Afera, the European adhesive tape association, announced the resounding success of its 1st Global Adhesive Tape Summit, which boasted a sold out programme of market and technical lectures, and biennial international test method and standards committee meetings.
Themed ‘Relationships and drivers in the tape business: Creating and leveraging technology, markets, processes, value and opportunities,’ the Summit saw the attendance of more than 230 tape related company delegates, including a significant number of CEOs and heads of R&D, from 15 European countries including Turkey, China, India, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, the UAE and the USA. Afera members made up about 71% of the participants – 43 from Afera member tape manufacturers and 104 from member suppliers of raw materials, machines and packaging.
“The sheer amount of information shared in the lectures and the quality of the papers and speakers probably made this the best business event I have ever experienced,” commented Evert Smit, Summit host, Afera Technical Committee chairman and presidential nominee, and head of R&D at Lohmann GmbH & Co KG.
“The strongest idea that I am coming away with is that we are all in this industry together – manufacturers, suppliers, converters,” Mr Smit continued. “Not only will we have to cooperate and create together in order to survive,
but we are going to have to be more transparent in everything we do, and in many ways, this begins at an event such as the Summit.”
On the first day of the Summit, Afera hosted the biennial international meeting of the regional industry associations and their test method experts. Nearly 30 delegates from the national/regional adhesive tape associations of China (CATIA, The China Adhesives and Tape Industry Association), Taiwan (TAAT, The Taiwan Regional Association of Adhesive Tape Manufacturers), North America (PSTC, The Pressure Sensitive Tape Council) and Japan (JATMA, The Japanese Adhesive Tapes Manufacturers Association) gathered at the Global Tape Forum (GTF) and Global Test Methods Committee’s 6th set of biennial meetings to work through agendas loaded with standardisation issues such as harmonising test methods and guidelines, sharing market statics and trends, comparing environmental legislation and classifying of tape products, identifying world markets not yet organised, and reporting on demand increase initiatives.
“The GTF brings global players even closer together in sharing common goals for expanding the application of tape and consequently our members’ markets,” commented Michael Yang, GTF chairman and CATIA secretary general. “The reason we came to Munich with a particularly large delegation is that we wanted to expand our knowledge and to develop our contacts in the global industry.”
Providing market production data and analysis
During the summit, multiple presentations were delivered by delegates from each global region represented in the GTF. Session one kicked off with global and national market overviews, most of which were first reviewed in the GTF meeting the day before.
Participants learned that with steady technological progress and improved efficiency and quality, China’s tape industry will maintain an annual growth rate higher than that of GDP, around 7%. Over the next few years, Taiwan expects a relatively slow growth rate of 2% CAGR. Japan makes up less than 10% of the global tape market in sales, which in 2016 was US$3.7 billion, and its market volume is slowly shrinking. In western Europe, adhesive tape production will rise a modest 1.2% annually to 6.3 billion square metres in 2018.
Afera to hold 61st annual conference
Afera has additionally announced the launch of its adhesive tape industry annual conference, the premier event for the European tape business, taking place in Athens, Greece, at the Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso from 3rd to 5th October 2018.
Themed ‘Innovation and digitisation in adhesive tape technology’ and its impact on suppliers, sales channels, product development, converters, supply chains, business models, technology and the application process, the conference will provide tape industry professionals with the opportunity to interact with industry leaders, sales and technology drivers, and future focused speakers.
Afera, the European adhesive tape association, is comprised of over 100 member companies from 20 European countries that represent the scope of expertise of the tape industry. Aiming to promote adhesive tape as one of the most effective, innovative and economical bonding and fixing solutions, as well as to act as the voice of the European adhesive tape industry, Afera actively studies relevant market and regulatory issues, provides platforms for discussion and learning, and facilitates contact among its members and all other pertinent bodies at national and international levels.
Having spent a decade in the fastener industry experiencing every facet – from steel mills, fastener manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, as well as machinery builders and plating + coating companies, Claire has developed an in-depth knowledge of all things fasteners.
Alongside visiting numerous companies, exhibitions and conferences around the world, Claire has also interviewed high profile figures – focusing on key topics impacting the sector and making sure readers stay up to date with the latest developments within the industry.
