Industry campaign broadens its support – Bernard Cassell

Industry members sign on for the paper-part of everyday campaign following recent capital city meetings.

The industry promotion campaign is gathering pace with a number of companies joining APIA as associate members in order to contribute to the campaign. The increased momentum comes as industry associations – Printing Industries, GAMAA and GASAA – meet this week to decide on the form of their participation. According to Bernard Cassell, APIA chairman and CEO of CPI, the associations have all pledged to support the initiative, but he acknowledges it may prove difficult to decide on the best form.

“We at APIA reorganised ourselves a long time ago to make this work. We have a very lean administration and all the fees now paid by companies joining as associated members go entirely to fund the campaign. I recognise the other associations have to work through how they can best contribute,” he said.
However, he believes it is important that companies also get behind the campaign and not leave it entirely to the associations.

“Associations cannot fund this by themselves. It is vitally important individual industry members join in,” he said. “Last week I signed up three new members and we are currently talking to twenty others.”

According to Cassell, it does not matter how the campaign is run as long as there is good industry participation. He wants to see the widest industry involvement from associations as well as individual companies.