11.30.-1
Reports of my death,” wrote Mark Twain on one occasion, “are greatly exaggerated.” In a similar vein, Netherlands based label press manufacturer MPS, about whose future rumors were circulating, has just issued a statement saying that it is down but by no means out. CEO Eric Hoendervangers confirmed that the company’s sales in 2008 were 18 percent down from 2007, and that 15 staff people had been made redundant. However, he went on, “For the first quarter of 2009, MPS has exceeded its budget sales by 25 percent, with most of these sales being in Western Europe. For the rest of this year MPS will continue its development program, introducing several waves of new technologies for printing and converting.” MPS has just reserved extra space for its booth at Labelexpo Europe in September 2009 (see chart), and two of its latest presses, one for labels and the other for rollfed packaging, will be demonstrated at the company’s 6,000 square foot booth.