The European Offset Packaging Value Conference saw industry experts, customers, and the trade press join Agfa to hear how growth opportunities in packaging can be turned into a competitive advantage with new sustainable solutions.
Focused on being responsive to change by evolving with the market, Agfa’s exclusive event successfully set the tone for the future of the offset packaging industry. Held at Quartier Papier in Brussels, Belgium, on 29 November, the Agfa Value 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 behavior.
Market insights came from industry experts Eddy Hagen from Insights4Print, who discussed the secrets of brand colors and pitfalls in color 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 emphasizing how implementing Agfa’s ECO3 solutions can reduce cost and help limit the carbon footprint of packaging production.
Sue Tait, global head of governance & 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,” says Guy Desmet, head of marketing offset solutions. “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 meters of trees in Brazil, which will create the ECO3 forest.
Looking to the future
The success of the Value Conference and the excellent feedback from the attendees have proved the need for industry events that provide real value by taking a more holistic approach.
“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,” comments Joan Vermeersch, VP marketing and technology. He adds, “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.”