PLGA Operational Conference focuses on the global market
Miami — “Operating Profitably in a Global Market” was the theme for February’s 10th annual PLGA Operational Conference. Attendees included printers, suppliers, end users, academics, PLGA management and the press. According to Jim Lepp, PLGA executive director, the annual conference continues to draw more and more people in management positions.
Although the conference also serves as a platform for the PLGA board of directors to meet, the event’s core is its collection of informational sessions. The goal of the conference is to provide strong content so attendees can leave with something in their hands to put to use right away.
Converters have long been aware that the packaging market has become increasingly global. Domestic converters have faced increased paperboard prices for several years, as foreign countries, specifically China, have emerged as paper product producing leaders.
The gravure market, whose growth has slowed in North America, is enjoying significant growth in eastern Europe and India. Gravure printing in the Asia/Pacific market is by far the largest market in the world for gravure. Additionally, China is building and installing hundreds of gravure printing presses per year, which according to John Melotik, Cerutti Corp., North America, is unheard of in the U.S. According to Giovanni Osstachhini, of ACOM, ssrl, these machines produce finished products that are good, but not up to western standards. These machines are finding their way into the Middle East, so gravure press manufacturers are seeing increased competition from China in that region.
One area of concern for the gravure market is the prepress side of the business. According to Michelle Fontaine, Amgraph Packaging, Inc., the gravure market must figure out how to make the front end of the process more efficient. On press, gravure’s quality is evident, but the time it takes to manufacture a gravure cylinder is much longer than for a flexo plate.
Soft proofing is one way gravure printers can make up for time lost on the cylinder manufacturing side. Among attendees, only about 10 percent had already begun to employ soft proofing. One reason cited is the difficulty charging for soft proofing. According to panelists, converters should charge for the convenience of soft proofing.
The global outlook for gravure is good considering its growth in the far East. Another indicator of this market’s health is the quality and quantity of winners announced during the 2007 Print Quality Awards ceremony, which took place at this year’s conference. The Best of Show award went to Alcoa for its Nielson Dairy “The Ultimate Chocolate Milk” shrink sleeve. For a list of all winners, visit www.plga.com.
Also announced at a press breakfast was Ed Lieb’s election as president of the PLGA, taking over for outgoing president Ed Kozlowski. Lieb, of Sonoco Flexible Packaging, previously served as first vice president. Also announced was the appointment of Laura Wayland-Smith Hatch as director of the Gravure Educational Foundation.
