PFFC - July 2008 - (Page 39)

FLEXOGRAPHIC PRINTING “What do we need from the flexo industry?” Wong asked. Her answer: reduced lead times, outstanding quality, good process control (she urged printers to optimize their presses and use FIRST), and communication. “Your offshore competition is doing all of this,” Wong cautioned, “and doing it well.” She applauded the flexo industry, saying it has come a long way in a relatively short time. Other emerging technologies on the agenda included direct-write imaging technology; the impact of surface structure on flexo print properties; and 3D visualization. A luncheon on Monday continued the celebration, with every attendee receiving a copy of the FTA’s Golden Anniversary Commemorative Book filled with collectible photos and memories. Adding Green to Gold The primary color of the forum may have been 50th anniversary gold, but green was not neglected. During a Tuesday morning session on sustainability, FTA’s Doreen Monteleone explained the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), established to create a credible system for identifying “green” printers. It was formed in 2007 as a collaboration among FTA, Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, and Specialty Graphic Imaging Assn. (The National Assn. of Printing Ink Mfrs. and the Envelope Mfrs. Assn. are now members as well.) SGP covers not only environmental issues but human resources, labor laws, and more. The audit process will be conduced by a third-party verifier, much in the manner of ISO certification. Monteleone said the team putting together the program hopes to launch it this summer. DuPont’s Debbra Johnson, who provided a lifecycle analysis, said there is no turning back on sustainability, but there is also no silver bullet to make it happen. Flexo has a very light footprint, she added, but the substrates are a very large burden; thus, collaboration all along the supply chain is key. The ink supplier’s point of view came from Martin Spatz, Sun Chemical North American Packaging, who said the focus should be on a cradle-to-cradle cycle. Are the inks bio-based or petroleumbased? Are they derived from a renewable source? How are they transported? What about waste handling and reduction? Other topics in this session included substrate sustainability, solvent recovery/recycling, and cube utilization. Tuesday also featured sessions on Newspapers; Faster, Better, Cheaper; and FIRST/FQC. Once again the forum included the very popular INFO*FLEX exhibition, with 175 companies occupying 217 booths. Represented were a broad range of suppliers to the flexo industry, and attendance was brisk with no sessions scheduled for the hours the exhibit is open. Mark Your Calendar The next FFTA forum will be held May 3–6, 2009, at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, in Orlanda, FL. For more information visit www.flexography.org. Winner of the 2008 Technical Innovation Award X-celerate your productivity The all new X-Flex is designed to shrink your problems down • X-tremely reduced waste • X-tra short set up time • X-tremely compact footprint •X-tremely easy to adjust and operate • X-tra flexibility X-Flex platform redefines the market in narrow web printing technology. Distributed in North America by: Reduce your costs and keep quality up, thanks to its X-clusive features: • Gearless Technology • Vision System – one-touch auto register control • X-tra short web path Let the X-Flex set a new benchmark for your company. 33, BROOK STREET CT 06110 WEST HARTFORD USA U.S.A. Tel: 860 2322323 Fax: 860 2330162 www.matik.com Lecco – Italy www.omet.it PFFC-ASAP 121 WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM Innovation With Passion JULY 2008 | 39 http://www.flexography.org http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PFFC - July 2008

PFFC - July 2008 Contents First Glance Calendar of Events From the Editor Web Lines Process Management News Clips Narrow Web & Label Reporter Narrow Web & Label What’s New Products Cover: Special Report Start with Security 2008 TAPPI PLACE Conference Printing Partnerships Paper’s Pledge Edible Markers Flexography Exclusive Research: Critical Trends What’s New Products Services Directory Classified Marketplace Advertisers Index Experience Speaks

PFFC - July 2008

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