NPES and German Industry Association VDMA Continue Transatlantic Collaboration
RESTON, Va. — November 21, 2016 — NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies and the German VDMA Printing and Paper Technology Association met at the NPES 2016 Annual Conference and PRIMIR Fall Meeting, held Nov. 14–16, in Marco Island, Fla., to continue the dialogue between the two associations.
Dr. Markus Heering, managing director of the VDMA, and NPES President Thayer Long announced that the ongoing cooperation in the field of international market research would deliver first results very soon. “At the moment, we are carrying out a joint study of the global packaging printing market,” explains Heering, adding that its results would be made available to the member companies of both associations.
NPES and the VDMA share information on the content of basic and advanced training in an increasingly digital environment. “We can learn from each other—and, in some cases, also prevent that our industry reinvents the wheel two or even more times,” Heering said, explaining that, as a long-term objective, he hopes for joint industrial standards for digital networking, harmonized qualification as well as broad market research that can profit from the assessments and experience made on both sides.
Whether and to what extent their cooperation will be embedded into a strong Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement — for which the VDMA and NPES have advocated unceasingly — is uncertain. “Our associations are in agreement that we do not wish to abandon the bonds of cooperation we have established,” notes Heering, emphasizing that it would be even better if, in the end, the TTIP transatlantic free trade and investment partnership came into being. “NPES and the VDMA remain convinced that the harmonization of international standards is a key tool to boost transatlantic trade,” says Long, adding that the machinery manufacturing industry on both sides would profit.
About NPES
NPES is a U.S. trade association representing more than 600 companies that manufacture and distribute equipment, software and supplies used across the workflow of printing, publishing and converting processes. NPES is a co-sponsor of the global PRINT exhibition, and Graph Expo — the most comprehensive exhibition in the Americas of inkjet, digital, offset, flexo, gravure and hybrid technologies, products, and services for the commercial, transactional, converting and package printing, publishing, mailing, in-plant, photo imaging, marketing and industrial printing industries.
About VDMA
VDMA represents over 3,000 member companies in the engineering industry, making it one of the largest and most important industrial associations in Europe. VDMA covers the entire process chain — everything from components and plant manufacturers, system suppliers and system integrators through to service providers — reflecting the varied customer-supplier relations all along the value adding chain, permitting both industry-specific and intra-industry cooperation. VDMA lends a powerful voice to its members both on the national and international levels with current representation focal points including: labor market and pay policy/deregulation; education policy/attracting new generations; tax policy; research/technology policy; corporate financing; trade policy; environment and energy policy; and trade fairs/trade fair policy.
Source: NPES.
