can also increase customer loyalty through added value, for example, by integrating additional marketing content such as competitions. Interested parties can discover the features and possible applications of the Digital Product Passport on-site. Sustainable counterfeit protection made from compostable material Now available as a green solution: The counterfeit-proof, serialized ValiGate® security label from KURZ subsidiary SCRIBOS offers efficient counterfeit protection, allowing products to be authenticated easily and reliably using a smartphone, as well as detecting overproduction and gray market goods. No app is required for the authentication process.

Instead, ValiGate® uses the entire QR code to embed the patented security pattern that cannot be copied or imitated. A new version of the security label, ValiGate® Green, will be on display at interpack 2023, made from 100% compostable materials while still providing all the usual levels of security. Brand owners not only enjoy maximum protection but also get one step closer to their sustainability goals at the same time.

Lots of inspiration and more partners In addition to KURZ Digital, MPRINT, and SCRIBOS, two other subsidiaries of the Fürth-based thin-film specialist will be represented at the KURZ booth with their products and solutions. Hinderer + Mühlich (H+M), a leading global manufacturer of hot stamping dies, will present its portfolio of precision tools for the unique finishing of packaging and labels at the show. ISIMAT, on the other hand, is a machine builder with proven expertise in finishing tubes, glasses, aluminum, and plastic articles. The company will present various decoration solutions on the ‘Inspiration Wall’ at the KURZ booth. Unique samples and prototypes make finishing possibilities tangible so that visitors can discover the multiple options and new decoration solutions from KURZ.