Optimized production… best practices… process controls… continuous improvement… immediate return on investment… maximum productivity… astonishing levels of press uptime.
As wish lists go, that one, paraphrased from FLEXO Magazine’s most recent Flash Poll on printers’ business prospects for 2022, says it all.
And that’s the list of objectives they’ve established for INFOFLEX 2022, set to take place at the Fort Worth Convention Center, March 14-15. The event—encompassing two full afternoons and 200 or so booths stretched across seven aisles—is charged with answering their call.
Manufacturers, distributors, premedia service providers and other suppliers taking up residence on the show floor stand in support of printers’ collective goals to maximize productivity, eliminate waste, maintain sales momentum and build profits. When asked, they stand behind and continually reinforce that commitment—and plan to demonstrate it—live and in person, as INFOFLEX marks a milestone: its 40th anniversary!
Here, prominent exhibitors contracting for space at INFOFLEX 2022—the actual diamond sponsors of the event—explain how printers can put the latest tools available to work for them. As executives from Rossini North America and DuPont offer comment, their words somewhat echo those of platinum sponsors presented in January—Anderson & Vreeland, Daetwyler, Miraclon, Paper Converting Machine Co (PCMC) and tesa tape Inc.
To begin, however, they issue a welcome message to all delegates. It’s both invitation and call to action.
“Consistency and tradition are values that have been appreciated the world over since the beginning of recorded time. Disruptions to these traditions are infrequent and only endured during the most challenging of times. Rossini is honored to celebrate the 40th anniversary of INFOFLEX, live, in person, with our industry peers, as we communally return to Fort Worth to continue our enduring tradition of pursuing industry excellence and advancement. Let’s go flexo!”
“Optimize quality, productivity and sustainability of printers/converters and trade shops! Be a pioneer and embrace new technology! Build on experience! Seek out the expertise you need to move forward and overcome the challenges that brought you to INFOFLEX. Utilize your voice of the customer—It will be heard. DuPont encourages you to bring key challenges to discuss and be open to, and appreciative of, the learning opportunity before you. Set the stage to be successful! Most importantly, use the show to your advantage. Our team certainly will.”
FLEXO MAGAZINE: How will INFOFLEX reflect/respond to, and support printers’ calls/promise to get better, more consistent and less wasteful?
DuPONT: INFOFLEX is one of the key events in our market, not only from a regional standpoint, but it also has a global reach. Printers and converters attend INFOFLEX to get the latest updates from the market in terms of best practices, new technologies and trends. It’s very valuable to be sure we—printers and suppliers—can learn from each other, especially from the experienced people in this segment.
ROSSINI: INFOFLEX is a resource opportunity for the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic industry peers and partners to gather and trade information. We anticipate an abundance of planned and impromptu sidebar meetings to discuss how the challenges we have most recently faced as an industry, and as employers and employees, were successfully survived and navigated.
FLEXO: Printers polled for FLEXO’s 2022 business forecast cite their plants’ priorities as maximizing efficiencies, establishing best practices and process controls, and monitoring/maximizing and maintaining overall equipment effectiveness. How does INFOFLEX support these goals? What tips for navigating the show floor can you offer to ensure they identify solutions that support their strategic directions?
ROSSINI: Now more than ever, an efficient and advanced plan, with regard to your INFLOFLEX visits and meetings which will most benefit your organization’s corporate success, is highly recommended. With the excitement of meeting industry friends and peers after our time apart, a bit of forethought and planning will allow all attendees to prioritize their INFOFLEX floor time and flow for maximum professional returns.
DuPONT: INFOFLEX is a key event to network with experts across the package printing value chain. Having companies from the whole chain attend this event is key to promoting this space where printers can talk to experts from different areas of expertise to help them address their challenges across each element of their operation.
FLEXO: Printers sampled identified best practices, workforce training and development of new products and applications as critical. How will you and your peers likely address these concerns at INFOFLEX?
DuPONT: Over 40+ years, DuPont has always been committed to developing solutions to support trade shops, printers, and converters to thrive in their businesses. We understand the current challenges our customers face in terms of productivity, labor shortages and cost pressure. Our latest launches are positioned to address some of these challenges that we hear from the market, and with our experienced technical team’s support at customers, we maintain our commitment to help our customers to overcome their challenges.
ROSSINI: As the global trend of accomplishing more with less continues, we as an industry will respond to the current challenges of the business climate. Enhancing the knowledge base and cross-training skills of our employees and increasing efficiencies in production will allow us to meet the ever-increasing demands placed upon the industry. These current hot-button topics are a regular theme during the INFOFLEX breakout sessions and are a well-received and necessary educational tool for all of us.
FLEXO: How and why will this event make printers “smarter,” “leaner,” “more productive,” “less wasteful,” “more automated” and better at everything they do?
ROSSINI: The global pandemic has, at its core, redefined and challenged every supplier and end-user within the flexographic industry. Workflow issues to include personal attendance and availability, increasing wage demands, and supply chain and raw material issues, have forced all of us to become more nimble, more dynamic and more creative in how we address and satisfy the customer demands we face on a daily basis. Companies emerging from the back end of this recent global pandemic will find themselves to be more efficient, more knowledgeable and better prepared to face future challenges.
Take the industry by storm. Share knowledge and information about transformative products that are allowing ROI to be maximized, especially on high-speed presses. New technology is being introduced into the industry. Always welcome the opportunity INFOFLEX brings—see new products, discuss their potential impact on your plant, collect samples, find new business partners, brainstorm about solutions to long-standing challenges, establish connections to make you a better printer and share your discoveries with all members of your plant’s team, as you collectively formulate strategic directions for the future.
DuPONT: Stroll the floor and remember to keep one thing in mind: The best partners continue to deliver innovative solutions and best-in-class technical support to make you thrive. When on-site, challenge anybody and everybody to bring your packages to life—faster, cleaner and more reliably. Demand they assist you in developing the right solutions to make your business more efficient, robust and sustainable. Let them prove to you that smaller runs, faster turnarounds, minimal environmental footprints and printing on new substrates are all possible—starting this very moment.