Members of the Packaging Council of Australia (PCA) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a plan to join the Printing Industries Association of Australia (PIAA).
At an Extraordinary General Meeting held in Melbourne on Wednesday night, members voted unanimously to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Printing Industries to proceed with talks on how the two industry groups could best join forces.
Proxy votes from those who couldn’t attend the meeting were also strongly in favour of the move.
“It’s a good outcome for the members and the industry and it just makes sense,” says PCA CEO David Carter. “We’ve agreed that we will proceed with talks to enter into an MOU and continue to a point where we either merge or align with Printing Industries. Of course, that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t also be open to working with other packaging industry associations.
“I’ll be getting back to all of our members in the next couple of weeks to update them on the outcome and the next steps in the plan to move forward. We’re hoping we’ll be able to sign an MOU with the PIAA in the next six months that will list the areas where we can work together. Obviously we will have to investigate and research how that will work best. As the industry continues to evolve and change, we’re all looking for better solutions that will add value to our members.”
“Andrew [Macaulay, CEO, PIAA] and I are very keen to make something happen and we thought the best way to approach it would be to put some thoughts down on paper, an understanding of what we’re trying to develop,” says Carter.
In June this year, the PIAA welcomed Carter and the PCA into offices at its headquarters in Sydney.
Macaulay says the plan is “a terrific opportunity” for both organisations.
“We already share many of the same members and what David and I have been talking about is bringing the PCA into the PIAA as a sector group, with the resources and capacity to focus on its particular mission. PCA members would continue to have a unique voice and would get the benefits of PIAA membership, including our industrial relations service.”
The PCA represents producers and users of all types of packaging and packaged goods, with members covering the entire packaging supply chain – raw material suppliers, education institutions, packaging manufacturers and users, retailers as well as designers, consultants and other companies servicing the industry.