Page 5 - FINAT Yearbook 2015

DEAR READER,
Welcome to already the fifth edition of the FINAT Yearbook. This edition is released on the occasion of the first edition of the European Label Forum, another important landmark for the association in its history of change.
As we all know, the definition and role of ‘a label’ have changed dramatically in recent years, with the advent of new product decoration technologies, from sleeves and in-mould labels to printed electronics. At the same time, package print has diversified. With a customer base that is increasingly international in terms of brand owners and retailers,
and a world of consumers who are social and online media experts, this is indeed a challenging scenario for label converters.
The World of Labels: redrawing the map and leading the way to future success
And with the focus on achieving change firmly placed on label converters, FINAT as the international association for the label industry, has both the commitment and the responsibility to offer its members the best possible information and education platform. That is why, as part of a comprehensive strategy for change, we have launched the European Label Forum this year. Replacing our annual Congress, the European Label Forum delivers a platform for exploring best practices across a number of disciplines that are key for running a successful, profitable business in the 21st century.
The label converting industry, both in Europe and beyond, has its roots in the eager adoption of the self-adhesive label as a leading competitor to wet-glue labelling back in the 1970s. The raft of small, entrepreneurial print companies it spawned, has been one of the outstanding success stories in the packaging sphere. But the tsunami of change that is impacting all of us in this industry means that knowledge and expertise of one imaging technology, one packaging style or one set of materials is simply not enough.
What is more, on the one hand we need to take account of brand owners’ accelerating requirement for ‘special versions’ of both packaging and labels to attract, and retain, consumer
loyalty to their products. On the other hand, retailers are challenging these products with their low cost, private labels that are pushing A-brands off the shelves.
And last but by far not least, there is the aspect of leadership skills and competences to manage this change. Change that is reflected in the transition of one generation (the baby boomers) to another (generations X and Y); in the disappearance of borders previously dividing national markets; in the dilution of sector boundaries between labels and ‘adjacent’ packaging types; in the growing professionalism in marketing and procurement; in the increasing diversity of market channels (physical and on-line); in the increasing impact of harmonised international legislation and standards; in ever leaner manufacturing processes; in the growing diversity of business cultures and languages embedded in a better educated and articulate workforce.
FINAT: a mirror of the industry – the European Label Forum: a metaphor of FINAT
So FINAT is bringing together the senior management of its member companies, both label converters and direct and indirect suppliers, in a European Label Forum that is designed, indeed, to redraw the map of the industry in a way that, I believe, will secure its future success.
FINAT was once described as a mirror of the self-adhesive label industry: the conversations between its members reflect the issues they face over time; its programmes reflect the way they address these evolving challenges together; its achievements reflect the combined strength of the labelling community. In this sense, the programme of the new European Label Forum can be considered as a metaphor of FINAT itself.
This edition of the FINAT Yearbook is a reflection of what has happened in our association since mid-2014 and our association’s engagement for the benefit of the label and narrow web industry in the coming 12 months.
Jules Lejeune Managing Director
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FINAT YEARBOOK 2015 |