Speakers and Session Highlights

NAPIM's 2024 Annual Convention/Technical Conference
September 29 - October 1 | October 1 - October 4 | The Pfister Hotel | Milwaukee, WI

Thank you to all of our speakers!

This year, attendees gathered in Milwaukee, WI to hear from leading speakers at the 2024 Annual Convention/Technical Conference. They learned about emerging topics impacting the industry and had the opportunity to participate in sessions led by these impactful ink industry and top business leaders. Read more about this year's speakers below.

Monday, September 30

8:30 AM -11:00 AM

Navigating the U.S. Economy: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities: Michael Youngblood, Rockford University

Frequent NAPIM speaker Michael Youngblood, economist at Rockford University, presented on current economic trends, significant challenges, and potential opportunities in the U.S. economy. Michael also touched on government policies and the potential effects they may have on the U.S. economy, as well as other topics affecting the printing ink industry.

Keynote Address: Sachin Desai, ProAmpac

Sachin Desai, ProAmpac’s President and Chief Operating Officer, provided insights to the recent years of chaos in the flexible packaging industry and how ProAmpac has navigated those events.  Sachin discussed ProAmpac’s industry-leading growth over the past decade, the impact of market dynamics, supply chain disruptions, and shifting legislation on the packaging sector.  A key focus was the need for continued innovation, and how the precision, efficiency, and adaptability of the ink industry has been and will continue to be a vital component in innovation.

Tuesday, October 1
8:30 AM-12:30 PM

INK Panel: Chad Steiner, Sun Chemical; Bryce Kristo, INX International, Vipul Shah, Toyo Ink America, LLC; Moderated by Geoff Peters

Back by popular demand – this interactive session included some of the top companies in the business. The attendees joined leaders from the ink manufacturing industry as they discussed the current state of the industry and candidly answered questions directly from the audience.

Harnessing the Power of AI in Sales: Mary Ann McLaughlin, Butler Street

During this session, attendees learned what Generative AI truly is and why they need to embrace it, as well as which tools can improve the way you connect with clients, and tailor your marketing messaging in ways that really resonate. During this session, the group learned how to make their teams more productive, reaching more prospects and getting more meetings, as well as experience the feedback power of ChatGPT through role-practice scenarios and coaching feedback loops.

Revenue Management Software to Perfect Your Pricing: Jared Wiesel, Revenue Analytics

This presentation covered current pricing trends in the market and how best to adapt your pricing to meet these challenges. During the presentation, Jared Wiesel explored these topics through frameworks, success stories, and where to focus for the biggest impact. Jared is the Senior Vice President of Manufacturing & Distribution at Revenue Analytics, a pioneer in the pricing and revenue management space. Jared has 20 years of B2B pricing experience across industry, consulting & technology and has been on the senior leadership team at Revenue Analytics for 10 years.

NAPIM Business Meeting & Update: Geoff Peters, NAPIM President and Molly Alton Mullins, NAPIM Executive Director

NAPIM President Geoff Peters provided an association update, as well as highlighted some key initiatives underway for 2024 and beyond. The attendees congratulated NAPIM’s incoming and outgoing leadership, as well as understanding the programmatic priorities of the organization moving forward.

Wednesday, October 2

8:30 AM-11:30 AM

Short Course*: Greg Adams, INX International; Terry Clayton, Summit Analytical

This short course covered the basics of digital ink formulation and the hardware and software used in inkjet printing.  It was designed for conventional (contact) ink raw material suppliers, formulators and printers who are interested in gaining a fundamental background and understanding in the digital printing space.     

1:00 PM-2:00 PM

Innovations for Tomorrow’s Packaging Solutions: Martin Habekost, Dr. rer. nat., Toronto Metropolitan University: Martin Habekost, Dr. rer. nat.

The packaging space continues to be an area of intense interest and focus for ink manufacturers, printers, converters, brands and others in the packaging supply chain.  Packaging production technology is also rapidly evolving.  This important keynote presentation covered "the waterfront” of new technology and innovation in the packaging sector.  Understanding what’s coming next is critically important for all entities active in this space.

Thursday , October 3

8:00 AM-8:45 AM

EuPIA Update: Conelia Tietz

Global awareness (the EU in particular) of regulatory and customer-driven requirements is a critical issue for printing ink manufacturers.  This presentation provided a comprehensive overview on ongoing regulatory challenges related to printing ink in Europa and in several European countries.

8:45 AM-9:30 AM

Hazcom 2024: Updating the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard: Denese Deeds and Chandra Gioiello

The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard is a critically important federal regulation designed to insure employee safety and health.   Since its implementation in 1983 there have been 3 major revisions to this standard – the most recent on May 20, 2024.   This presentation provided a detailed discussion of the product labeling and safety data sheet changes and compliance schedule, with a focus on mixture producers, contained in the most recent revision. 

10:00 AM-10:45 AM

TSCA/SNURs UV/EB Raw Materials: Michael Gould

With REACH coming into full effect during June of 2007 and with the passing of the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act (LCSA) for an 'overhaul' of TSCA in 2016, conducting business in the chemical industry in the U.S. and Europe has become increasingly challenging.  Add to that nearly every other country in the industrial world creating a "REACH-clone" of their own or worse (e.g., China), following along with the ever-changing and myriad rules of commerce in the chemical industry has become an expensive and frustrating challenge.  This particular talk focused on challenges specific to the energy curing market.

10:45 AM-11:30 AM

Innovation in Carbon Black: The Development Of Usable and Durable Biologically Derived Carbon Black Alternative From Living Ink Technologies: Stevan Albers; Les Watkins

Living Ink Technologies generates black pigments capable of replacing many grades of carbon black in offset, flexo and screen ink formulations.  Our innovative technology allows processed biomass to be converted into carbon black particles with small size, high porosity, high UV resistance and high heat tolerance.  Inks containing our innovative pigment have “inked” commercial corrugate and kraft boxes, graphic tees, footwear, cosmetic products, and plastic masterbatch products for consumer brands worldwide.  The company invited attendees to an open discussion of the additional opportunities to leverage this innovative carbon black alternative.  

12:30 PM-2:30PM

Analytical Equip/resources Panel: Natasha Banke, Moderator

Analytical instrumentation and laboratory capabilities are important resources to support printing ink suppliers.  In addition to use for quality control, business support for a variety of challenges that come up during printing and packaging operations at customers relies on capabilities to quickly assess root causes of problems.   The available equipment today which is compact and cost effective can allow for routine quick response to many customer situations.   This panel session featured speakers to outline basics of analytical problem solving and review of some basic analytical instrumentation suitable for all labs. 

2:30 PM-3:15PM

Color Measurement: Sarah Yarocki, Flint Group

This presentation investigated the comparison of low cost color measuring devices, both spectrophotometer and colorimeters, ranging in functionality and prices. In the printing industry press jobs vary from pizza boxes to automotive parts and the required sophistication of an instrument and its software will vary as well. As there is discussion of such low cost color measuring instruments being used more in the field to minimize discrepancies in print jobs, a study was conducted to show the relationship between the devices and accuracy of readings. A set of standardized high gloss tiles were obtained to be used as the standard control group for this experiment, including the actual published CIE Lab readings . Nine devices were gathered to take readings of the control group tiles. The delta values were calculated individually for the L (lightness), A and B (chromaticity) to show the differentiation between each device. Within the limitations of the study administered (number of instruments obtained and the conflicting inter-instrument software), we were able to see the consistency and accuracy across the devices to evaluate where they are best fit dependent on the application.

3:30 PM-4:15 PM

Overcoming Challenges in Ink and Coating Development for Wetting Difficult Substrates in Packaging Industry: Kai Yang, Evonik

Wetting out challenging substrates has become one of the most difficult aspects of ink and coating development. From low-density polyethylene to oriented polypropylene, metallic film, and even aluminum foil, packaging producers have continued to evolve their offerings, posing a significant challenge for formulators. Additionally, changes in regulations have put pressure on the industry to not only perform well on the printing press but also meet all regulatory requirements for consumer needs. Customers have also been facing challenges with ink wetting changing throughout the shelf life due to hydrolytic stability issues from the surfactant.

4:15 PM-5:00 PM

Beyond PCF – Data-driven product transformation: Volker Spaeth

In today's environmentally conscious landscape, reducing carbon footprints is paramount. This presentation explored the innovative approach of data-driven product transformation as a means to not only identify, but also mitigate GHG emissions. By examining a specific case study focused on a wax emulsion with a near-zero carbon footprint, we demonstrated how the use of data-driven insights can lead to tangible reductions in environmental impact. This example serves as a blueprint for companies seeking to navigate the complexities of sustainability while maintaining profitability.

Friday, October 4

8:00 AM-8:45 AM

Pre-Milling: A Vital Addition For Enhancing Product Quality and Process Productivity: Patrik Maeder

In the manufacturing of printing ink, paint, and coatings, wet grinding is an integral process. This presentation provided insight as to how innovative pre-milling technology can substantially enhance the overall milling process leading to increased productivity, quality assurance, and improved sustainability. Manufacturers can achieve optimal particle size distribution and superior product quality while reducing operational costs and environmental impact.

8:45 AM-9:30 AM

Particle Size Measurement: Anderson Bonon

9:45 AM-10:30 AM

Improved printability by innovative tack and emulsification control: Greg Hoelscher; Frank Betzinger

This presentation covered new and innovative measurement technologies for tack and water emulsification in offset printing. 

10:30 AM-11:45 AM

2024 Sustainability Panel: David Wawer, CPMA; Jon Smieja, Ph.D, Trellis Group

Customer sustainability pressures on the color industry value chain are driven by a combination of national and international legislative proposals, regulatory initiatives from government bureaucracies, non-governmental groups (NGOs) advocating narrow policy agendas, company executives’ personal beliefs, and consumer trends. Strategies for navigating this maze of conflicting and sometimes contradictory influences to preserve customer markets in the printing inks, commercial printing, and packaging industries require value-added partnership with customers and suppliers across industry sectors. Successful supply chain partnerships will determine business sustainability for the color industry value chain and its customers.  

Transitioning the global economy toward one that BOTH meets the needs of the 8+ billion people on Earth AND does so within planetary boundaries is an immense challenge. Every sector of the economy will need to do more with less, lower net carbon emissions, and develop safe and cyclable chemistry. As a vital industry within the global economy, the printing ink manufacturers have a huge opportunity to lead the way on the sustainable transition.