Label Governance – and What It’s All About
March 24, 2016
Last week I attended the Gravure Global Summit in Buena Vista, Florida. The trip would wrap up my tenure as the Gravure Association of the Americas, Inc.’s Board Chair. A four year commitment, two as Board Chair and two as Vice Chair, that included a lot of association and industry changes. I’d like to share with you – our partners and supporters of label excellence – a bit of my experience.
As you may already know, in 2012/2013 the Packaging and Label Gravure Association Global (PLGA Global) merged with the Gravure Association of America (GAA) to formulate a new association that was more effective and responsive to the industry – the Gravure Association of the Americas, Inc. This association would now serve both the publication and packaging side of gravure printing, two segments that many suppliers were already supporting separately.
While still in its infancy, I’m confident in the fact that this association is now on solid footing to better serve its members and promote gravure printing as a whole. During a time when mergers and acquisitions are no stranger to the industry itself, GAA has shown that there is more to consolidation than financial stability and immediate resource gain. For example, GAA’s Gravure Education Foundation is now set to lead the way on gravure education within universities, vocational schools and high schools. And at events such as the Gravure Global Summit, we are tackling innovative topics like pre-press capabilities and the ability to get projects on gravure presses faster and more efficiently in light of SKU proliferation. It’s certainly an exciting time to be a member, but it is an even more exciting time to see the industry connections and discussions happening that will help us better serve our customers in the long-run.
In addition to GAA, I also currently serve on Tag and Label Manufacturing Institute (TLMi)’s Government & Regulatory Affairs Committee – a role I am very passionate about. The committee is tasked with sharing pertinent information impacting the tag and label industry to TLMi members. One example of this is the recent GMO labeling legislation on both the state and federal levels. As new legislation and other regulatory conversations are taking place, it is evident that we need to continue to have a place at the table to help rely timely information back to our members.
All in all, it’s an honor to serve on association committees and boards that are dedicated to advancing the print industry and serving the needs of its members. I’ve always said if you give back, you get back. I look forward to continuing my support and helping strengthen our company and our customer’s operations and capabilities.
