• Login
    • Join
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Exclusives
    • Labels & Packaging
    • Markets
    • Technology
    • Equipment
    • Supplies
    • Buyers' Guide
    • Events
    • Jobs
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Exclusives
  • Labels & Packaging
  • Markets
  • Technology
  • Equipment
  • Supplies
  • Buyers' Guide
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Current / Back Issues
    Features
    Editorial
    Columns
    Digital Edition
    eNewsletter Archive
    Our Team
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    Top Features
    The 2019 TLMI Awards

    Labelexpo Europe holds most international edition yet

    Cannabis Labels

    Digital Printers and Presses

    Digital Printing Update
    Breaking News
    Converter News
    European Label News
    Industry News
    Industry People
    M&A News
    New Products
    Expert's Opinion
    Live From Shows
    Top News
    Domino welcomes Steve Daily to Service & Support Team

    Kodak and Uteco sell first Ultrastream flexible packaging press

    Polykote announces new UV inkjet labelstock

    HP teams with Haney for sustainable packaging

    Tags & Labels Printing adds Heidelberg’s Versafire EP
    Beauty & Personal Care Labels
    Beer Labels
    Beverage Labels
    Flexible Packaging
    Folding Carton
    Food Labels
    Glue-Applied
    In-Mold
    Industrial Labels
    Medical Labels
    Pharmaceutical Labels
    Pressure Sensitive
    Prime Labels
    Promotional Labels
    Security Labels
    Shrink
    Smart Labels
    Specialty Labels
    Spirits Labels
    Wine Labels

    Kodak and Uteco sell first Ultrastream flexible packaging press

    Schreiner MediPharm and PragmatIC form strategic partnership

    Avery Dennison acquires Smartac’s RFID inlay business

    Luminer expands NJ manufacturing facility

    PPG Teslin labelstock receives BS 5609 Section 3 certification
    Africa
    Asia
    Australia
    China
    Europe
    India
    Latin America
    Middle East
    North America

    HP teams with Haney for sustainable packaging

    Austrian converter installs first Nilpeter press

    Schreiner MediPharm and PragmatIC form strategic partnership

    Avery Dennison acquires Smartac’s RFID inlay business

    MPS Systems North America relocating to Philadelphia
    Flexography
    Digital Printing
    Prepress
    Finishing
    Sustainability

    Domino welcomes Steve Daily to Service & Support Team

    Kodak and Uteco sell first Ultrastream flexible packaging press

    HP teams with Haney for sustainable packaging

    Herma's labelstocks receive new certification

    MPS Systems North America relocating to Philadelphia
    Digital Printers & Presses
    Flexo Presses
    Label Converting Equipment
    Label Finishing Equipment
    Prepress Equipment

    Domino welcomes Steve Daily to Service & Support Team

    Austrian converter installs first Nilpeter press

    MPS Systems North America relocating to Philadelphia

    First Mark Andy P4 installed in Russia

    Memjet technology drives new COASO label press
    Dies And Tooling
    Flexo Supplies
    Ink & Coatings
    Prepress Supplies
    Pressrooom Supplies
    Substrates

    Herma's labelstocks receive new certification

    UPM Raflatac launches high-tack adhesive for film labeling

    Filmquest appoints new senior account manager

    UPM Raflatac develops new thermal paper 

    Constantia Flexibles pioneers sustainable packaging in India
    All Companies
    Categories
    Company Profiles
    Label Converters
    Trade Associations
    Add New Company
    International Buyers Guide Companies
    Xeikon

    Siegwerk Environmental Inks

    Flexo Wash LLC

    Dantex Corporation

    Durst Group - Durst Phototechnik AG Headquaters
    Industry Events
    Webinars
    Live from Show Events
    • Magazine
      • Current & Past Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Columns
      • Digital Edition
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • Breaking News
    • Buyers' Guide
      • All Companies
      • Categories
      • Company Profiles
      • Label Converters
      • Trade Associations
      • Add Your Company
    • Labels & Packaging
      • Beauty & Personal Care Labels
      • Beer Labels
      • Beverage Labels
      • Flexible Packaging
      • Folding Carton
      • Food Labels
      • Glue-Applied
      • In-Mold
      • Industrial Labels
      • Medical Labels
      • Pharmaceuticals Labels
      • Pressure Sensitive
      • Prime Labels
      • Promotional Labels
      • Security Labels
      • Shrink
      • Smart Labels
      • Speciality Labels
      • Spirits Labels
      • Wine Tables
    • Markets
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • China
      • Europe
      • India
      • Latin America
      • Middle East
      • North America
    • Equipment
      • Digital Printers & Presses
      • Flexo Presses
      • Label Converting Equipment
      • Label Fishing Equipment
    • Supplies
      • Dies And Tooling
      • Flexo Supplies
      • Ink & Coatings
      • Prepress Supplies
      • Pressrooom Supplies
      • Substrates
    • Online Exclusives
    • Slideshows
    • Experts Opinions
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Infographics
    • Whitepapers
    • Events
      • Industry Events
      • Live from Show Events
      • Webinars
    • Jobs
    • Resources
      • Supplier Gallery
      • Literature Showcase
      • Homepage Showcase
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
    Online Exclusives

    Conference Report: The 2017 FINAT European Label Forum

    Strategy, speculation and disruptive technologies were among the topics discussed in Berlin.

    Conference Report: The 2017 FINAT European Label Forum
    FINAT ELF
    Related CONTENT
    • Associations bring clarity to self-adhesive label production
    • FINAT announces 2017 events calendar
    • FINAT's European Label Forum to confront challenges of change
    • How to keep labeling in the fast track
    • FINAT’s European Label Forum to confront challenges of change
    John Penhallow06.20.17
    Once a year, the Great and Good of the European label business meet to learn, listen and network. This year the FINAT European Label Forum (ELF) was in Berlin, Germany. L&NW was on hand to record the highlights, some of which were not even loosely connected to the label industry.

    Time to Stragilitate
    Stragility is described as “the art of strategic, agile, people-powered change." Retiring FINAT president Thomas Hagmaier took it as his theme at the opening of the event. The label business in Europe is looking and feeling rather chipper after many years of austerity and squeezed margins. Hagmaier insisted on the continued need for agility, in particular with regard to the digital revolution. FINAT has now completed a "Digital Label Study" now available to members, and the program of the two-day Berlin event was in part given over to digital technology in the widest sense, including "Industry 4.0", artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.

    As for people-powered change, Hagmaier pointed to the regular meetings of the FINAT young Managers’ Club. On the debit side he noted the acute shortage of skilled young people coming into the label industry. More and better training programs and apprenticeships were the answer, he said, but even in Germany – so often held up as a model for youth training – label converters could not recruit enough apprentices. With regard to the age profile of the industry Hagmaier could have added (but didn’t) that the assembled 250 delegates were disproportionately gray haired and male. He rounded off his opening speech by touching on the problem and opportunities of digital label printing, and new ‘Corporate Identity’ of FINAT, promising more on both topics later in the program.

    State of the Federation
    FINAT now sports a refurbished website and a new logo. Membership at 550 corporate members is stable, despite the shrinkage factor of acquisitions. Fully 60% of members are label converters, but this was not reflected in the attendance at the Forum where well over half the delegates were suppliers. The treasurer reported a nice balance between income and expenditure, largely thanks to the very substantial sum contributed by Tarsus every other year for the partnership before and during Labelexpo Europe. Outgoing president Hagmaier put in a plea for more volunteer work by members “Our technical, marketing and other commissions cannot function if we don’t have more people prepared to contribute actively”.

    Digital developments
    An Anglo-American double act was presented by Jennifer Dochstader and David Walsh, founding partners of research body LPC. According to their interviews with over 100 European label converters, 25% of companies are already using digital inkjet, but a surprising 48% said their next press would be inkjet. Interestingly, Germany is a stronghold of toner-based digital label printing, while the French and the Brits prefer inkjet. Top marks must go to this duo for holding the audience’s interest in such a tough subject.

    And this year’s winner is…
    The FINAT label competition has been going for 39 years, and for most of that time organized by its voluble and fast-talking compere Tony White. This year’s winners went from RFID and product authentication tags through "sparkly" labels on girls’ cosmetics, whiskey labels printed on a wood veneer, and booklet labels for engine parts.

    Best of Show went to UK converter Royston Labels for a particularly imaginative wine label. With an ever-expanding number of entries, and winners, the format of the prize giving could be improved (maybe the Cannes film festival could give some ideas).

    A disruptive technology
    Organizers of label get-togethers do not often invite speakers to elaborate on alternative technologies. But Corey Reardon of AWA did just that. His theme was "disruptive technologies," and specifically the disruptive effect of direct printing on beverage bottles. Leading equipment manufacturers like Krones and KHS are now near to launching competitive filling lines incorporating direct inkjet printing.

    With no liner waste – in fact, no material usage at all apart from the ink – direct digital printing could offer big cost savings. At present speeds are slow, the inks are expensive and the capital investment is high. But all this, according to Reardon, is beginning to change, and as run lengths become shorter, digital direct printing could soon start eating away at other decoration technologies, not just in the beverage sector but also in cosmetics and food. An unappetizing thought for label converters.

    Fischer catches attention
    FINAT tries to get a prominent public figure as closing speaker at the Forum. This year the former vice-chancellor of Germany, Joschka Fischer could, and did, give some forthright views on most of Europe’s burning political issues. The Brexit negotiations have so far been “chaotic,” he said, and the June election left Britain “weak and unstable."

    French president Macron gets Fischer’s seal of approval, not so Turkey’s Mr. Erdogan. With a small sigh he predicted that come September, Angela Merkel would be re-elected. Echoing President Trump, Fischer wants Europe to spend more on security and defense; some of his other opinions on the current occupant of the White House were less complimentary.

    Time to speculate
    Traditionally, the annual FINAT ELF event ends with the new president announcing “And next year’s Forum will be held in..." This year it didn’t. Rumor has it that the 2018 venue was to have been London, but that now other options are being studied. One wonders why. After all, 2018 could be the last year for Europeans to travel visa-free to the UK. There is speculation that the venue to be chosen could be the capital of another offshore island.
    Related Searches
    • people
    • thomas hagmaier
    • Labelexpo
    • visa
    Suggested For You
    Mikaela Harding appointed to FINAT Mikaela Harding appointed to FINAT's YMC Board
    FINAT Label Competition announces award winners FINAT Label Competition announces award winners
    Addressing challenges of change in an era of transformation Addressing challenges of change in an era of transformation
    Preview: The FINAT European Label Forum Preview: The FINAT European Label Forum
    Registration open for Labelexpo Europe 2017 Registration open for Labelexpo Europe 2017
    AWA honors the best in sleeve labeling AWA honors the best in sleeve labeling
    Flint Group Narrow Web will host AWA Shrink Label Seminar and Workshop Flint Group Narrow Web will host AWA Shrink Label Seminar and Workshop
    Mintel Mintel's packaging expert to present keynote at AWA in-mold conference
    AWA Sleeve Label Conference gets ‘Technical’ in presentations AWA Sleeve Label Conference gets ‘Technical’ in presentations
    AWA tackles sleeve labeling in Miami AWA tackles sleeve labeling in Miami
    Miami plays host to AWA Sleeve Label Conference & Exhibition Miami plays host to AWA Sleeve Label Conference & Exhibition
    Decline and fall Decline and fall
    L9 announces 2016 World Label Award winners L9 announces 2016 World Label Award winners
    Landa Hoy! Landa Hoy!
    FINAT’s European Label Forum to confront challenges of change FINAT’s European Label Forum to confront challenges of change

    Related Online Exclusives

    • North America | Smart Labels
      Avery Dennison acquires Smartac’s RFID inlay business

      Avery Dennison acquires Smartac’s RFID inlay business

      The addition strengthens Avery Dennison’s position in industrial segment while adding to its HF and LF capabilities.
      David Savastano, Editor, Printed Electronics Now 12.05.19

    • Europe
      RadTech Europe conference tackles busy agenda

      RadTech Europe conference tackles busy agenda

      The event program featured more than 70 presentations and brought together more than 350 industry professionals from across the supply chain.
      Ann Hirst-Smith 12.04.19

    • Digital Printing | Flexography | Prepress
      The digitalization of color in packaging: a bright future?

      The digitalization of color in packaging: a bright future?

      Bobst, along with several brand owners, examines the future of color fidelity and consistency in product packaging.
      12.03.19


    • North America
      L&NW’s top news headlines of 2019

      L&NW’s top news headlines of 2019

      Multi-Color’s acquisition by a Platinum Equity affiliate garnered the most interest during the year.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 12.03.19

    • Security Labels
      Labels to help combat counterfeiting

      Labels to help combat counterfeiting

      A combination of security methods helps brand owners take preventative measures against product duplicates.
      Stan Chess 11.12.19

    • Digital Printing | Flexography | North America
      IIJ developing products for growing hybrid market

      IIJ developing products for growing hybrid market

      The company’s product line has been optimized to add the benefits of digital printing to an existing analog press.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 11.08.19


    • Flexo Supplies | Flexography | North America | Prepress Supplies
      Flint Group highlights thermal processing at open house

      Flint Group highlights thermal processing at open house

      The supplier welcomed attendees of the FTA Fall Conference to its facility in Charlotte, NC, USA.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 11.01.19

    • The Purpose Revolution

      The Purpose Revolution

      At the TLMI Annual Meeting, keynote speaker John Izzo discussed the emerging keys to employee and customer engagement.
      10.29.19

    • Beverage Labels | Digital Printers & Presses | Digital Printing | Flexo Presses | Food Labels | North America | Shrink
      DWS Printing takes digital journey

      DWS Printing takes digital journey

      Tom Staib discusses the decision to invest in an MPS EF SymJet powered by Domino.
      10.28.19


    • North America | Substrates
      Overlaminates and tapes help promote durable goods labeling

      Overlaminates and tapes help promote durable goods labeling

      Avery Dennison has developed a host of new tapes and overlaminates, including 720 DL W PET, to extend the label’s lifetime.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 10.23.19

    • North America
      FLAG celebrates 10 years at Annual Meeting

      FLAG celebrates 10 years at Annual Meeting

      Flexo Label Advantage Group welcomed 105 attendees to Rochester, NY, USA, for its largest event to date.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 10.21.19

    • North America | Pharmaceutical Labels
      Avery Dennison explores trends in pharmaceutical labeling

      Avery Dennison explores trends in pharmaceutical labeling

      Laura Noll and Austin Adair detailed the market during the Pharma Converter Academy in Mentor, OH, USA.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 10.14.19

    • North America | Pharmaceutical Labels
      Avery Dennison hosts Pharma Converter Academy

      Avery Dennison hosts Pharma Converter Academy

      The event, which took place October 8-9, featured presentations, facility tours and product portfolio highlights.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 10.11.19

    • North America
      Corotec meets demand for corona treatment systems

      Corotec meets demand for corona treatment systems

      The company’s Uni-Dyne system enables effective treatment of a wide variety of materials at high press speeds.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 10.10.19

    • Digital Printers & Presses | Digital Printing
      HP enjoys banner Labelexpo Europe

      HP enjoys banner Labelexpo Europe

      HP saw landmark deals and increased interest in digital printing in Brussels, Belgium.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 10.10.19


    Breaking News
    • Mark Andy joins forces with UPM Raflatac
    • Omet India opens in New Delhi
    • Siegwerk opens Europe's largest, fully-automated ink facility
    • Domino welcomes Steve Daily to Service & Support Team
    • Kodak and Uteco sell first Ultrastream flexible packaging press
    View Breaking News >
    CURRENT ISSUE

    November/December 2019

    • THE 2019 TLMI AWARDS
    • Labelexpo Europe holds most international edition yet
    • Cannabis Labels
    • Digital Printers and Presses
    • Digital Printing Update
    • Narrow Web Profile: Adflex Corporation
    • View More >
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms And Conditions
    • Contact Us

    follow us

    Subscribe
    Nutraceuticals World

    Latest Breaking News From Nutraceuticals World

    Deerland Obtains Certification from Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration
    OptiMSM Shown to Improve Hair & Nail Appearance and Condition
    DCC Acquires Contract Manufacturer Ion Laboratories
    Coatings World

    Latest Breaking News From Coatings World

    Evonik, Wynca Celebrate Groundbreaking of New Fumed Silica Plant in Zhenjiang
    Personnel Changes in Corporate Communications, Government Relations at BASF
    Palmer Holland Expands Sales Team into Canada
    Medical Product Outsourcing

    Latest Breaking News From Medical Product Outsourcing

    MedStar Health and Cleveland Clinic Innovations Awarded Grant
    FDA Cleared New Cochlear Osia 2 System
    FDA Approves First Nasal Rescue Treatment for Frequent Seizure Activity
    Contract Pharma

    Latest Breaking News From Contract Pharma

    CatSci Expands Capabilities with Lab Expansion
    Smart Tags on Pills Set to Improve Supply Chain Security and Patient Adherence
    PCI Pharma Services Invests in Tredegar, UK Site
    Beauty Packaging

    Latest Breaking News From Beauty Packaging

    Time Features 5 Best Beauty Inventions
    CES 2020 Preview - Innovation Award Honorees in Health & Wellness
    Star of E!'s Botched Gets Line Leaping Bunny Certified
    Happi

    Latest Breaking News From Happi

    Coty Strengthens Its Leadership
    Jennifer Garner Joins Virtue Labs
    Perfect Corp. Partners with Sally Beauty
    Ink World

    Latest Breaking News From Ink World

    Smurfit Kappa, Wings for Aid Create Disaster Relief Packaging Solution
    ePac Flexible Packaging Expands into Asia Pacific Market
    United Carton Industries Company Invests in EFI Nozomi Corrugated Printer
    Label & Narrow Web

    Latest Breaking News From Label & Narrow Web

    Mark Andy joins forces with UPM Raflatac
    Omet India opens in New Delhi
    Siegwerk opens Europe's largest, fully-automated ink facility
    Nonwovens Industry

    Latest Breaking News From Nonwovens Industry

    NDC Appoints President
    AATC Adds Two Scholarships
    Archroma Names CEO
    Orthopedic Design & Technology

    Latest Breaking News From Orthopedic Design & Technology

    FDA OKs Shoulder Innovations' Augmented Glenoids for Total Shoulder System
    OrthoGrid Systems Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for New PhantomMSK Trauma Application
    Tyber Medical Opens $8M Office and Manufacturing Facility
    Printed Electronics Now

    Latest Breaking News From Printed Electronics Now

    eMagin Corporation Announces Approximately $4.3 Million Order for Military Program
    CPI Supports Smart Food-labeling Project Set to Reduce Food Waste in 2020
    Isorg’s Showcasing Full-screen Fingerprint-on-Display Module at CES 2020

    Copyright © 2019 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.