STEVEN YE · Founder & Owner · Spande · LabelExpo Barcelona 2025

Steve explains that Spander is based in Shanghai and has been developing printing and packaging machinery for 15 years. The company is showcasing three product lines at the show — the S5, S7, and AC series — with the S5 positioned as a compact, cost-efficient press and the S7 as their long-established flagship now in its fifth generation. He emphasizes that all machines are fully servo-driven, gearless, and designed for high quality, efficiency, and ease of use, which he sees as essential given the growing difficulty worldwide in finding skilled machine operators.

Steve notes that Shanghai gives them access to strong industrial infrastructure and well-educated engineers, which has enabled them to build everything in-house from scratch rather than copying others. He acknowledges that Chinese manufacturers are sometimes seen as copycats but stresses that Spander has pursued its own designs from the start, aiming for fair, market-adapted pricing rather than low-cost competition.

He sees automation as the main future trend and says the company has deliberately spent years strengthening its base before now expanding globally. Having already sold 60 S5 presses in just eight months, Spander is now seeking the right distribution partners across Europe and beyond to bring its technology to international markets.