President's Message
3rd Quarter | 2022

Andrew Jack
AIMCAL President of the Board

 

President's Message

"Hola,” AIMCAL members. A warm summer welcome to Q3, written whilst attending the R2R Europe Conference in Valencia, Spain. It is great to be back to in person events, and the technical program delivered was well received by attendees. Hopefully, we can tempt a number of presenters to cross The Pond for the R2R USA in Orlando, FL, in September. A big thank-you also to AIMPLAS for its excellent hospitality and help in organizing the event. I hope that we can return in the coming years to make the European R2R Conference even larger.

I would like to add a few comments about our recently elected Board of Directors. Our newly expanded board for 2022 onward welcomes Todd Luman and Rod Sosa, both from the former Gravure Assn. of the Americas. They join Martha Sloboda as directors-at-large. Greg Williams moves into his new position on the Executive Board in the role of Treasurer. All of the above join an extremely dedicated, active board. I would like to offer special thanks to Milan Moscaritolo who sadly left the board this year to be replaced by Dante Ferrari as Past President after many years of serving AIMCAL. Milan’s dedication epitomized the effort required to help shape our organization to the level we currently find ourselves. Milan, you will be missed; however, I know you have made it clear that you intend to provide support in “other” ways, such as being the Chair of the Sustainability Committee. Thanks again.

The AIMCAL staff continues to do a great job keeping the organization running while bringing new value to our members in these challenging times. As usual, the current issue of Converting Quarterly is packed with good information about the latest technical and market developments in the web-converting industry, and with our third-annual Special Market Report on Labeling & Release Liners, produced in cooperation with TLMI.

Sadly, the war rages on in Ukraine; this, coupled with soaring energy costs and semiconductor-chip shortages, still are making business challenging. The packaging market is seeing food shortages but still is relatively buoyant. The main focus seems to be around product sustainability and how this affects cost in recycling, etc. “Net Zero” is a phrase used more and more as companies now are having to make pledges to reduce non-renewable energy use. As a consequence, both suppliers and converters are having to think about new and novel ways to improve their carbon footprint. This will not go away, and companies within our R2R industries are having to think to the future more and more. AIMCAL continues to innovate in this area, promoting technical sessions on Sustainability and Energy Reduction.

AIMCAL also continues to offer great networking, and in-person events are back. Please join us for these prestigious programs as we have both presenting and exhibiting opportunities available. AIMCAL will be hosting the following in Q3:


To conclude, I hope you all have a great summer and enjoy some vacation and family time. I look forward to seeing you all refreshed in Orlando in September. Please stop by to say hello. 


Your humble servant,

Andy Jack
President of the Board - AIMCAL


AIMCAL welcomes 2022-2023
officers and directors-at-large

AIMCAL elected officers and directors at its Annual Meeting during the 2022 AIMCAL Executive Leadership Conference (April 4-5, 2022, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC). Members also expressed their appreciation to Milan Moscaritolo of Rol-Vac LP, outgoing Past President, for his 13 years of service on the AIMCAL board. The new officers include President Andrew Jack of Emerson & Renwick, Vice President Bob Pasquale of New Era Converting Machinery, Treasurer Greg Williams of Transcontinental Advanced Coatings, and Dante Ferrari of Celplast Metallized Products as Past President. Jack, the association’s first president from outside North America, initially joined the Board in 2018 as a director-at-large. AIMCAL has expanded its Board from six to eight directors-at-large to reflect the addition of the Gravure AIMCAL Alliance (GAA), formerly the Gravure Association of the Americas. The two newly elected directors-at-large from GAA are Todd Luman of Interprint Group and Rodrigo (Rod) Sosa of Fres-co System USA, Inc. Another newcomer to the Board is Martha Sloboda of Duraco Specialty Materials. 

Five directors-at-large were re-elected: Joe Heinemann of Rayven, Inc.; Joseph Perdue of ECKART America Corporation; Kevin Sopczak of Shaped Wire/Leggett & Platt; Michael Sullivan of MTI Polyexe Inc., an Inteplast Group company; and Sarah Williams of Sputtering Components.

Bios of the officers follow.

President Andrew Jack joined Emerson & Renwick in January 2019 as sales director for the Coating and Laminating product line. Between 2013 and 2019, he was sales & marketing director for Vacuum Depositing, Inc., a custom roll-to-roll metallizer in Louisville, KY. Previous employers include the Bobst Group of Heywood, England, a leading producer of metallizing equipment, where he held positions in both sales and project management. As an active member of the Vacuum Coating Committee and co-chair for more than seven years, Jack has presented technical papers at AIMCAL and Society of Vacuum Coaters conferences. He is a resident of Burnley, Lancashire, England. Interests include golf and “proper” football.

Vice President Bob Pasquale is one of the founders and co-owners of New Era Converting Machinery and has served as its president since 1996. He holds four patents related to web processing and has been active in several trade associations, including AIMCAL, where he has delivered many technical presentations. He currently chairs the ICEC USA Steering Committee. He began his career working part-time for a family-owned converting-machinery manufacturer, Liberty Machine Co., Inc. His experience includes technical sales, project engineering and management, and supervision of manufacturing, engineering and new product development.

Treasurer Greg Williams currently serves as vice president – Global Technology & Development for TC Transcontinental’s Advanced Coatings business. He has been with Advanced Coatings for 31 years, mainly in product development and technology roles focusing on precision, cleanroom film- and foil-based coated products. An active member of AIMCAL’s Coating and Laminating Technical Committee, he has served as its co-chair for the past 10 years. His passion is working with customers to solve technical problems and enable rapid introduction of products.

Past President Dante Ferrari has been an active member of AIMCAL for many years. He has more than 20 years of experience in the flexible-packaging industry, including 18 years at Celplast Metallized Products, Ltd., Now president of Celplast, he started there as a technical service engineer and moved through a variety of positions, including business development engineer, product development engineer, sales and marketing director, and chief operating officer. He is leading a management buyout team that has purchased a majority stake in the business from its founders, Chuck Larsen and Bill Hellings. 


R2R USA Conference to focus on
technical knowledge and honors

The AIMCAL R2R (roll-to-roll) USA Conference will be held Sept. 26-29, 2022, at the DoubleTree by Hilton at the Entrance to Universal Orlando in Orlando, FL. See related preview article on page 32.

Highlights of the Conference include the presentation of the2022 Gravure Golden Cylinder Awards by the Gravure AIMCAL Alliance (GAA). Honorees will be recognized in four categories: Packaging and Label, Product, Publication, and Technical Innovation.

The first recipients of the AIMCAL Women in IndustryScholarship for Excellence (WISE) also will be honored. The WISE is awarded to women working in the roll-to-roll converting industry and intended to commend those who have overcome significant challenges, invested in STEM degrees and continue to make important contributions to the industry. Recipients receive funds to pay down student debt. Conference attendees will have an opportunity to help achieve the $100,000 goal to create an endowment for the WISE program to ensure women working in the web-converting field will continue to receive aid. Levels of support include Diamond Sponsor ($10,000+), Gold Sponsor ($5,000), Silver Sponsor ($1,000) and Friends of the AIMCAL Scholarship Fund (any amount from individuals or businesses).

Conference keynotes focus on Flexible Packaging, Sustainability, and Battery and Aerospace technology. The session schedule features tracks on Sustainability, Web Handling, Printed Electronics, Coating & Laminating, Flexible Packaging, Vacuum Processing, Gravure, Battery, and Nonwovens Coating & Laminating. An expanded exhibition area with 10-by-10-ft booths provides opportunities to network and discuss technologies, products and services in detail.

A detailed agenda and registration materials may be found on the AIMCAL website, www.aimcal.org (click on “Conference & Events,” then “R2R USA Conference”). 

 

Hybrid Web Winding course takes place
in October with weekly presentations

A hybrid online Converting School course on Web Winding will take place during October (Oct. 3-28). Taught by Dr. David Roisum of Finishing Technologies, Inc., the course features weekly online presentations that may be viewed on-demand and a live Q&A session with the instructor on Fridays on Zoom. On the final Friday, participants may schedule a one-on-one meeting with Dr. Roisum. The cost per course is $699 for AIMCAL members and $899 for non-members. Students who meet all course requirements receive a Certificate of Completion. To register, visit www.aimcal.org (click on “Education,” then “Courses”). AIMCAL also offers several online classes including Web Winding, Adhesion and Adhesives for Converters, Solution Preparation and Mixing, Drives for Web Handling, Web Slitting Technology, Web Handling and Converting, and Roll-to-Roll Vacuum Deposition onto Flexible Substrates.

 

New members receive pro-rated pricing

Apply now for AIMCAL membership and pay a pro-rated fee. With membership, all co-workers gain access to an extensive array of resources for the remainder of 2022.

Member benefits include an individual profile for each employee, an online member “Community” forum, “AskAIMCAL” business leads, access to the AIMCAL TVNetwork (more than 225 technical presentations), access to more than 10 years of Conference Proceedings, committee involvement in your industry segment, technical training, marketing, networking, member pricing for events, global market research reports, inclusion in the AIMCALSourceBook and the opportunity to present live webinars.

Learn about member benefits at www.aimcal.org (click on “Membership”) or contact Member Outreach Director Tim Janes at 803-948-9469 or [email protected]

 

AIMCAL supports and recruits members
at multiple fall 2022 events

AIMCAL will participate in several events this fall, including the 21st International Coating Science and Technology Symposium, Sept. 11-14, 2022, in Minneapolis, MN, which is organized by the International Society of Coating Science & Technology and facilitated by AIMCAL.

AIMCAL also will have a presence at Labelexpo Americas 2022, Sept. 13-15, at the Stephens Convention Ctr. in Chicago (near O’Hare Airport); The Battery Show North America, Sept. 13-15, 2022, at the Suburban Collection Showplace, in Novi, MI; and PACK EXPO International 2022, Oct. 23-26, in the Association Pavilion at McCormick Place in Chicago. 

 

AIMCAL membership adds eight

AIMCAL continues to grow, adding eight organizations since the last quarter. The newcomers represent academic and corporate entities, as well as refl ect AIMCAL’s international scope.

Central Piedmont Community College (Charlotte, NC): School prepares students for jobs in the packaging industry by providing a wide range of technical opportunities through a variety of manufacturing pathways and educational options, including degrees, certificates, continuing education and customized industry training. (704-330-4427)

Donau Carbon Technologies USA (Milwaukee, WI): The Italy-based company manufactures solvent-recovery systems, thermal-oxidation plants, air-treatment plants with wet scrubbers and bag filters, as well as technologies for the treatment and removal of aluminum scraps. (262-271-2283)

Flexo Concepts (Plymouth, MA): The firm produces TruPoint plastic doctor blades and MicroClean™ dry-media, anilox-cleaning systems and exports worldwide. Doctor blade applications include precision metering, wiping and cleaning associated with the application of coatings, print or other continuous production processes. (774-343-4306)

INOMETA GmbH (Herford, Germany): As a specialist in functional roller coatings and supplier of rotating elements used in the film, paper, printing, packaging and battery industries, the company's product portfolio includes technical pipes, roller tubes, winding cores, web-guide rollers, anilox rollers and printing adapters. (914-602-6572)

Jupiter Chemicals Private Limited (Rathdana, India): EngravePlus brand gravure/rotogravure printing cylinders in circumferences from 400 to 1,200 millimeters (mm) and lengths from 400 to 1,800 mm serve flexible-packaging laminate, polyvinyl chloride shrink label, decorative laminate and gift wrap applications. (+91-130-6623456, ext. 501)

Kono Kogs, Inc. (Green Bay, WI): Established in 1996, this refurbisher of thermal, catalytic and regenerative thermal oxidizers helps a variety of vertical markets meet stringent air-permit regulations and control air pollution more affordably. System performance is guaranteed, and warranties match new equipment warranties. (920-432-2699)

Spartech LLC (Maryland Heights, MO): Proprietary filmmaking capability produces complex structures, such as a range of medical-grade films for biohazard bags, medical device packaging, biopharmaceutical aseptic-sampling bags and breather bags. Other applications include specialty military packaging and biopharma packaging. (860-651-4899)

Verico Technology (Enfield, CT): Using waterless printing and coating technologies, this precision toll coater and contract manufacturer produces high-quality coated and laminated flexible substrates. Capabilities include cleanroom product up to Class 5,000, slot-die coating, and laminating and slitting of flexible substrates in widths up to 60 in. (860-951-4017) 

Learn about member benefits at www.aimcal.org (click Membership) or contact AIMCAL Member Outreach Director Tim Janes at 803-948-9469, [email protected].

 

AIMCAL Women’s Leadership Committee Member Profile:

P.J. Brown

 Technical Engineer, Omnova Solutions, Inc., A Synthomer Business (Monroe, NC)

Describe your current line of work and what interests you the most about it:
My role at Omnova is to bridge the gap between the design and production sides of our laminate gravure-printing locations. I work with our design team, external art houses and engravers to ensure the designs on our cylinders are clean, print-ready and set to spec.

I have always been a big fan of the technical and practical side of art, specifically the logic and math paired with the design and creativity; this is the ideal area of interest for me! I am able to see the process come to life, knowing the detail and intention that went into every design choice along the way, layered together to create a finished product people will fall in love with and design their spaces around. 

What areas of the R2R processing field are the most exciting now and into the future?
I absolutely love the printing industry! Every single step of the process is important, and the results of our eff orts reach nearly every person in the world, every day. We’re literally shaping the world around us, how people interact with our products, and designing a better future. It’s incredible to be a part of that unseen network and know that what we do makes a difference. Seeing the entire R2R industry develop technology to become more sustainable and efficient is fascinating; the creativity and innovations that I’ve seen during my time in the industry have already been impressive, and I can’t wait to see what other advances we come up with in the future. 

Did / do you have a female role model or mentor in your career, and what was this experience like?
I have not been fortunate enough to have had a female role model or mentor during my career, though I am grateful there are several incredible, brilliant women I am able to work with regularly here at Omnova. Working in a male dominant field has had its challenges to navigate as a woman, but I hope I have helped pave the way for future women in our industry. Meeting the women of AIMCAL’s WLC has been such a wonderful and refreshing experience, and I would encourage any woman reading this to join our committee. It’s important to know we all have similar experiences and obstacles to overcome, and to have the support of one another along the way.

What career advice can you give to women coming into the field to help assure their success?
Be yourself; you bring an innovative, exciting, fresh perspective to the table. You don’t need to alter your personality to be more outspoken or assertive, or less feminine, to be viewed as an equal. Your insight and knowledge are invaluable assets, and the right team will recognize those qualities and support your growth. We’re among the first generation of women who have the opportunity and resources to be seen and heard in the workplace, and you are paving the way for future generations to have an equal voice at the table.