Incoming Afera President Evert Smit shares his vision

Dear Afera members,

I feel very proud to be your president! Firstly, I would like to thank Mete Konuralp (tesa Bant San. Ve Tic. A.Ş.) for his excellent stewardship over the last 3 years. Watching him lead the Association has prepared me well for my new role. I would also like to thank Reinhard Storbeck (tesa SE), who will succeed me as Chairman of the Technical Committee. I know that under his energetic leadership this active group will progress quickly, paving the way for significant technical and educational advancements.

As far as I know, I am the first Afera president with a purely technical background. After many years as an active member however, and more recently Chairman of the TC and member of the Marketing and Steering Committees, I see what makes Afera tick, and I will use that experience to take it further. Luckily, I know I know I can count on support from a growing base of very active members.

My plan is to live up to your expectations, to extend the relevance and impact of tape in the markets in which they are, can be, and should operate in, for the benefit of all Afera members along the entire value chain. This is embedded in our new strategy :

Co-creation
Bringing companies along the entire value chain together in a trusted and congenial environment. Break down silos. Innovation will increasingly become the result of this close and trusted co-operation along the value chain, and I want Afera to be a platform for that.

Co-operation
Ensure we stay connected on a global scale. Aligned and ever closer with our sister organisations PSTC, CATIA, TAAT, JATMA and hopefully others in the future. I also want to stay in close contact with neighbouring organisations such as FEICA and FINAT.

Transparency
As the world changes at an increasingly faster rate, everything becomes more transparent, and so too should Afera. I firmly believe that, however daunting transparency may seem initially, we will benefit from it ultimately.

Outward-looking
We must continue on this path. We are here for the progress of the tape business. We need to stay on top of the trends that impact the market. They may not always be obvious as they are often not directly linked to making and using tapes. Afera will do its utmost to provide our members with the inspiration, insights and tools to bolster this necessary awareness.

Education
I see a significant role in education of both our future users and our future workforce. This will ensure our individual and collective success.

Communication
This plays a critical role in all of the above, and Afera will continue to work on developing its tools and policies.

Above all, as business is a human activity, we should have a lot of fun doing it. And I can tell from our meetings, Seminars and Colleges that we are having fun! An Afera outsider wouldn’t believe we are such a blend of companies. This demonstrates how strongly we want to create our future—together. Our playground is an exciting one!

Evert Smit
Afera President

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