This week there are a number of in-person events, from the Label Congress in the USA to Fespa in Europe, and plenty of evidence from West Africa to Canada and Italy that demand for packaging is picking up. Meanwhile magazines from both the UK and India are asking questions of Konica Minolta regarding toner supply .

Labels and Labelling has a report from the Label Congress in Illinois, USA, which is organised by the magazine’s publisher, Labelexpo. Nonetheless, it’s a significant moment that marks the first in-person conference and exhibition event in North America for the label industry since the pandemic and demonstrated people’s desire to meet face to face.

Printweek has a number of stories from this week’s Fespa show in Amsterdam, Netherlands, including a report from the Durst press conference where the company formally announced the European launch of the American Vanguard printers that it acquired last year. This included a new entry level model, the VR6D flatbed printer.

Printweek has also added a UK slant to Konica Minolta’s problems in maintaining toner supplies, which follows two separate incidents, including a fire and explosion, at its Tatsuno plant in Japan. Printweek quotes a number of people suggesting it could be next year before supplies are back to normal, noting that rival vendors have benefited from a rise in orders.

Meanwhile, Indian Printer and Publisher has spoken with Konica Minolta India, which has confirmed that the investigation into the accident has been concluded and that production will restart from the middle of October. The company also noted that it had enough toner stock in India to cope with demand there for the next few months.

Digital labels and Packaging reports that the British family-run firm CS Labels has been acquired by the European printing group Asteria, which is backed by Belgian-Dutch private equity group Waterland. Asteria has bought a number of companies, mostly label printers, in Europe and Scandinavia since its founding in 2018.

ME Printer, based in the UAE, writes that the Giza Chamber of Commerce in Egypt has signed a five-year cooperation protocol with Amiri Press as part of a move to digitise documents and services. It also includes the printing of publications as well as the supply of paper and electronic archiving.

From Australia, Print21 reports that although the out-of-home media marketing sector is picking up with the end of the lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne, outdoor printed media is taking a smaller share, down from 42 percent last year to just 39 percent this year as digital continues to grow.

The Canadian title Graphic Arts Media writes that the Jones Healthcare Group, a packaging and dispensing solutions company based in London in Ontario, has teamed up with Good Natured Products of Vancouver, British Columbia, which specialises in plant-based products. Together they will develop plant-based packaging for Canada’s pharmaceutical industry.

The Gapp magazine, based in South Africa, has a story from Guinea in West Africa, where Nouvelle Brasserie de Guinée, popularly known as Braguinée, which produces several drinks brands such as Bubble Up and American Cola, has adapted its packaging line to produce 1-litre bottles with remote help from the line manufacturer, Sidel.

The Italian title Converter has visited 2G&P, a flexo prepress house based near Milan, which offers both labels and shrink sleeves as well as large format flexible packaging. The company has recently added more space to its factory to keep up with growth, despite having already expanded only two years earlier.