Latin America converters debate

At Labelexpo Americas this year I chaired a panel of leading converters from across the Latin region. Here I've pulled together some of the participant's significant points made during our discussion. 

The panel session focusing on the Latin American label market brought together Keren Becerra, operations director of Etiquetas Lobo Impresores and president of Mexican association AMETIQ; Jose Alfonso Rubio, owner of Materiales y Etiquetas Millenium and president of Mexican association ACOBAN; and Jaime Yoshiyama, managing director of Peruvian label and adhesive tape converter Kuresa.

Becerra spoke about AMETIQ’s plans for next year’s Mexican Label Awards and its positive experiences in participating in the L9 global group of label associations. She stated that AMETIQ was keen to increase communication between label converters both within Mexico and across the wider region. Commenting on the Mexican market, she noted the small percentage of labels exported by local converters, citing it as an opportunity for growth.

Jose Alfonso Rubio spoke about ACOBAN’s new free smart phone app which allows users to access information about the Mexican market and contact details for local suppliers. He discussed merger and acquisition activity in the Mexican label industry, noting that despite increasing consolidation in the market, smaller converters could remain competitive by focusing on value-added service.

Both Mexican associations promote education in the local industry by supporting training institutions and sponsoring scholarships for students: AMETIQ at the Fidel Velasquez University and ACOBAN at the National College of Professional Technical Education (CONALEP).

Jaime Yoshiyama described the rapid growth of the Peruvian label market in recent years: a number of new start-up companies, as well as converters moving into label production from different markets, have increased local competition. He described the challenges of exporting to neighboring countries in the Andean region such as Ecuador and Colombia; Kuresa opened an office and warehouse in Bogota in order to guarantee timely delivery to customers in Colombia.