THE flexographic printing and converting industry has remained ‘buoyant’ despite the impact of Covid-19, according to a leading trade association for the sector.
Neil Jones, chairman of the European Flexographic Industry (EFIA) said, “We’ve been talking regularly as a board about the situation and it’s clear, with many of our members supplying the food, hygiene and pharmaceutical sectors, most companies are doing well and remaining buoyant. This is despite the many challenges of adhering to government guidelines on keeping employees safe and restricting the spread of the virus.
“Clearly the panic buying that ensued in March created a spike in demand, with retailers reporting double digit growth on many product lines. This seems to be calming and supply chains are refilling. However, there are areas of concern, for example in the Scottish whisky industry, where sales rely heavily on the export market and the situation remains difficult with volumes down.
“No one has a crystal ball as to what will happen next. Packaging is critical to supply chain efficiency and therefore its absolutely correct it has been deemed an essential sector. However, it’s also tremendously important that our members can operate safely and successfully during this period and we know that for some it has been extremely difficult to maintain normal operations.
“As the industry’s trade association, we are doing all that we can to support companies affected. We know that it’s been a challenging time for everyone, and we’ve been so pleased to see the industry pull together and support each other through this unprecedented time of change. The number of companies we’ve seen supplying the health sector with new PPE solutions, for example, has been fantastic and we applaud their efforts.
“What we do know is that this is a fantastic sector and while things may be a little different when we emerge from this healthcare crisis, the flexo industry will continue to be strong and adapt to whatever comes its way.”
