FPLMA hosts first conference

Held at Melbourne’s Hilton hotel, the conference featured 25 speakers from all facets of the industry, embracing a wide spectrum of business and technical topics, headed by keynote speaker, Federal Minister for Innovation the Hon. Kelly O’Dwyer (MP), which set the tone for the local printing community’s positioning for tomorrow’s values and its technical and commercial priorities.

Among leading labeling presentations, major interest focused on Michael Mogridge, Benny Landa’s representative in the region, who brought the gathering up to date on the impact of Nanographic presses, as well as a presentation on current and future digital developments by Mark Daws, general manager of Melbourne headquartered Currie Group and Mark Andy vice president Raymond W. Dickinson who provided an insight into the rapid growth of hybrid developments since their emergence in 2010 following 2008’s changes from analog printing. He pointed out that current press configurations within today’s hybrid world are almost unlimited and foreshadowed digital hybrid as the next wave of digital printing.

‘Digital hybrid applications will provide twice the output with the same labor as previously; hence twice the revenues, twice the gross margins,’ Dickinson said. ‘At the same time they will deliver up to 25 percent in substrate savings.'

The need to grow support for apprenticeships and training elicited considerable interest at the conference, as did the need for labeling and packaging in Australia to be backed by strong, proactive trade association support. Efforts to achieve a resurgent association were outlined by FPLMA president Mark Easton, sales & marketing manager of Sydney headquartered self-adhesive label specialist Impresstik Group. FPLMA was formed after it became clear the two associations would be better served combining their efforts and resources, as reported here.

Easton spoke to Labels & Labeling about the process which brought the two organizations together, confirming that after comprehensive consultative analysis and numerous deliberations the overall objectives had been achieved.

‘The merger has overcome duplication and crossover of existing memberships and offers a united force and future. The new association enables us also to reach members within the Asia-Pacific region and incorporates us into increasingly expanding areas rather than Australia only. This complements representation for current members from both associations who have converter sites within the Asia-Pacific region.’

Easton cited among the benefits of the merger such elements as savings arising from shared administration costs, increased revenue from a bigger membership pool, a combined Print Awards program, broader scale technical forums and the larger association’s ability to lobby apprenticeship initiatives with training and government agencies.

The inaugural FPLMA event culminated in a glittering Print Awards dinner ceremony attended by close to 300 industry members and their partners.