Page 52 - Packaging News Magazine Sep-Oct 2018

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The 2018 conference of the FPLMA was looking to the future, with automation and integration as the key themes for flexo and label printers looking to grow their businesses, reports Wayne Robinson.
FPLMA CONFERENCE www.packagingnews.com.au September-October 2018
Automation and integration for
THE nation's flexo and label printing fraternity gathered in Melbourne for its annual conference under the aus- pices of the Flexible Packaging and Label Manufacturers Association (FPLMA), and heard a succession of speakers from Australia and overseas urging them to embrace automation
and integration in order to drive their busi- nesses forward.
Some 85 delegates were at the first day of the event, with another 65 attending the second day. The annual awards ceremony on the second night attracted 320 printers.
Opening the conference at the Crown Promenade, FPLMA president Mark Easton told the delegates the industry was now operating in a world where the internet was dictating the pace of change, with dig- ital technology enabling new opportuni- ties and sweeping all before it.
Easton’s comments came in the same week when it was revealed that in Europe digital and hybrid label presses were now selling more than traditional analogue label presses for the first time.
Easton said, “Automation and integra- tion are the keys to the future. Label and flexo printing systems are already able to connect to complementary production ar- eas such as CRM, prepress, finishing, scheduling. We are also able to integrate directly into the end customer.
“Customer demands will increase, espe- cially the need for speed of turnaround – automation and integration will enable all label and flexo printers to meet that requirement and exploit opportunities.
First speaker was legendary AFL coach David Parkin, who spoke on leadership and strategy. He quoted the head of VicRail who told the company’s 800 managers that
they were 10 per cent a steel business and 90 per cent a people business. Parkin high- lighted the need for company leaders to focus on people, both their own staff and their customers.
Eric Hoendervangers from flexo print system supplier MPS outlined the arrival of Industry 4.0 as the fourth stage in the industrial revolution, and highlighted the key role of data in the new world. He said, “Understanding and using data will create real opportunity for packaging printers.”
Malik Sajid from BST International also focused on data, but explained for the indus- try to use it properly standards had to be agreed that technology developers could work with. He said, ”It is crucially important that we as an industry develop standards soon, to make Industry 4.0 work for us.”
Presenting from HP Yoav Lotan from the labels business said, “It is clear that a focus