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IADD•FSEA ODYSSEY 2009 - A Bright Success in Tough Times |
Winston Churchill said, “Success is not
final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage
to continue that counts.”
 It is with this spirit that the IADD/FSEA
Odyssey celebrated its 5th Anniversary May 6-8,
2009 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Each year the
Odyssey has faced – and triumphed over –
specific and particular challenges. However this
year's rather daunting economic and industry
pressures, coupled with concerns about health
pandemics, required exhibitors and attendees
alike to take a leap of faith in supporting the
show. Obviously it paid off, as the show closed
amidst high praise and general optimism that
Odyssey will be a catalyst for both industry
change and future economic recovery.
Every two years, Odyssey brings together the
industry’s most innovative and progressive
companies under one roof. For three days, it
offers a comprehensive program designed to
educate and serve all segments of the converting
industry. Attendees raved about the high quality
of this year's educational sessions and the
information that was presented there. Many
commented that it was just what was needed in
these challenging times.
With a theme of "Explore ... Experience …
Excel," attendees were encouraged to take
advantage of this opportunity to explore
strategies for profitability, experience a place
where technology soars, and excel with
practical, real-time solutions. This year seven
media partners helped to grow the show’s
visibility. Through the efforts of Board
Converting News, Converting Hotline, Corrugated
Today, The Cutting Edge, Inside Finishing,
Official Board Markets, Paperboard Packaging,
Paper, Film & Foil Converter, and Georgia
Printer Odyssey reached further out into the
industry than ever before, expanding the impact
of the show while still retaining its focused
nature.
Exhibitors were pleased to meet so many
potential customers, and a large segment of the
equipment displayed in the Technology Hall and
Techshop was sold and is on its way to new
owners.
Odyssey 2009 featured 8 hands-on Techshop and 18
classroom sessions, plus 6 New Products &
Processes Showcases. The 943 people registered,
who represented 20 different countries, filled
700 sessions seats and 152 showcase seats. They
were able to visit and explore 91 exhibiting
companies in 167 booths. During Odyssey, the
IADD unveiled its new Can-Am Braille Standard,
developed in cooperation with the Braille
Authority of North America, and Kevin J. Carey
of DieInfo received the IADD Lifetime
Achievement Award. FSEA honored a number of its
members who won Gold Leaf Awards.
Beyond the numbers, Odyssey was best summed up
by one of the planners who said, "Not only do
people come to the show to look and buy, they
come there to dream. Of course dreams are no
good without action, but I believe that anyone
still in business today would have to be both a
dreamer and a person of action. Odyssey planted
a lot of dreams in the minds of attendees; just
think what that will do for our industry now and
in the future."
It's not too early to plan now for the next
Odyssey which will be held at the Nashville
Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, USA
on May 4-6, 2011. We hope to see you there!
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FSEA Now Foil & Specialty Effects Association |
 The
Foil Stamping & Embossing Association, Topeka,
Kan., is pleased to announce an exciting
expansion in the direction of its association.
As of March 1, 2009, the association’s name is
now the Foil & Specialty Effects
Association – although still the FSEA. The
continuous emergence of print-enhancement
technologies in the marketplace such as cold
foil technologies, specialty coatings,
laminates, and laser cutting has created a
wealth of opportunity for growth in the print
finishing industry. It is the goal of the Foil &
Specialty Effects Association to embrace these
emerging technologies that complement foil
stamping and embossing. The use of foil and its
counterpart, embossing, will remain an integral
focus of the association. It remains the lead in
the new association name.
The Foil & Specialty Effects Association plans
to serve as a resource and educational platform
for many of these new decorating technologies,
as well as continue its support of existing
ones. According to FSEA Executive Director Jeff
Peterson: “New technologies to apply foil, such
as the cold foil process, continue to develop.
As an entirely different foil process that
requires no stamping, cold foil technology has
its own set of applications and is not viewed as
competitive to conventional foil stamping is
most situations.” Furthermore, common ground
does exist, particularly in growing the use of
foil in the marketplace – a main objective of
the FSEA.
Many FSEA members currently engage in several
value-added processes, which offers even more
reason to unite. Now a cohesive resource for all
decorative finishing needs, a sounding board
that covers a wide range of processes, and an
even greater opportunity to connect and network
on a broader scope will exist for current and
prospective FSEA members.
“Keeping the acronym FSEA was important to this
change, because it is recognized nationally and
internationally, drawing more than 10,000 hits
to the FSEA website each month,” Peterson
continued. “We are the same FSEA but with a
broader, unified focus.” The FSEA officially launched its name change
at a press
conference on February 27, 2009, at Graphics of
the Americas. For more information on the Foil &
Specialty Effects Association or on becoming a
member, call (785) 271-5816 or visit www.fsea.com.
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2008 FSEA National Convention a Shining Success
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The Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA)
hosted a record turnout at its 11th national
convention at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort &
Villas in Scottsdale, Ariz. last April. A
group of over 150 attendees
and guests gathered from 10 different countries
to enjoy three days of educational programming,
networking opportunities, and the warmth and
sunshine of Scottsdale. Speaker highlights
included PIA/GATF CEO/President Michael Makin in
a State of the Industry address, Rich MacInnes
from Net Results on lean practices, a technology
panel on new trends with foil and finishing, and
an entire afternoon track on ‘Pathways to
Finishing Green’. The convention kicked off with
the Supplier Trade Fair and Welcome Reception
where participants had the opportunity to visit
with industry vendors and peers in a festive
pavilion with a southwestern flare. The event
attracted area print/finishing companies, in
addition to convention attendees. Adventure in
the Sonoran Desert with a desert Hummer
excursion and golf tournament at Stone Creek
Golf Club drew a record number of participants
who happily soaked up the sunshine and warmth of
the day! The convention culminated with the
FSEA’s gala Gold Leaf Awards Banquet, where
guests had the rare opportunity to experience a
Native American hoop dance. McGraphics, Inc. of
Nashville, Tenn., received the prestigious ‘Best
of Show’ award for its Halloween invitation set
and Prism Grafix from Australia received an
Honorable Mention for its 2008 calendar. Among
the many awards presented to all the 2007 Gold
Leaf Award Winners, special recognition was
given to past FSEA Chairman Kevin Bennitt (Fine
Arts Engraving) and to the FSEA 2008 Lifetime
Achievement Award Recipient, Fred Isler (Bobst
Group North America). Visit our gallery of
photos from the
2008 FSEA
National Convention.
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FSEA
Offers Lean Training through Net Results
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The Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA) and Net Results, Inc.
have developed a new program together to
offer FSEA members Net Results Lean
Enterprise training courses at a
discounted rate. These training courses
are based on the Lean Enterprise Memory
Jogger series published by GOAL/QPC. The
Lean Enterprise courses offer a
practical knowledge base to transform
your company into a Lean Enterprise,
retaining valued customers when price
and cost pressures continue to be a
challenge. Course content emphasizes
identification and prevention of waste
(i.e., extra time, labor, materials,
motion, etc.). The Lean Enterprise
courses include the following:
Introduction to the Lean Enterprise,
Error Proofing, Visual Management, Quick
Changeover, Mapping the Value Stream,
and Total Productive Maintenance.
Rich MacInnes, CEO of Net Results, Inc.,
and author of the Lean Enterprise Memory
Jogger series, gave two
presentations at the FSEA
National Convention in April.
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2008 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient -
Fred Isler |
The Foil & Specialty Effects Association is
pleased to present its 2008 Lifetime Achievement
Award to Alfred ‘Fred’ Isler of Bobst Group. The
prestigious award recognizes Isler for his
nearly five decades of commitment to the growth
of the foil stamping and embossing industry and
for his leadership in introducing revolutionary
technologies, especially in the areas of large
format stamping, embossing, and diecutting.
Isler began to work for Bobst S.A. in Lausanne,
Switzerland, in 1960. Six years later he
transferred to Bobst Group USA as a field
service technician and began to work with others
to develop a Bobst 49″ hot foil stamping
prototype for Hallmark Cards, Inc. A year later,
Isler installed the 49″ unit at Alford
Packaging, the first company to produce
cigarette and cosmetic packaging on a large
format machine. In 1973 Isler was promoted to
Bobst’s technical staff and moved to company
headquarters in Roseland, N.J., where he was
instrumental in introducing Bobst folder-gluers
in the North American market and would be
heavily involved in customer training for the
next 20 years. After numerous other promotions,
Isler became director of Special Technical and
Sales Support in 1992, responsible for customer
demonstrations and training courses for
customers and Bobst Group USA technicians and
sales staff. In 1993 Isler became vice president
and general manager of Bobst Canada. Although he
officially retired from the company in 2006,
Isler will continue to handle one major account
for Bobst until next year.
Isler’s strong leadership qualities and
dedication to customer service have earned him a
reputation of the highest regard among industry
peers. He was honored at the FSEA Gold Leaf
Awards Banquet in conjunction with the FSEA
National Convention in April.
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2007 Wage and Benefit Survey |
Following a similar survey conducted in
2001/2002, the 2007 survey is designed to provide
FSEA members and others with detailed
statistical information regarding the foil
stamping and embossing industry. The 2007
survey also includes information regarding
benefits, as benefits are increasingly an issue
in employee recruitment and retention. The
survey has been completed by companies actively
involved in the foil stamping and
embossing/trade finishing industry, allowing
others in our industry to benchmark their own
policies. This survey is FREE to members of the
FSEA and can be accessed through the Members
Only section of the site. Non-members can
purchase this document through our FSEA
Bookstore.
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Members Only Section
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Current members will be able to access valuable
information in our
Members
Only section – information that can be utilized
internally to increase productivity and
efficiencies, such as with archived InsideFinishing
technical articles and reports and ‘Question and
Answer’ technical articles. Information also can
be accessed and utilized to ‘sell the value of
foil and embossing’ such as with case studies
and research studies – formatted and designed as
presentations – just print and you’re ready to
go! Updated continuously, this section will be a
valuable source of information to help our
members increase their bottom line. Other items
you will find in this section in the future
include survey results, benchmark studies, and
more.
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FSEA Bookstore |
Visit our online
Bookstore. It
has all of the offerings from the Foil & Specialty Effects Association available and will
soon include links to publications from our members.
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Designer's Guide 2nd Edition |
"A Different Breed: The Designer's Guide to Foil
Stamping and Embossing" reference guide will take you on a journey through an exotic
world of color, texture, and dimension. An
informative sample-oriented book for designers
and printers – and a unique marketing tool for
foil stampers and embossers – the 2nd Edition
includes updated information and a new section
on preparing artwork.
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Employee Recognition Program
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The FSEA Employee Recognition Program is a great
way to show appreciation and recognition to your
employees for a job well done. It’s easy,
affordable, and available now through the
Foil & Specialty Effects Association.
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