Panel to Tackle Key Industry Issues Schedule l Panel l Register l Hotel FPPA has assembled an industry panel to address key issues that impact the short- and long-term success of your business. Topics include: What is the level of influence that Consumer Product Companies have on the way you are doing business (how far down the chain is the CPC involved in driving technology)? What do you see as the biggest technology change in your markets in the next 5 years (digital, thermal plates, inkjet)? Would you anticipate greater value and/or a cost savings in the pre-press area by utilizing digital workflow and digital platemaking for the corrugated market, even for non-process type printing?

Which digital platemaking technology is a better investment: laser ablation, laser engraving or thermal? Is short-run printing really a product that we want to offer? What makes this printing opportunity different? Do you use analog or digital proofing for contract proofs? If digital, what type of digital proofing device and how does it handle modified process and non-process colors? Digital plates vs. single light source exposure plates – what advantages and disadvantages do you see in comparing each process? Where do you see thermal platemaking fitting in a trade shop environment? Will this process make the solvent washout process obsolete? What experience or demand do you have or see for in-the-round plate manufacturing for wide and narrow web printing? Do you see printers continuing to pursue in-house platemaking? What do you view as the major reason for a printer to want to manufacture their own printing plates? What type of screening do you use for process work (conventional, hybrid or stochastic)? If not conventional, where do you use the other screening processes and why (line screen, substrate or results)? The number of mergers and acquisitions in our industry has slowed the past few years. Do you see that picking up in the future and what affect will that have on the industry as a whole? As trade shops, we make changes to our customers’ electronic files in an effort to make the graphic printable. We charge them for that service. Do you consider that work your property or your customer’s property? Do you readily give it to them when they ask? Over the last several years there has been an increasing quantity of both manufacturing and service sector work that has been transferred to or outsourced to low cost countries. What risks or opportunities are there that segments of our industry may be subject to this trend? Are any of you aware of any packaging prepress provided in North America that is being produced off shore? If so, what segments? Is the packaging prepress industry continuing to consolidate? If so, what are the positives and negatives concerning consolidation? If not, what are the positives and negatives concerning a dispersed provider base? These are just some of the questions that will be asked of the panelists during the Industry Panel at FPPA’s upcoming Management Workshop, September 21 in Las Vegas. Panelists include Neil Saunders, Container Graphics Corporation; Jan Noller, Graphic Design Services; Bill Ruch, NPP Packaging Graphic Specialists; and Chris Deye, Phototype. These are topics that impact the short-term and long-term success of your business. Can you afford NOT to participate in this discussion? It’s not too late to register. The registration deadline is September 10, 2004.

Sponsors FPPA thanks the following sponsors for their support: Agfa Corporation All Printing Resources Anderson & Vreeland Artwork Systems DuPont Imaging Technologies Esko-Graphics, Inc. The Pitman Company Rogers Corporation Useful Links FPPA Excellence in Flexo Pre-Press Awards - Don't Miss the September 10 Entry Deadline FPPA web site

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