Chairman's Report

Swifter, Higher, Stronger

The Olympics are over for another four years and all through the winning of medals, the joy and disappointment, is a bunch of Australians who have done their best to make us proud. You may have noticed as I did, that the Games were not even over, before the critics and knockers were putting on their boots to have a go at this year’s crop of Olympians for the medals they didn’t win.

While there is a lot more sweat and hard work by highly-trained athletes than what we in the flexo industry have to face every day, our battles are most likely just as tough. It’s not easy being in business these days and from what the economic pundits are saying, it most likely will get tougher before the sun shines once more.

The Olympic motto: “Citius, Altius, Fortius” translates from Latin to “Swifter, Higher, Stronger” and Olympic athletes hold these words in high regard to inspire them to achieve their goals.

An elite athlete’s world is one of constant competition, pressure and challenges. They spend countless hours training and preparing themselves to compete on the largest sporting platform of our time. So picking up on an old cliché - (isn’t it funny about clichés? In every cliché there is a golden nugget of truth) - “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”.

A motto for AFTA and the flexo industry might be: “Smarter, Faster, Better.”

Maybe it’s time for all of us to review the way we do business. Smarter means maximising new technology. Working smarter enables faster delivery to our customers. What are we doing that we could do better? What edge can we bring to deliver better service, better quality, better conditions, that will stamp our business as the one that the smart customers want to go to?

As Chairman of the AFTA Council, I have seen the enormous effort Council members have put in, to make this association relevant to the industry. Workshops, Forums etc., just don’t happen and behind it all, are people on phones; having meetings; to ensure it all comes together. Two of our members are from Sydney and for them to make a regular attendance is a minor logistical nightmare. I’d like to say thank-you to Ken and Joe for flying the AFTA flag in Sydney and we know that the success of the Sydney workshop held in August, is down to the promotion that these guys have done in that market.

But just like the champions coming home with medals, who can’t rest on their laurels, neither can we. The competition for them and for us, is far too fierce. The AFTA in the coming year, is looking at a range of things that we believe will be of interest to all sectors of the flexo industry. So watch your mailbox. Look at your emails and you’ll be the first to know. To everybody who has helped me this year, thank-you.

SEAN HOUBEN - Chairman