The Past and Future of Flexo to Drive FTA Forum

The Flexographic Technical Association (FTA), has announced that the “Power of the Past, Force of the Future” is the official theme of the 2016 FTA Forum. More than 2,000 thought-leaders representing every segment of the flexographic supply chain will attend the event, to be held March 6-9 at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas.

Forum 2016 will build on the 2015 event, which drew historic crowds and was heralded as the best Forum ever. Next year’s agenda features 10 brand new, and in some cases, precedent setting technical sessions that will impart new theories, exciting research and contemporary practices to an audience hungry to learn how to improve its process, productivity and the all-important bottom line. Additionally, many of the sessions will depart from the traditional speaker/podium format to add a layer of interest and excitement for the conference delegates. The sessions are:

• 2016 Flexo Game Changers
• Direct Engraving: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
• Enhancing Digital Print with Flexography
• Flexo International: 60 Minutes Around the World
• Flexography 101: Define It!
• Flexography 102: Control It!
• FQC: Preparing for the Future
• Hall of Fame Panel
• New Tools for Your Prepress Workflows
• Understanding the Customer FIRST

Forum will also offer a complimentary pre-conference session, hosted by the Flexo Quality Consortium (FQC) and dubbed: Corralling Processes - Ride the Workflow.

Program development is being led by Forum Chairs, Jennye Scott of Berry Plastics and Paul Teachout of Nilpeter. Abstract review, speaker selection and session format determination is underway. The ultimate objective is to build a stellar educational agenda for launch in March 2016.

"The 2016 Annual Forum will prove to be one of the most informative meetings ever,” said Teachout. “It will cover a broad range of topics that will capture the interests of primary stakeholders for both converters and suppliers alike. Our goal was to create new and interactive sessions that engage the younger workforce and the challenges they face, as well as learning from the experts who helped form our industry. We will provide opportunities to tap into the minds of our Hall of Fame members, as well as to learn from the experts on FIRST and basic flexographic practices and principles. We will seek out an international perspective to learn more about global trends and how we can benefit from its market influence. We have a lot in store and are very excited about the line up of speakers and the topics they will cover. As they say, everything is bigger in Texas, so come on out and join the fun!"

Coinciding with Forum 2016 is its sister event, the INFO*FLEX Exhibition. Taking place March 6-7 at the Fort Worth Convention Center, attendees can anticipate a bustling convention hall occupied by more than 235 of the industry’s top suppliers and their solutions, providing for two days of intensive networking activity and side-by-side comparisons of the latest technologies.

Source: Flexographic Technical Association.