04/20/2023

[NAPIM Spring Convention] 2023 Spring Convention Wrap-Up

March 24–26, 2023 • Silverado Resort & Spa • Napa Valley, CA

2023 Spring Convention Wrap-Up

The Silverado Resort & Spa, in Napa, California, was the site of NAPIM’s 2023 Annual Spring Convention. Over 120 members and non-members gathered to enjoy a sunny, picturesque resort while learning about important topics concerning ink sustainability, environmental standards, regulatory and economic issues, and artificial intelligence. Attendees also participated in golf outings, various excursions, and other activities throughout the weekend.    

This year’s keynote speaker was leadership expert - Mike Staver. Mike kicked off the opening session with an engaging and inspirational address focusing on developing effective leadership in the corporate environment. Throughout his keynote presentation, Mike identified practical techniques and tactics designed to assist senior managers in becoming more impactful and effective leaders. Mike’s presentation provided a rousing start to this year’s event.

After, NAPIM held its Annual Meeting where a new slate of NAPIM’s treasurer’s reports was approved and a new slate of directors and officers were elected. 

Next, Thomas Swift of ICIS delivered an economic overview of the specialty chemicals industry. Mr. Swift, a long-time economist with the American Chemistry Council, leveraged his wealth of experience in the chemical industry to offer insightful comments on the status of, and future developments in, the industrial specialty chemicals space – an area of great focus and interest for both ink manufacturers and suppliers to the printing ink industry.

Saturday’s program began early with must-attend business sessions. Nick Talkien of Albert Invent presented an intriguing and eye-opening view of the possibilities and impacts of machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML/AI) in the specialty chemicals industry. Mr. Talkien’s session introduced ML/AI with specific examples of the potential uses of this technology in ink and mixture formulation industries.

George Fuchs of NAPIM followed with a printing/printing ink focused presentation covering technical, market and regulatory issues for the graphic arts industry.  Mr. Fuchs’ presentation offered information on 2023 NAPIM sponsored technical and training events, current, printing ink-related, government data on foreign trade, producer prices and energy costs. Fuchs finished his presentation with coverage of domestic and global regulatory issues and trends affecting the graphic arts market.

Saturday’s sessions concluded with comments by Rohit Sabnis of law firm Keller and Heckman (K&H). K&H has worked extensively with NAPIM and many of its member companies for decades and has an intimate knowledge of the printing ink industry. Sabnis’ comments focused on recent legal developments related to California’s Proposition 65 regulations.