The international association for the label and sleeve markets, Finat, says its 2018 calendar of events and supporting activities reflects and addresses, the opportunities and challenges in the world of packaging today.

The association says it has been created for the benefit of the Finat membership which, in itself, is a diverse web of companies, from raw material suppliers through inks, printing and application machinery, to converters and contract packers.

First on this year’s agenda of international events is the Finat Technical Seminar – a two-yearly event which attracts high attendances for its astute combination of all the key elements of commercial label production today.

Taking place in Barcelona on March 7-9, this year’s seminar addresses a broad range of topics for printers and converters. Keynote speaker Andy Hobsbawm, founder of a smart products platform, will provide a leading-edge insight into the IoT, and how smart products transform brand relationships, business operations, and service experiences.

The programme will go on to address choosing an MIS supplier; the digital print technologies – both stand-alone and in combination with flexo; workflow automation; inks and decoration techniques; and facestocks and finishing. As well as the formal presentations, the seminar will feature parallel troubleshooting workshops where participants can address two arenas of current technical focus and relevance: the flexible packaging and sleeving technologies, and multi-layer, peel-and-reveal label constructions. The event’s accompanying tabletop exhibition and social programme also, of course, offer exceptional opportunities for networking across the extended label industry value chain.

The prize presentations in the 2018 Finat International Label Competition will take place in Dublin June 6-8. This long-established and prestigious competition – accepting entries until March 23 – features a number of technical and marketing/end use categories. For the first time this year, it includes flexible packaging – since it is now an additional option offered by many label converters.

A third live event on the Finat calendar takes place on September 5-7 in Bucharest, Romania: the Finat Global Young Managers’ Congress 2018. This creative Finat initiative represents an opportunity for younger-generation print managers across the globe – whether Finat members or not – to come together to focus on management skills development in the fast-moving packaging print arena, where a continuing flow of new-generation expertise is essential for the industry’s future.

Throughout the year, Finat will host a programme of free-to-attend webinars for members, focused on technical and recycling matters.

Confirmation of the high levels of service Finat has provided to its members is the fact that the association will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in November. Officially established in 1958, Finat says it represents historical documentation of the self-adhesive label industry from its inception, and is now supporting, and promoting that industry’s ever-widening profile in the world of packaging.  

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