Package Buyers to Voice Their Demands at FFTA Fall Conference

ATLANTA, Ga.—Package buyers from six of America’s largest consumer product companies—Coca Cola, General Mills, Pepsico, Procter & Gamble, RR Donnelly, and TetraPak—met with the Flexographic Technical Association, Friday, Sept. 21, to craft a position paper outlining their collective expectations of flexographic printers and converters. Their message will be presented to FTA members and other attendees at the Foundation of FTA’s Fall Conference: Productivity & Profitability, set for Nov. 5-7 in Nashville, Tenn.

Critical demands of consumer product companies (CPCs), expressed at FTA’s September summit, will be revisited at the conference, namely getting a job right the first time, consistency across multiple substrates, tolerances, color and control, repeatability and reproducibility; plus current and potential cost savings opportunities. Package buyers will deliver ratings to printers and converters on their performance of the last five years, pointing to both strengths and challenges. New strategic objectives, or targets, will be set for the global flexographic printing and converting community.

Those in attendance in Nashville will be afforded the opportunity to engage in follow-up discussion with a panel of prominent CPC representatives, who will take the stage and present the newly developed scorecard. The session, “Voice of the Customer,” will be moderated by FFTA Fall Conference Co-chairs Denny McGee, MPS America; and Vikrum Lal, Metropolis Label. Participating panelists will be announced the week of Oct. 8.

FFTA last staged such a program at the keynote presentation of its 2002 Annual Forum. The flexo industy’s performance against expectations set forth at that time, as they related to predictability of outcome, reduction in turnaround time, innovative ideas, just-in-time production, implementation of streamlined automated workflows, etc., will be relayed to the Fall Conference audience.

John Anderson, FTA technical director, chaired this September’s summit meeting. At its conclusion, he reported, “This was the most interesting and intriguing meeting I have ever attended, let alone chaired. The insightful and honest discussions in Atlanta will help those companies participating, as well as the flexo industry as a whole. All parties involved in the package development process can benefit from a greater understanding of our end customers and their needs. I am excited to be presenting many of the results in Nashville and look forward to a strong turnout.”

Visit www.flexography.org for additional details on FFTA’s Fall Conference, including registration forms. Please note, with the Country Music Awards in town, room reservations are going fast. PRE-REGISTRATION (On/Before Oct. 26): $395, FTA/PIA/GATF Member; $790 Non-member. ON-SITE REGISTRATION (After Oct. 27): $495, FTA/PIA/GATF Member; $990, Non-member.