IN 1990, ESMA WAS FOUNDED BY A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT SCREEN PRINTING MANUFACTURERS IN EUROPE. THE MAIN GOAL WAS TO HELP THE SCREEN PRINTING
INDUSTRY TO SURVIVE AMONG OTHER NEW PRINTING TECHNOLOGY. THEN, ANOTHER ASSOCIATION WAS STARTED IN THE UK. THE OBJECTIVES WERE STRAIGHTFORWARD: TO RAISE THE TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE SCREEN PRINTING TECHNOLOGY AND CREATE NEW APPLICATIONS IN DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES. PETER BUTTIENS, ESMA GENERAL MANAGER, TELLS US MORE ABOUT IT.
HQ: Could you tell us a little bit about ESMA?
Peter Buttiens: In the beginning, the cooperation between the different printing manufacturers resulted in the start of technical conferences and seminars in Europe to leverage the knowledge among manufacturers but also among customers, ie the printers. The association grew and created new opportunities: in 2000, digital printing technology appeared. During the following years, there seemed to be some saturation in terms of growth but also in terms of objectives and results. In 2007, the headquarters of ESMA moved to Belgium. A General Manager was hired to give the association a new drive. In less than two years, ESMA became very professional and the number of members doubled.
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