Latest innovations at the Spandex Summit

Showcasing the latest innovations in films and vinyls and machinery, along with new products launches, the spandex summit was the place to be in March. For those that missed it, assistant editor Ana Lambert, brings you the highlights from the summit.

After three successful summits last year, Spandex once again donned its responsibilities of bringing its partners and customers together to explore
new innovations and develop partnerships.

Maintaining relationships and building new ones is a crucial part of keeping any industry alive, and the summits and shows that support the in-person
partnerships are a great way to develop new offerings and trade and gain new knowledge of materials and machinery.

The Spandex Summit was films and vinyls galore, from your traditional car wrapping vinyls to architectural films and vinyls, the summit showcased the industry leaders in this space.

Not only were vinyls and films represented but also some of the biggest names in the industry for machinery, including Roland, Canon, Epson, and
Vivid Laminating Technologies.

Vinyl on display

Taking up the majority of the summit was the many films, vinyls and graphics brands available from Spandex.

Industry names from 3M and Avery Dennison attended the summit, along with Spandex partners including Stek, Orafol, Arlon, KPMF, and Spandex’s
own brand Image Perfect.

Visitors could speak with brand ambassadors and sales representatives about the products on display and in the catalogues, and get the chance to see and put some of them in action.

Live demonstrations took place throughout the day with professional wrappers explaining their companies’ products.

One of these live demonstrations was 3M’s dual demonstration on Mercedes Benz cars, showcasing its 3M Paint Protection Film 150 Series gloss in
white and 3M’s cast print wrap film IJ280 in a heritage racing green.

Avery Dennison displayed its Supreme Wrapping Film and Orafol displayed its Oracal 970RA +ProSlide wrapping cast film, with Arlon displaying
its colour protection film.

However, it wasn’t just Arlon, 3M, Avery Dennison, KMPF and Image Perfect presenting its materials, but also Stek and Orafol – launching its films.

New launches

Launched to visitors on the first day of the summit was Stek’s new paint protection film, Stek FORCESHIELD Airforce. The new Stek FORCESHIELD Airforce, is a dry apply paint protection film, which is hydrophobic and self-healing.

Josh Marshfield PPF Specialist at Spandex UK, said: “FORCESHIELD Airforce differs a lot from others on the market as it requires very minimal
post heat and its very easy to position with its stretchability and this makes it an all-round good film for installers to use.”

Another new launch was Orafol’s AUTO Drift, a new digital vehicle wrap film, and the latest product in the range, alongside AUTO SE, AUTO Wrap and AUTO PPF.

Its ProSlide technology allows graphics to be moved and repositioned smoothly across the surface, allowing wrappers to manoeuvre it more easily when installing.

Titans of machinery

Over in the machinery section of Spandex’s Summit were machinery titans, including Canon, Roland DG, Epson and Vivid Laminating Technologies.
Roland DG displayed two large-format machines with the TrueVIS XG-640 eco-solvent printer/cutter and the TrueVIS LG-640 UV-LED printer/cutter.

Roland DG technicians were demonstrating throughout the summit – showcasing the differences between UV and eco solvent printers. Epson bought its SureColor S9100 a 64in eco solvent printer with an extended colour gamut to the summit. Epson’s technician was on hand  for live demonstrations and expert advice for those visiting – showcasing the abilities of the SureColor S9100.

Vivid Laminating Technologies bought its VeloBlade Nexus and Easymount laminator for visiting the summit. With live demonstrations and expert advice, visitors could learn more about the solutions, including how other Vivid solutions, liked the Velotaper and Veloton could be paired with the
machinery on display.

Canon were also in attendance with associates there to help and assist visitors with their machinery queries.

Commenting on the first day of the summit, Adam Booth, head of hardware at Spandex UK, said: “The idea today was to have a platform where our
customers could see the latest and best technology for their business in order to keep the current and productive.”

Importance of partnerships

Building partnerships and maintaining relationships is a reason why summits like Spandex’s are important to continue.

Linda Edwards, managing director of the BSGA, commented that the summit was a great way to reconnect with members and engage with suppliers
within the sector.

Linda said: “Attending the Spandex Summit 2026 at Mercedes Benz World gave the BSGA team a welcome opportunity to reconnect with our industry
colleagues and engage with the suppliers and professionals who continue to advocate best practice and expertise within our signage and graphics
sector.”

Moving the location to Surrey, just outside of London, helped those from the South of England attend the summit more easily and opened these
types of events to those who might otherwise might not be able to attend.

Linda continued: “Events such as this provide an important forum for conversation, learning and the exchange of ideas across our diverse industry.
Locating the event in Surrey additionally helped extend its reach, providing greater accessibility for businesses across the South of England and  allowing a wider cross section of the industry to partake.”