THE ASSOCIATION.

HISTORY
The Flexographic Technical Association of South Africa (FTASA) had its inaugural meeting in Cape Town on 5 December 1995. Leading up to this meeting we received tremendous support from the EFTA in the UK through the then Secretary, Tony Bath who was also present at the meeting in Cape Town. The Association has had a steady growth and represents the majority of companies in the Flexo industry although there is still scope for growth. The membership in 2005 stood at 57 company members. Membership is open to anyone or any company who has the advancement of Flexography at heart.

INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS
The FTASA has close ties with the Printing Industries Federation of South Africa (PIFSA) and operates as one of the interest groups within the PIFSA. The FTASA is also a member of the Worldwide Flexographic Technical Associations and work closely with the EFTA (UK) and Foundation of Flexographic Technical Association of the USA. Through the Worldwide FTA the Association also has contact with associations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Norway, Poland, Spain & Switzerland.

OUR MISSION
The Association has as its sole purpose the task of increasing the technical knowledge and skills of persons involved in the Flexo industry. Also to ensure that there are adequate opportunities for its members and other companies involved in the Flexo industry to share knowledge and to have their staff trained to acknowledged standards. To this end the Association works very closely with the PIFSA; the Crossmedia training college as well as the FTA’s in the USA, UK and Germany to ensure that training continues to happen. The Association is also committed to presenting regular Seminars, Workshops and Forums where both local and overseas experts are able to present papers of a technical nature.

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Association is managed by an Executive Committee, elected every two years at the Association’s Annual General Meeting - held in either Cape Town, Johannesburg or Durban. The Committee consists of eight member and the Executive Secretary who is responsible for the day to day running of the Association. The Committee meets about four times a year in various centres. The PIFSA Financial team, by arrangement, handles all financial aspects pertaining to the Association.

The Committee:
Derek Murison - Chairman
Chris Viviers
Brett Pollock
George Duffield
Kevin Swan
Gordon Smith
Deryn Garz
Erich Kühl - Executive Secretary
Terry Kane - Honorary Member