Page 55 - Food & Drink Magazine April 2021

APPMA NEWS
Conference highlights packaging and processing as essential industries
APPMA has announced the date and a call for speakers for its Business & Industry Conference, which will take place on 16 September in Sydney, with the theme 2021: Investing in Resilience
Amid the uncertainty brought about by the global pandemic disrupting the norms, economic trends have positioned packaging and processing as essential industries, both playing a vital role in securing Australia’s supply chains, as well as being the catalyst for jobs and growth.
This is according to the Australian Packaging & Processing Machinery Association (APPMA) which believes that coupled with a sharper focus on sustainability, there is no better time for the packaging and processing industry to “invest in innovation, technology and talent to ensure it is at the forefront of the economic recovery”.
To address the multiple challenges and opportunities the sector faces in the new economy, the APPMA will bring together a mix of high-profile industry experts and international thought leaders for its 2021 Business & Industry Conference set to
take place on 16 September at the ICC in Sydney. APPMA has put out a call for speakers, and says
it is looking for “anyone who has a great story to share with regards to innovation and creative solutions relating to the packaging and processing/ manufacturing industry”.
APPMA is seeking abstracts from a diverse range of perspectives and industry sectors with a focus on case studies which relate to the conference theme 2021: Investing in Resilience.
Also, in light of the recent pandemic, this year’s event will be a hybrid between live and live-streamed to enable APPMA members, partners and supporting industries to participate both in person or online from virtually anywhere.
Under the banner of the Investing in Resilience theme, the conference’s suggested sub-themes for this year include:
Essential: A vital and important industry necessary for Australia’s food security, supply chain security, the achievement of sustainability targets, economic growth and source of jobs and innovation to aid in the economic recovery.
Agile: Responsive to the changing needs of the market and customer and able to seize new opportunities as they arise; integrating new and convergent technologies to adopt digital transformation, create an agile workforce and generate efficiencies.
Futureproof: Anticipating the future, while developing methods to minimise the effects of shocks and stresses of future events; it implies long-term and adaptive thinking with a focus on security and sustainability. This is applicable to technology adoption, the workforce, effective crisis management and industry strengths.
MACHINERY MATTERS MARCH-APRIL 2021 3