Finishing Is Becoming Much More Than Finishing · Matty Woodcock · ABG

ABG has been a familiar name in label finishing for decades, but at LOOP Americas in Chicago, the company is showing just how broad that definition has become.

Wayne Beckett meets Matty Woodcock from ABG at what is the company’s largest-ever booth at the US edition of the show — and there is a lot to see.

The focus is automation, workflow, embellishment, RFID, flexible packaging, and helping converters build more capability around the print engine.

ABG Connect is one of the technologies on display, providing workflow automation and supporting highly automated production environments, particularly for web-to-order applications.

But labels are only part of the story.

ABG’s FlexPack division is also showcasing pouch-making technology from Galaxy, combined with ABG’s own inline digital embellishment — bringing decoration and finishing directly into pouch production in a way that Matty says is currently unique.

RFID is another important area. Through a new partnership with Tamarack, ABG is demonstrating a completely non-stop RFID production line that combines unwinding, converting, RFID insertion, label application, and turret rewinding.

And then there is HP.

ABG and HP have worked together for decades, with ABG technology installed in HP demo centers and the two companies continuing to collaborate across labels, finishing, and digital pouch production. At LOOP, that relationship is visible again, with jobs moving between HP print technology and ABG finishing during the show itself.

For ABG, North America remains an extremely important market. Although the company is headquartered in the UK, it has had a presence in the US for around 30 years — and the scale of the booth and the number of visitors on day one show how significant that market has become.

In this INKISH film, Wayne talks with Matty about automation, digital embellishment, pouches, RFID, ABG Connect, the company’s long relationship with HP, and why finishing today is becoming an increasingly integrated part of the complete production strategy.

Because finishing is no longer simply what happens after printing.

It is increasingly where much of the value is created.