Thomas Hodgson, Sr Manager of Color & Artwork at L’Oréal, recently became a member of the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) and then presented at 2025 FORUM INFOFLEX. With a focus on technical excellence in packaging decoration, Hodgson and his team are committed to bridging the gap between brand design and production through precise color management and print expertise.

He recently sat down with FLEXO eNews to share how his team at L’Oréal plans to leverage FTA’s educational offerings and event connections to strengthen their technical print expertise and industry engagement.

How did you come to know of the association? What prompted you to join FTA?

Hodgson: I was asked to present with Olberding Brand Families as part of the ‘Defining the Target’ session at FORUM INFOFLEX 2025. I subsequently found out that it isn’t super common for Consumer Packaged Good’s Companies or Brand Owners to become members, but my team (Color and Artwork Development) at L’Oréal is intended to provide deep technical expertise in print and packaging decoration, so I thought it was quite a great opportunity to deepen that understanding from the experts in the Flexo Industry.

What do you see as the benefits for yourself, the company, and other members of the staff itself?

Hodgson:  The learning sessions that we attended were helpful in deepening our technical understanding of the Flexo Process and we found that throughout many of the sessions we were making connections to challenges we see in our day to day lives at L’Oréal. The Color and Artwork Team drives the development, precise color matching, and specification of all printed components across L’Oréal’s product range. Our technical printing expertise is often leveraged to support cross-functional teams, such as Marketing and Creative, who may not possess hands-on experience in this specialized area. We greatly benefited from attending INFOFLEX, gaining practical technical expertise that we can now apply to guide our Marketing and Creative teams. This newfound knowledge will foster the creation of more successful designs and facilitate smoother troubleshooting when challenges arise.

What programs/products do you plan to take advantage of? Why?

Hodgson:  I plan to come back and experience more of the learning sessions. I am hoping to come back for a longer period of time and bring some additional members of my team to explore more about the label industry landscape, quality implications of different flexo elements, how the labels we buy fit and compare to the rest of the market and more. I think it is more important than ever for our team to have hands-on experience with industry experts to broaden our expertise and provide value to L’Oréal.

What areas of our association fit with your strategic plan?

Hodgson:  The Color and Artwork team is singularly focused on becoming experts in printing and packaging decoration. Traditionally, our in-depth technical training has come from suppliers or internal Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), limiting our direct exposure to broader industry discussions. Infoflex was a game-changer, providing our Color and Artwork Developers with direct access to open, print industry-focused resources that greatly expand our knowledge base. The industry connections established at this event will be invaluable, serving as a direct conduit to expert insights and continuous team development.