European Specialist Printing Manufacturers Association turns 30 !
22 July 2020: What began as a collective effort of Europe’s major screen printing suppliers, the European Specialist Printing Manufacturers Association (ESMA) has completed 30 years of its existence. Owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there will not be any extensive celebrations in 2020. Hence ESMA has postponed its 30th anniversary General Assembly to 2021 when the occasion can be marked with strong member attendance.
ESMA was founded in 1990 in the United Kingdom as a supplier-led initiative to stimulate the growth and potential of screen printing. Currently, the association counts 67 member companies, with Zeller+Gmelin and Ricoh as the latest additions.
As a community of major industry players, as well as partner for a number of recognised research institutes, ESMA has established a community of professionals that help each other excel through education and collaboration. ESMA has grown and evolved to become a key platform of industrial printing. It represents the best in both screen and digital inkjet technologies, and looks with optimism into the next decade. Some of the key figures look back at their time with the association and share future outlooks.
“For over thirty years ESMA has successfully adapted and diversified through innovation and partnerships to continue to provide valuable services-not only to its membership but also to the wider printing community through its ‘Knowledge Hub’ and industry-leading conferences. The focus of ESMA has always to promote specialist printing processes, both screen and inkjet, with equal focus”, Debbie Thorp from Global Inkjet Systems, the current Chair of ESMA Board, said in a statement to the media.
In the words of Walter Frick, ex-Marabu and one of ESMA’s ‘founding fathers’: “ESMA members are working together for the benefit and further growth has not changed since the very beginning in 1990, when we started to create a platform where all suppliers, competitors or not, could meet and discuss. Good luck for the coming 30 years!”
www.esma.com
