The move to consolidation continues apace with the Label and Tag Manufacturers Association of Australia (LATMA) moving closer to an amalgamation with the Australia New Zealand Flexographic Technical Association (ANZFTA).
Hot on the heels of the mega merger of leading industry supply groups GAMAA and VISA, the boards of LATMA and ANZFTA will meet next month to finalise a constitution that will lay out of the terms of their long-anticipated merger into one entity.
“There’s no reason why it should not go ahead,” said Mark Easton, LATMA president. “The majority of both memberships are in favour of the move. Once we have the final draft of the constitution we’ll take it out on the road and get some feedback before there's a final vote of all members.
“LATMA definitely sees the benefits of the move. Membership is falling and there are now more people leaving the industry than coming in. We can’t give a 100% guarantee that it will happen because it still has to be signed off by the both memberships and there are lots of legalities to deal with, but we are planning as if the deal is definitely going ahead, hopefully by October this year.
Easton said the move would bring great benefit to both memberships, with increased footprint in industry involvement. It would overcome duplication of memberships for converters and suppliers on both associations, as well as offering larger and more time-beneficial events and functions for members, he said.
“The whole printing industry is moving towards consolidation. We would represent a significant portion of the print and packaging industry and broaden our knowledge base by experiencing the best of both worlds.”
A number of possible names for the new organisation are already being tossed around, said Easton. “The name is going to be a little harder. We’ve had several suggestions but nothing has yet stuck.”