Finat, the international association for the self-adhesive label industry, will again be exhibiting at Labelexpo Europe 2011, to be held from 28 September - 1 October at the Parc des Expositions in Brussels. This year’s edition of the exhibition will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Finat’s partnership with the world’s leading international trade show for the label industry.
Linking the global label community
The association’s stand, P40 in Hall11, will serve as meeting point for members and prospective members and will feature a series of new and existing programmes aimed at the international self-adhesive label community. This year’s edition will see the release of the completely revised Educational Handbook, that will be made available in electronic pdf version edition to Finat Members as part of the associations on-going education programme. The Handbook will be added to Finat’s virtual library of educational, technical and marketing documentation that is available to (prospective) members from the associations new Finat Website and Community that was launched recently. At the show, members and prospective members will be invited to (join and) complete their personal profile and become part of the on-line Finat Community. Over the coming 12 months, new functionalities will be added to this community to allow members to network, obtain and share knowledge and information, and participate in different on-line groups and events.
This year’s Finat stand will also feature the Sustainability and Recycling Desk, that will allow visitors to obtain practical information and guidance about the growing number of liner recycling solutions available across Europe.
During the show, Finat staff and members of the different committees and groups, including Finat’s successful Young Managers Club will be available to inform visitors about the association’s activities and programmes coming up next year such as the Technical Seminar in Barcelona in March 2012, the Finat Congress in Athens in June 2012 and the first global Young Managers Summit in November 2012. Visitors will be offered Finat’s Yearbook 2011 as well as an informative pocket guide about its on-going activities and services. As a service to members, a small meeting room will be available upon reservation for brief private meetings.
The day before the show, on 27 September, Finat will be welcoming its global counterpart associations from different continents to the European capital for 5th edition of the so-called ‘L9’ summit. Apart from Finat, the associations from USA, Mexico, Japan, Cina and India have already confirmed their attendance.
Finat Managing Director Jules Lejeune comments: « Labelexpo Europe is the world’s show case event for the label sector. With 600 members in over 50 countries, Finat has proudly been supporting this event for the past two decades. Together we provide a unique global meeting platform for companies with a single common interest: to promote the development of the label sector world-wide. We look forward to welcoming visitors to this year’s edition!”
Excitement Builds for Operators' Day
Operators’ Day is organised by Finat and its affiliated national label associations in Europe, in association with Labelexpo. The event, that will be held on the Shows Closing Day, Saturday 1 October (tickets will be valid as of Friday afternoon 15.00 hrs.), is aimed at production personnel of label companies visiting Labelexpo: those workers involved in design and prepress, plate production, press operation (conventional or digital) and converting (including die cutting, slitting, rewinding). As the name suggests, it is dedicated exclusively to showing operators new solutions, processes and practices that will help them improve how they work.
The tailored programme will introduce operators to a special Show Trail featuring member companies exhibiting at the show, and will feature an educational competition with prizes awarded at the closing ceremony. The Operators Show Trail will include a variety of aspects associated with the self-adhesive manufacturing process, from materials and prepress technology through to the printing process. Via the websites of Finat and the national associations, they will be invited to prepare themselves for the Trail.
Michael Jagiella, Technical and Production Leader at Germany’s Gundlach LOGO, comments: “I regularly visit Labelexpo, as it’s the most important show for our industry. Operators’ Day is a very important initiative - it’s the perfect opportunity to learn about new technologies and get updates on all the key issues affecting our business.
“It’s also a great place for making new contacts and sharing information. I’m looking forward to discovering how my peers do things, and how I could incorporate what I’ve learned into our production process.”
For Jan Kerkwijk, Foreman at Dutch company, Kolibri Labels, Operators’ Day represents a chance to fill in any knowledge gaps: “We work in a fast-changing environment. And with technology advancing all the time, there are always new things to learn. Ultimately, the better you know your machines and everything they can do, the more value you’ll get from them.
“Operators’ Day is crucial because it gives us a chance to really get on top of the latest technological developments. And because it’s within an educational context, we can explore how the latest innovations could be deployed at our own companies, and get an understanding of the impact they might have from both a production and commercial perspective.”
Meanwhile Yohann Peyronnet, Operator at French label manufacturer, Stratus Packaging, says the company will be taking 100 staff to Labelexpo and Operators’ Day will be the highlight: “Operators’ Day will be a great opportunity to meet face to face with suppliers. We’ll be able to share with them the challenges we’re facing, and discuss how we can overcome them.
“Also, it’s very nice to have a day dedicated solely to operators - it’s recognition of how important it is that we have the opportunity to build on our print education and develop our skills.”
Finat Managing Director, Jules Lejeune, believes Operators’ Day not only advances operators’ skills and knowledge, but also benefits the whole company: “Operators’ Day focuses on a very important group in our industry. It’s really important for companies to invest time and resources in them. Operators’ Day aims to do just that. It will be an educational experience - operators will be able to put what they learn into practise at their own print environments.”
