For the last decade, the trade press has been writing flexo's obituary. Digital was going to take over. Gravure was going to claw back share. The reality on the floor is more interesting.
Where flexo is winning
Flexo is winning in flexible packaging. Wide web CI presses are running faster, with better print quality, and lower cost per impression than ever. Brands that experimented with digital are coming back for the unit economics.
Flexo is also winning in shorter runs. Quick-change tooling, plate mounting automation, and better workflow software have closed much of the makeready gap that used to favor digital.
Where flexo is struggling
Two places. First, in narrow web labels where digital has genuinely taken share at short run lengths. Second, in plants that have not invested in mounting room workflow — the best presses in the world cannot outrun a chaotic prepress operation.
What this means for converters
The plants we see thriving have three things in common: modern presses, clean prepress workflow, and a deliberate approach to mounting room organization. The plants that are losing money have one thing in common: they invested in the press and not in the room around it.
The labor reality
The biggest challenge in the next five years is not equipment. It is finding mounters, prepress operators, and press assistants. Plants that have a documented, visible, organized workflow attract and retain talent. Plants that do not, do not.
What we expect for 2026
More consolidation. More automation in mounting and plate handling. Continued capital investment in CI press capacity. And a sharper focus on the parts of the operation that have been ignored for the last 20 years — including the mounting room.
The Flexopodz Team
Purpose-built mounting room solutions for flexographic printing.