Page 21 - FINAT Yearbook 2019

LONGLIST OF TOPICS, RANKED BY ORDER OF VOTE IN THE CONVERTER MEMBER SURVEY
(In blue the topics that were discussed during the Converter Roundtables and YPN ‘Night Dive’)
1. SUSTAINABILITY AND RECYCLING (72.5%) As one industry opinion leader put it recently: ‘Packaging (including labels, ed.) is the sustainability ambassador par excellence’. See also http://bit.ly/2UzPWD4 Following the recent public and EU focus on single use plastics, do we see a changing attitude towards the sourcing of composite packaging materials by brand-owners and retailer private brands? What are the industry experiences in proactively offering recycling solutions to the market?
2. TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT (66.7%) According to the FINAT RADAR, the availability of digital label printing equipment is more and more becoming a vendor requirement from the part of the brand-owners. Whilst the increasing demand for ever shorter runs, variable information and personalised branding is evident, the inherent over capacity is also a business risk. How are - in general terms - label companies handling this dilemma?
3. BUSINESS OUTLOOK (52.9%) After several years of recovery, the European economy appears to be at a turning point. Apart from Brexit, the possible escalation of (transatlantic) trade wars and uncertainty inside the eurozone are harming consumer and business confidence. What are in general terms the industry experiences and expectations for the coming 12 months? – this was subject of the main ELF
4. MARKETING (52.9%) In today’s digital age, the procurement of labels is no longer only a matter of personal relationships between buyer and seller. Not only has procurement become more impersonal with procurement departments being centralised and is this increasingly carried out via electronic tenders, in the internet space it is also a matter of branding your company via social media and content marketing. How are in general terms label companies adapting their marketing strategy?
5. NEXTGENWORKFORCE(51%)Recruitmentandretention of young talent are among the top 3 challenges for business leaders in the European label industry. What are the industry best practices in bringing in the next generation of talent, and what can the label industry do to ensure the alignment of education systems and the changing skillset?
6. MERGERS&ACQUISITIONS(41,2%)Withthelowinterest rates of the past years, private equity funds are full of cash and interest in the label industry is growing. With baby boomers ready to retire and the abundance of label businesses for sale, will we see an acceleration of industry consolidation, and if so will the label industry become a subset of package printing groups? And what are the prospects for the incumbent leader, after giving up his or her autonomy?
7. CURRENT WORKFORCE (39,2%) Digitisation and (workflow) automation are rapidly changing the shopfloor of label businesses. How can the existing, mid-career workforce that grew up in the ‘analogue age’ keep up with the pace of technology change? What are the industry’s best practices in developing our mid-career workforce, and turn them from conventional printers to ‘process engineers’?
8. DIVERSIFICATION(31,4%)AccordingtotheFINATRADAR, at least 20% of the label companies is currently offering multiple narrow-web converting solutions. What is the impact of this diversification on the organisation of the company in terms of process planning, marketing, customer service, workforce development?
9. BREXIT(25.5%)isaroundthe(oneafter)nextcorner.Asyet, the outcome remains unclear. ‘DEAL or NO DEAL?’ that’s the question. What can international label companies do and what have they already done to prepare for the different scenarios? What role could FINAT play?
10. SUCCESSION PLANNING (25,5%) If selling your family business is not an option, what are the experiences and industry best practices in preparing the company for the next generation? Who is the critical fail factor for a generation-hand-over of a label converter company: the retiring been-there-done-that senior, or the times-have- changed-so-we-change-everything junior? And what are the experiences in bringing in outside leaders? What is the role of external funding of next generation business ownership?
11. FINAT (15.7%) is the international platform for the label industry. What are the drivers behind being involved in the organisation? Information, network and collaboration and connections, how to make the best use of membership to fulfil your expectations?
12. DIVERSITY (13,7%) Generation change is also about a change towards substantially more female leadership. How can and will this change reshape the traditional, male dominated industrial environment of the label industry?
13. INTERNATIONALISATION (11.8%) Label business has typically been customer proximity business. In spite of recent protectionist tendencies, international market integration and technology evolution have opened up business opportunities beyond national borders. What are in general terms the options and strategies for expanding companies’ geographic reach?
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