Focused on being responsive to change by evolving with the market, Agfa’s recent exclusive event at The European Offset Packaging Value Conference successfully set the tone for the future of the offset packaging industry.
Held at Quartier Papier in Brussels, Belgium, on 29 November, the conference delivered an engaging mix of presentations that addressed the multitude of challenges and rapidly changing trends faced by the whole packaging value chain.
Addressing the 70 attendees, keynote speaker Kevin Jackson, who is the founder of The Experience is the Marketing, opened proceedings with an inspiring talk about the importance of brand promises and brand behaviour.
Market insights came from industry experts Eddy Hagen from Insights4Print, who discussed the secrets of brand colours and pitfalls in colour management, and Sean Smyth from Smithers, who gave a detailed analysis of the packaging industry and the role played by offset printing.
Sascha Fischer from Koenig & Bauer shed light on the ongoing developments in offset printing presses for packaging.
Dedicated to sustainable solutions
Sustainability was a recurring theme throughout the day with speakers emphasising how implementing Agfa’s ECO3 solutions can reduce cost and help limit the carbon footprint of packaging production.
Sue Tait, global head of governance and sustainability at marketing production agency Tag, explained how its cloud based PressTune solution from Agfa is allowing brands to sign off on print jobs remotely, while Laetitia Reynaud, policy advisor at Intergraf, dove into the legalities of the European Green Deal and the implications for packaging printers of the EU Commission’s aim to make Europe climate neutral by 2050.
Customers also gave emphatic endorsements of Agfa’s ECO3 solutions with testimonials explaining the economic and ecologic gains that can be achieved in automating plate handling with new robotic technology and lower ink consumption with advanced software solutions SolidTune and SPIR@L.
“The sustainable solutions we offer within the ECO3 framework can leverage opportunities in packaging by addressing the pain points for offset printers so they can gain that crucial competitive advantage,” Marketing Offset Solutions head Guy Desmet said.
“But equally importantly as innovation, we work closely with our customers to support them so they can achieve the best possible TCO.”
The future of the planet was on the agenda again during the evening dinner, where Sarah Parent, CEO of Go Forest, gave a keynote about the Retopia partnership, which is working towards planting one million trees to reconnect the Atlantic Forest.
Further demonstrating its commitment to sustainability, Agfa’s Offset Solutions division has pledged to plant 3,333 square metres of trees in Brazil, which will create the ECO3 forest.
“As the first in a series of Agfa events dedicated to the vibrant and growing packaging market, we have now established a forum for discussion and knowledge sharing that we can evolve for the future benefit of all our customers,” its vice-president of marketing and technology Joan Vermeersch said.
“The inaugural conference was created by the Offset Solutions division, which will soon become a standalone business with a new name, as ownership transitions to Aurelius Group in Q1 of 2023. However, we will be broadening the scope beyond offset only in upcoming editions.”
