FTA Forum 2015 sets attendance record

The package printing and converting industry event was chaired by Jessica Harrell of Anderson & Vreeland and Jennye Scott of Berry Plastics.

A total of 10 sessions covered topics such as consumer forecasts, to printed electronics, process control, color theory and print consistency. Buyer preferences, brand protection strategies and new packaging trends were explored while rival printing processes like digital and gravure were explained to be complementary to flexography. Multigenerational workforce training and complex printing standards were also reviewed in detail.

A four-part toolbox session addressed process control, KISS impressions, color control and manufacturing best practices. Many times over, the Flexo Quality Consortium (FQC) provided updates on several of its projects and featured the work of the first place 2014 Rossini Research Scholarship winner. The Clemson University student presented his research on printed electronics.

As well as the education element, Forum 2015 hosted the the 2015 Excellence in Flexography Awards competition, with a total of 106 award winners, Advance Packaging earned the FTA Sustainability Excellence Award, Berry Plastics' Scott and Richard Black of APR were recognized with President’s Awards, APR's Paul Lancelle was inducted as the 53rd flexographer in FTA’s Hall of Fame, Nuova Gidue was named the 2015 Technical Innovation Award winner, and Jason Cagle of Clemson University and Bilge Altay of Western Michigan University each earned a 2015 FFTA/Rossini North American Flexographic Scholarship

Next year’s FTA Forum event is slated for March 6-9, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas with Scott and Paul Teachout, vice president of sales and marketing at Nilpeter USA, as conference co-chairs.