Developing ways to harness the skills of tomorrow’s
label converter leaders, driving industry efficacy, and understanding the major
changes across the print technology base were the overriding themes of this
year’s international labelling association Finat held its fourth European Label Forum in
Dublin in June.
The President’s address
Finat this year is celebrating its 60th year and Finat President Chris
Ellison, Managing Director of a true family label company, OPM Group welcomed
delegates noting that the association’s milestone, pales into insignificance if
compared to that of Arthur Guinness, whose central Dublin brewery was opened in
1759 – with a 9000-year lease. A visit to the Guinness Storehouse followed that
evening.
Alastair Campbell on Brexit
The working agenda began with keynote speaker,
Alastair Campbell – writer, TV commentator, author and strategist, and
well-remembered as UK Prime Minister Tony Blair’s director of communications.
His headline topic for this multinational meeting was ‘The Elephant in the
Room’ – Brexit and implications for EU/UK B2B relations.’ The extant lack of
clarity on the UK’s final proposals for its departure, and the likely situation
that might follow the UK’s exit from the European Union, were shared in an
address that explored all the options, all the possibilities, and all the
shortcomings. Afterwards, participants were able to share their own views on
the topic with coffee around the extensive tabletop exhibition.
The Irish market
Gavin Killeen, Managing Director of Nuprint
Technologies Ltd – leading Northern Ireland suppliers of labels and packaging
print – reviewed the current Irish marketplace and showed that Ireland’s strong
history in self-adhesive labelling, remains lively today. He underpinned its
commitment to the industry by sharing its strong programme of staff training
and apprenticeships, R&D and technology support, including the EU-funded
PhD project with Glasgow University investigating printed conductive inks and
related opportunities.
European label market data
Finat MD Jules Lejeune provided an update on the broader
European label industry picture, which has exhibited a strong recovery since
2012. The association’s data confirmed healthy 4.7% industry growth in 2017
over prior year (which, however, was below the average growth rate of 5.4%,
2013-2016), with film-based labelstocks growing at an even higher rate – 8.2%
over prior year. The top 15 label market countries in Europe represent a
massive 90% of the total business, and the statistics affirm that Turkey,
Poland, and Italy have enjoyed the largest increase in absolute volumes between
2010 and 2017. Again, the influence of Brexit has made itself felt in the UK,
with consumption in decline since Q3 2017, unlike the other top-performing
European country markets. He also discussed the recent issue of Finat’s regular
member publication, Radar.
The future landscape
Andy Thomas-Emans, Strategic Director, Tarsus
Labels & Packaging Group, went on to map out the evolving current industry
landscape and the next five years, examining in particular the growing
crossover for label converters between label print and other packaging print
options. The Finat Radar research, he referenced, indicates that the production
of flexible packaging pouches is already an additional capability for 19% of
label converters; sleeves for 31% of survey respondents; and other flexible
packaging items for 27% of them. He went on to highlight issues and
opportunities in converting; the health and safety problems around solvents;
energy-efficient UV flexo print; and, of course, digital print. He also
introduced the industry’s ground-breaking UVFoodSafe group, embracing major
suppliers and related professional associations across the converting value
chain, who are committed to making UV and UV/LED curing fully appropriate for
food packaging print. He concluded with confirmation that Labelexpo has
expanded to become a package print show.
A novel approach to on-pack promotion
Packaging professional and author Keran Turakhia
gave an offbeat and thought-provoking presentation looking at the ways
converters and their clients can benefit financially from thinking outside –
and inside! – the box, to create innovative messaging opportunities. With
real-life case histories, he showed how his own thinking has successfully
changed packaging from just being a cost, to helping a brand to take advantage
of new on-pack promotional opportunities, particularly with digital print.
‘Rethink packaging’ is the motto of rlc-Packaging,
whose managing director, Marc Büttgenbach, moderated an expert panel discussion
featuring all the morning’s industry presenters, enabling delegates to explore
the topics in further detail.
Hands-on business learning sessions
A networking lunch preceded an interesting
afternoon of concurrent ‘hands on’ ‘business learning sessions’ on different
and important aspects of today’s market. Jennifer Dochstader and David Walsh of
marketing researchers LPC Inc looked at how ‘going digital’ has impacted both
converters and brand owners, updating the findings of their Finat-commissioned
report on digital label printing.
James Bevan, founder and director of specialist
product authentication and security consulting house Vandagraf looked at the
latest trends and developments, focusing on taggants and forensic solutions.
Food safety and migration issues in the wider world
of labels and flexible packaging were addressed by a multi-discliplinary panel
of industry experts – Jakob Abilgaard, of Dan Labels Flexible Packaging
Division; Robert Rae, of GEW; and Niklas Olsson, Flint Group Narrow Web and
also chairman of the ELF’s overall programme committee.
Sean Smyth, print consultant at Smithers Pira,
discussed the total cost of ownership of ‘alternative’ label printing
technologies. Business marketing strategist Bert van Loon guided his audience
through modern ROI methods for marketing to deliver improved results in online
B2B marketing; and Dieter Moessner, project engineer, pharma, at Edelmann,
examined compliance with the new EU Falsified Medicals Directive which comes
into effect in February 2019, in terms of serialization and tamper-evidence.
Profiling the upcoming generations
For an audience composed of leaders across the
packaging print value chain, the second day’s programme was strongly and
appropriately focused on management issues, and opened by best-selling author
and CEO of XYZ University Sarah Sladek, who deliberated on the key label
industry topic of driving stronger engagement with the younger generations in
the quest for new, young business talent. Since, between 2010 and 2020, 78% of
the ‘baby boomers’ will turn 65, and 25% of ‘millennials’ will move into
leadership roles, the need of their younger-generation successors must be met
because there has, as she showed, been more in change in lifestyle and
attitudes in the last few decades than in the whole of history. This state of
affairs has created, and continues to create, many workforce issues – not the
least of which are the availability of skilled labour; retiring company
founders; and leadership change. Little is being done to control and manage
these issues – and a completely new approach from employer organisations is
needed, because today’s most successful, engaging leaders have the same three
special traits in common: passion, humility, and urgency.
Generational handover, family-owned companies
Bert van Loon carried the topic further, leading a
lively debate on the next-generation challenges for, specifically, label
converters in Europe because, he said, ‘the label industry has a vast interest
in successful generation handover of family-owned converter companies’. Would
the alternative to successful generation change be more consolidation, with
resultant reductions in innovation?
The power of Guinness
The audience then welcomed Emma Rochford, Global
Marketing Manager for Guinness, and Kathryn Wilson, Design Lead for Guinness
and Baileys at Diageo. The trend for premium and craft beers is creating a
pressing need for high-quality branding and, while Guinness is a global brand
with local flair, Rupert Guinness was right to say, back in 1929: ‘the quality
of our advertising must equal the quality of our beer!’. Finat delegates were
then invited to contribute to the future embellishment and sustainability of
Guinness’s packaging.
Eyes wide open
In the conference’s final keynote, business guru,
writer, and broadcaster Prof Noreena Herz delivered an eye-opening seminar on
‘how to make smart decisions in a complex world’. In this age of disruption -
which includes the potential effects of Brexit. She shared insights into the
upcoming new generation of potential employees, generation K - 15 to 24 year
olds - and profiled what they care about, how they behave, what they want, and
how they consume plus just how different they are to millennials. She left the
audience with thoughts on how her insights can improve their businesses.
‘A bright future’
Finat President Chris Ellison closed the event stating: “We are
an industry that has such a bright future, and we don’t always realise it’.
We’re also a very, very, very passionate industry!”
The forum also hosted the formal Finat General
Assembly and the Finat
Label Awards Ceremony which celebrated worthy winners in this year’s
well-supported label printing competition and its associated recycling and
sustainability award. Vlad Sljapic, Xeikon’s Vice President, Global Sales, was
Master of Ceremonies. A networking dinner followed, bringing together key
players from the international labels & packaging print sector. The next Finat European Label
Forum will take place in June next year in Copenhagen, from 5-7 June.
