The number of entries in the Excellence Awards competition typically hovers between 150 and 200. The rules are ever-shifting to keep up with changing times and technologies, and to keep things as fair and honest as possible. Print shops who receive awards at Foundation of FTA's Annual Forum--the showcase for its competition winners--are heralded as being among the top firms in the flexo industry.

In addition to recognition by FTA and the flexo industry, benefits abound to companies that participate in the Excellence Awards and other competitions. More than two dozen printers responded to a poll asking whether or not they submit samples to the awards--and why. Interestingly, some confessed that competitions were not a priority and had strong reasons for not entering. Others boasted of their diligent participation every year and the numerous rewards reaped beyond just medals, including employee morale, industry benchmarking and assistance in winning new customers.

Major Motivator
Twenty-two out of 28 printers/converters (nearly 80 percent) who answered FLEXO's poll confirmed that they submit work to FTA's Excellence Awards at least once in a while. Many claimed that winning awards motivated personnel to strive for a higher level of quality.

"Once you enter and win, there is a sense of competitive spirit among the press operators," said David Merkley, director of technical services, American Color Print, Brentwood, TN. "After that, when a challenging piece comes along, everyone recognizes this as a potential award winner, and the race is on!"

Merkley's thoughts were echoed by a large portion of the respondents. "Winning competitions gives personal recognition for our employees," concurred Greg Collins, vice president of manufacturing, C-P Flexible Packaging, York, PA. Ed Lieb, manager of technical services, Sonoco Flexible Packaging, Hartsville, SC, said, "We enter awards competitions to foster pride in high-quality printing with our graphics and press personnel." Laurence C. Schiffenhaus Jr., president, Schiffenhaus Industries, Newark, NJ, added, "It's morale-boosting to the printers, and customers know you are doing good work relative to the competition."

"When I am in 'contest mode,' my prepress and pressroom are on high alert," declared Frank Anthony, vice president of operations, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Chattanooga, TN. Anthony has made it a priority to continue submitting to awards competitions year-round. "Going from one competition to the next almost ensures a high quality level. In addition, if I tell my press and prepress people they are doing a spectacular job--and I do tell them--it means something, but nothing like when you have a plaque from FTA in your hand that supports that statement."

Daniel Reilly, print manager, MeadWestvaco, AGI Klearfold Division, Louisa, VA, added, "Winning gives a big boost to morale and sends a positive message to our corporation as a whole." Gary Cane, plant manager, McCoy Packaging, Petaluma, CA, said, "Our pressmen look forward to reviewing their samples for awards competitions. It's a tremendous morale booster, but only if they win something."

Bruce Riddell, vice president of technical development, Spectrum Label Corp., Hayward, CA, noted that his reasons for submitting to awards competitions over the past 20 years have changed with time, but the primary benefit of entering has not, which is "to allow the press operators, artists, platemakers, quality inspectors, ink specialists, customer service representatives, planners, shipping personnel, sales personnel and everyone else in the company to know why we demand excellence in every phase of our processes."

Measure Up
Another FTA program, the Strategic Planning Initiative, recently showed that flexo printers/converters from all segments are hungry for benchmarking material. Thus it is of little surprise that benchmarking was mentioned frequently as a reason for participating in the Excellence Awards and other printing competitions.

"It's a good measure of where we stand in relation to the rest of the industry," commented Joe Grazioli, plant manager, Tension Envelope, South Hackensack, NJ. Frank Surma, technical coordinator, Banner Packaging, Oshkosh, WI, was of like mind, saying, "We use the competitions as a way to gauge where we are at in the industry." John Franciosa, president and CEO of Packaging Technologies Inc., Concord, ON, Canada, added, "Entering print competitions is a positive means of staying at the forefront of the printing field."

"It gives us a chance to compare our work to a broad sampling of the flexo industry," proclaimed Eric Jones, general manager, The Label Co., Santa Ana, CA.