Reporter Clips

Published: May 01, 2003, By Edward Boyle, Contributing Editor

Narrow Web Converting Industry News

Label Converters Delight in the Desert
With Camelback Mountain decorating the background and a bright blue sky overhead, converter members of the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) gathered at the Camelback Inn Resort in Scottsdale, AZ, March 5-8 for their annual meeting. Total attendance was 151.

The theme of the gathering was “Delighting Your Customers: It All Begins with You.” Popular speaker Larry Winget got things going with an entertaining presentation that included some common sense advice: “Most people would rather stay bad than do what they have to do to change,” he said, adding, “Shut up, stop whining, and get a life!” In other words, change is a constant. Get used to it, be flexible, take responsibility, and learn to recognize opportunities.

A panel on marketing value featured Tom Wasserman of Thomas Packaging, Dean Scarborough of Avery Dennison, and John Eulich of Mark Andy. Among the themes in their presentations: partner with suppliers; listen to customers; continue to train employees; and look for unmet needs if you want to counter some of the electronic auctions that exist just to lower prices. The last session featured a look at the consolidation crunch and its impact on strategic partnerships and packaging innovation.

One highlight of the Friday night banquet was the presentation of the World Label Association (WLA) Awards (see below). Another was the appearance of double-talk artist Durwood Fincher, introduced as a knowledgeable industry consultant, who proceeded to offer his “views.” Puzzled looks from the audience soon turned into gales of laughter as people caught on. Some of his double-talk may have sounded frighteningly similar to real motivational talks we've all heard, but it was all in fun.

In the WLA contest, the first-place winners in individual label competitions held by TLMI, the Japanese Federation of Label Printers (JFLP), and FINAT (European label converters) are judged against one another in a variety of categories to determine the “world's best labels.” In this year's competition, 23 awards were presented, with the number of winners almost evenly divided among the three world label associations: TLMI and JFLP members each won eight, while FINAT members won seven. Just one award can be given in each category; no “Best of Show” is awarded.

Following are the winners among TLMI members:

For more information contact TLMI at 630/357-9222 or visit tlmi.com.