Semi-Annual Meeting 2024: Sessions

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Keynote Address: "My Story: Unstoppable"

Speaker: Anthony Robles

On July 20, 1988, the doctors were not prepared when, Judy Robles, age 16, gave birth to a baby boy who was missing his right leg. The doctors could not explain what went wrong or why I was missing a leg. My mom, however, always told me growing up that “God made me this way for a reason” and she made me believe it. I finally realized what that reason was when at the age of 14, in Mesa, Arizona, I tried out for the wrestling team. My first year was horrible. I was the smallest kid on the team weighing in at a whopping ninety pounds and without question, the worst wrestler; finishing my first year with 5-8 record and in last place at the Mesa City wrestling tournament. Not many people believed that a tiny kid born with one leg, the worst wrestler in the city, would ever excel in such a demanding sport . However, with the support of my family and my coaches, I believed I could one day be a champion wrestler. Despite various obstacles along the way, I went from being last in the city to finishing my junior and senior years at Mesa High School with a 96-0 record , a 2-time Arizona State Champion and a high school National Champion. Despite finishing with an awesome high school record , few college wrestling programs believed I could excel at the next level. They thought I was too small to wrestle in college and that a one legged wrestler could never compete with the nations best college wrestlers. My mom raised me with my head in the clouds, so I believed I could do anything I set my mind to. This way of thinking compelled me to walk onto the Arizona State University wrestling team to prove to them, and the world, anything was possible. Through trials and hardships, both on and off the wrestling mat, I finished as a 3-time All-American and the 2011 NCAA National Champion. Although my competition days on the mat are over, I will continue to wrestle the opponents life brings my way -- all the while believing that I am unstoppable.

General Session #1

"From a Production Consultant Perspective: How to Enhance Your Performance"

Speaker: Howie Fenton  (Howie Fenton Consulting)

Join us as we delve into the strategies, methodologies and metrics used to assess manufacturing performance. This course provides insight into manufacturing facilities, especially those that manufacture print, signage, and specialty graphics. You will learn how to quickly implement process improvement strategies, including those from the best-selling book “The Goal”. Our discussion will include measuring growth, industry benchmarks, staff performance, identifying and resolving bottlenecks, cost savings, quality control issues, rework, insourcing vs outsourcing, competitive pricing, and customer feedback. Whether you want to enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, or improve customer satisfaction, this presentation will provide insights to improve operations.

General Session #2

"AI: Game-Changing Technologies That Will Impact Manufacturing and Distribution"

Speaker: Gene Marks  (The Marks Group)

You’ve read about ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Nvidia, Einstein, and other AI tools that will be changing the way we work, both in the short and longer term. As a business leader in the manufacturing and distribution industry, you want to leverage this technology to increase both productivity and profits. So what should you know now? Where should you be investing?

Gene Marks, a Forbes Technology columnist and CEO of The Marks Group, a technology consulting firm, will share his thoughts on the biggest technology and AI trends that will affect your industry in the near and long term and help you make the right investment decisions.

Industry Best Practice: "Color Matching"

Speaker: Michael Voight  (swissQprint)

A company’s logo is their trademark. Printing that logo must be done in a consistent manner every time it is ordered. Color profiling allows you to have a starting point that you can get back to if inks/stocks are changing. Members will take away information on:
  - Difference in matching color with Screen vs digital
  - Viewing conditions: Why the right color source is important
  - Equipment required to create profiles: Spectro photometer
  - Step by step guide to create a color profile
  - Why color profiles need to be imbedded into the work files
  - What are the factors for color shifting
  - How to check for proper adhesion

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

General Session #3: "Medical Benefits Case Study"

Speaker: Rich Cray  (Lockton)

Rich Cray is a Senior Vice President at Lockton Companies in Kansas City. Rich specializes in designing insurance programs using alternative finance vehicles to flatline the cost of health insurance and improve benefits over time. During his time at GPI, he will use Holland 1916 as a case study. He has worked with Holland for nearly 10 years. Over the course of that time, they have not changed carriers, not changed plan designs, and their costs have remained relatively flat. He will educate our members on how Holland has accomplished this while using unique methods to finance their insurance program and leveraging strategies like direct primary care.

General Session #4: "People, Process, Profit"

Speaker: Karen Moser  (Welty)

Through this session, members will take away key HR strategies including:
  - Corporate Mission, Vision, and Strategies: How to Build a Culture of Success around this Highly Effective Model
  - Attract, Engage and Retain: How to Navigate the Challenges of the 2024 Workforce
  - Keys/Tools for Creating Effective Incentive Programs that will keep Employees Focused on Metrics that Move the Needle

Industry Best Practice:

"Today’s Process Challenges / Tomorrow’s Opportunities"

Speaker: Neil Bolding  (MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions)

During this session, members will engage in discussion of process challenges and opportunities for future growth. Topics will include:

  - Overlay Process Considerations: What are you struggling with - cutting? ink adhesion? hybrid printing?
  - What we are working on: Capacitive Touch and In Mold Electrics (conductive ink portfolio to complement the HMI films) and Haptic Films
  - What's Next: Enhanced Outdoor Durable Films

Don't miss this opportunity to connect with and learn from industry leaders! 
Register today for the GPI Semi-Annual Meeting in Dallas - September 17-19, 2024!