The Flexographic Technical Association Converter Questionnaire 2005           

 

Welcome and thank you for taking part in this important initiative. If you would like to learn more about FTA's Flexible Packaging study first, you can read a Q&A with FTA President by clicking here.

Please answer all of the questions you can. If there are any questions you don't know the answer to, please leave them blank.
 

This survey is completely confidential, but to help us with tracking any submission problems we would be grateful if you would include your email address in the box below - it will not be shared.


 

If you experience any technical difficulties please contact: David@printamericas.com. Or, if you have any questions or comments about the survey, please contact: FTA@printamericas.com.

 

GENERAL COMPANY DATA

How many locations does your company have in North America:




Please check if you have locations in any of the following global regions:

Europe     Mexico     Canada     South America     Asia

Other (please specify):

 

Please select your company's total number of employees:

Choose from this list 1-25 26-50 51-100 101-300 301-500 501-1000 More than 1000 More than 2000

 

Please select your company's total annual revenue:

Choose from this list Less than $2M $2 - $5M $5 - $10M $10 - $20M $20 - $30M $30 - $40M $40 - $50M $50 - $75M $75 - $100M $100 - $150M More than $150M

 

Percentage of your company's revenue related to flexible packaging:

Choose from this list 0 - 25% 26 - 50% 51 - 75% 76 - 100%

 

Please break down your flexible packaging substrate consumption (on which you print), by percent usage, into the following categories:

 

Paper:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Film:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Metallized:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Other 1 (please specify):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Other 2 (please specify):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Please break down the end-formats (final products) of your total application mix, by percentages, into the following categories:

 

Pouches:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Bags:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Full body shrink sleeves:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Label shrink sleeves:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Wrappers (food, confectionary etc.):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Other 1 (please specify):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Other 2 (please specify):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Other 3 (please specify):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Please indicate those end-use sectors your company supplies printed product to, in addition to indicating what percentage each end-use sector represents in your company’s total application mix:

 

Consumer products (e.g. cosmetics/health & beauty):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Beverage:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Retail food:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Non-retail food:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Pet food:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Pharmaceutical/neutraceutical:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Agri-chemical:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Petro-chemical:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Household chemical:
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Institutional (hospitals, governmental, etc.):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Industrial (caution/warning labels, durables, electronics, etc.):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Other 1 (please specify):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Other 2 (please specify):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Other 3 (please specify):
Zero     1 - 25%    26 - 50%    51 - 75%    76 - 100%

 

Please indicate average lead-times (in weeks) for your printed products within those sectors you marked in the previous question (Note: lead-times are calculated after final artwork has been accepted/approved):

 

Consumer products (e.g. cosmetics/health & beauty):

Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Beverage:
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Retail food:
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Non-retail food:
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Pet food:
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Pharmaceutical/neutraceutical:
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Agri-chemical:
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Petro-chemical:
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Household chemical:
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Institutional (hospitals, governmental, etc.):
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Industrial (caution/warning labels, durables, electronics, etc.):
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Other 1 (please specify):
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Other 2 (please specify):
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

Other 3 (please specify):
Less than 1    1 -2  2 - 3   3 - 4   4 - 5   5 - 6   More than 6

 

 

BUDGETARY DATA

What is your approximate annual capital (equipment) budget:

 

What is your approximate annual consumable (supplies / materials) budget:

 

What is your approximate annual operational (overhead) budget:

 

What is your approximate annual education/training budget:
(please specify response as either percentage of sales or approximate $ amount)

As a percentage of sales
In dollars

 

What is your approximate annual tradeshow budget for: 

Company personnel attending
Exhibiting

 

 

PRINTING PLATE/PROCESSING CONSUMPTION DATA

 

What percentage of your printing plates are produced:

In-house
By a plate supplier
Are supplied by your customers

 

What is your approximate annual consumption of printing plates:

Sq. inches

Sq. feet

Sq. meters

 

Is your company currently utilizing digital plate technology:

Yes        No

 

If yes, please indicate the percentage of your total plate consumption that is produced digitally:

Less than 10%    11 - 25%  26 - 50%   51 - 75%   76 - 100%  

 

Please indicate whether your company’s planned use of digital plate technology, from all sources, is
increasing, decreasing, or is projected to remain the same:

Choose from this list Increasing Decreasing Remaining the same

 

If you answered increasing to the previous question, please rank those factors influencing your planned increased use of digital plate production from 1-5, with 1 being the primary influence and 5 being the least influential factor:

 

Quality     Cost     Efficiency     Customer Demand     Consistency

 

If you answered decreasing, please rank those factors influencing your planned decreased use of digital plate production from 1-5, with 1 being the primary influence and 5 being the least influential factor:

 

  Quality     Cost     Efficiency     Customer Demand     Consistency

 

 

PRODUCTION FLOOR DATA

 

Number of production staff per shift:

 

What shift rotation do you use:

 

Average number of press operators per press:

 

Average number of assistant press operators per press:

 

Average number of jobs per shift:

 

Total number of printing presses on your production floor(s):

Number exclusively flexo

Number of decks
 

Number exclusively gravure

Number of decks

Number exclusively letterpress

Number of decks

Number exclusively digital

Number of decks

Number exclusively silkscreen technology

Number of decks

 

How many presses do you have that are a combination of two or more technologies:

 

What range of press widths are in your operation:

 

Average colors per job:

 

Average press speeds per job:

 

Average waste percentage per job:

 

Please break down your ink consumption, by percent usage, into the following categories:

 

Water-based:
0-25%     26-50%     51-75%     76-100%

Solvent-based:
0-25%     26-50%     51-75%     76-100%

UV:
0-25%     26-50%     51-75%     76-100%

 

Please break down your color range, by percent usage, into the following categories:

 

Spot color:
0-25%     26-50%     51-75%     76-100%

 

CMYK:
0-25%     26-50%     51-75%     76-100%

 

Expanded Gamut (includes Opaltone®, Hexachrome®, etc.):
0-25%     26-50%     51-75%     76-100%

 

Other (please specify):
0-25%     26-50%     51-75%     76-100%

 

Please indicate any special effect / decoration technologies you use:
(hot foil stamping, pearlescence, holographic printing, etc.)
 

 

 

CURRENT TRENDING INFORMATION

 

Is your company currently using ERP job-tracking/costing software: 

Yes     No

Please let us know your purchasing time frame, if you have one:

Plan to purchase in  year(s) 

 

Are you currently implementing process control guidelines (FIRST):
Yes     No    

 

Please rank from 1-7, with 1 being the most important market driver, and 7 being the least, those trends you consider to be currently impacting your company’s growth the most within the flexible packaging industry:

 

Environmental drivers (packaging reduction, recycling, etc.)

Advancements in packaging materials (improved barrier films, innovative substrate combinations, lower cost thinner-gauge substrates, etc.)

Increased usage of pouches (migration away from cans, cartons and glass)

Increased usage of retort packaging (packaging that is able to be heated with the product it contains)

Increased usage of shrink wrap packaging

Increased graphics/print quality requirements

Increased product performance standards (longer shelf life, higher contamination resistance, more convenience for consumers, etc.)

Other (please specify): 

 

What are the most significant challenges your company faces in today’s increasingly competitive flexible packaging marketplace:
 

 

What do you feel will be your company’s most significant opportunities for the future:
 

 

Thank you for taking part in this confidential FTA survey. When you are ready, simply click the 'Submit Form' button. Please be patient as the length of the form may take up to 30 seconds to transfer.

If you have any questions about this (or other) studies, please contact: FTA@printamericas.com.