The printing ink market is in a time of transition. Some of the long-standing markets, such as newspapers and magazines, are in decline, while packaging remains steady. Meanwhile, new markets such as digital and conductive inks are emerging.

Knowing where opportunities lie and forming the partnerships that are needed to succeed in these new markets are critical to future success. In order to help companies gain further understanding of these shifting dynamics, the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) is focusing this year’s National Printing Ink Research Institute’s (NPIRI) Annual Technical Conference on the themes of Future Opportunities/Navigating/Markets/Partnerships.

The conference will be held at the Eaglewood Resort and Spa, Itasca, IL from Oct. 16-18, 2012. It will feature analysis from a brand owner’s perspective, looks at the state of the ink industry and raw materials, concurrent technical sessions and more.

The conference begins with two short courses in the morning. The first, “Regulation Navigation: Surviving Amidst the Perfect Storm,” will be presented by Richard Johnson of Penn Color. The second, “Adhesion Science for Ink Manufacturers,” will be led by BASF’s Greg Turco.

The opening session of the conference begins in the afternoon of Oct. 16 with keynote speaker Glenn Ventrell, who will discuss “Importance of Supply Chain Communication from a Brand Owner’s Perspective.” Mr. Ventrell, formerly senior director R&D packaging and customer innovation for Quaker Foods and Snacks and Global Nutrition Group, both divisions of PepsiCo., will focus on product packaging from a brand owner’s perspective.

Prior to joining Quaker, Mr. Ventrell served as senior director packaging innovation for Sara Lee, directing packaging for fresh bakery, breakfast and snacking products, lunch and dinner products, foodservice and beverage.. He also spent 20 years with Wrigley in various roles, where he held management roles in corporate procurement, international procurement, supply chain, business development and packaging R&D. His focus is on developing new products, consumer and customer insights and introducing new and different ways to work.

After Mr. Ventrell’s talk, Brad Bergey, NAPIM’s executive director, will then give his report on “The State of the Printing Ink Industry,” and Flint Group’s Diane Parisi will lead a panel on “The Future of Raw Materials,” covering key ingredients including kaolins, organo clays, TiO2 and oxidized solvents. A reception and tabletop session will follow.

“Glenn’s keynote will focus on the importance of supply chain collaboration and communication from a major brand owner’s perspective,” said George Fuchs, director of regulatory affairs and technology for NAPIM. “In addition, the opening session will include cutting-edge information on critical graphic arts raw materials supply issues from leading suppliers to the ink industry. This session will be followed by our tabletops exhibit and reception.

“The conference will also provide state-of-the-art presentations and short courses from industry expert on regulatory compliance, analytical techniques and hot topics like color engineering and printed electronics,” Mr. Fuchs added. “The Fall Open Board Reception, Dinner and industry awards ceremony will also take place on the evening of Oct. 17 at the Eaglewood Resort and Spa.”

The Oct. 17 concurrent sessions cover Process Economics and Regulatory issues. The day also includes the annual golf outing and the awards reception.

The Process Economics features the following talks:
• 2012 NPIRI Lecture Series Winner’s talk.
•  Valerie Woodward of Lubrizol Advanced Materials – “Analytical Techniques Used in the Characterization of Heatset Printing Inks.”
• Axel Fisher, International Association of the Deinking Industry – “How to Get the Ink Off the Paper – A Deinking Technology Update.”
• Shawnacy McManus, Hockmeyer – “Optimizing Your Process Through Partical Analysis.”
• David Carreiro, ThermoFischer – “XRF Technology as a Raw Material Screening Tool for Ink Manufacturers.”

The Regulatory Session includes talks on:
• Dave Schlott. Environ Corp. – EHS Auditing – ‘How to’ for Ink Manufacturers.”
• Kevin Facklam, INX International Ink – “European Food Packaging Safety Issues and Programs.”
• Rich Johnson, Penn Color – “REACH and the U.S. GHS/HazCom.”
• Ed Casserly, Ergon, and Tom Gwizdalski, Resolute Oil – “Mineral Oils – An Update on Current Regulatory and Health and Safety Issues.”
• Christina Kelley-Astorga, Food Safety/Quality Systems – Food Safety SQF Requirements – What Ink Manufacturers

The talks on Oct. 18 focus on New Technology Innovations, beginning with “Update – EB Technology in Printing/Packaging Applications, given by Steve Lapin of PCT Engineered Systems. “An Alternative to Bisphenol -A based Epoxy Acrylates” will be presented by Mike O’Brien of Stepan Company.
Danny Rich of Sun Chemical will analyze “Graphic Arts to Graphic Engineering.” Sally Ramsey of Ecology Coatings will discuss “A UV Curable Grease Resistant Coating Comprised of GRAS Components,” and Dave Pope of NovaCentrix will close the conference with his talk on “Printed Electronics – An Update for Ink Manufacturers.”

For more information on the 2012 Technical Conference, including the 2012 Awards, Tabletops, Supplier Showcases, the 2012 Agenda/Program and registration forms, contact the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) office at (732) 855-1525 or its web site at www.napim.org.