From:                                             Bathsheba Fulton [bathsheba.fulton@telenet.be]

Sent:                                               Saturday, February 2, 2019 3:37 PM

To:                                                  Jacques.Geijsen@abitape.eu

Cc:                                                   'Astrid Lejeune'; 'Elke Verbaarschot'; 'Storbeck, Reinhard Dr. /tesa SE HAM'; 'Dr. Evert Smit /Lohmann'

Subject:                                         Why tape? Background, Update Recommendation for Action on TC and MKC Agendas for Tuesday

Attachments:                               Press Release Afera Why Tape Launch 29 March 2017 - FINAL.pdf

 

Importance:                                 High

 

Jacques,

 

Further to our discussion about updating the Why tape? section of afera.com that contains about 60 pages and over 8,000 words, I wanted to give you a proper background of the project and my concrete idea on moving forward.

 

Without complicating the length and content of the timeline too much, as realising Why tape? has been a huge project for Afera, some highlights and my recommendation in red:

 

 

Goals

1.      Growing the market for the tape industry

·        Creating awareness of the functionalities of adhesive tapes to end users > Inspiring design and process engineers with the broad functionality and range of advantages of adhesive tape

·        Drawing product and process design searches to Why tape? at afera.com

·        Educating former non-users of tape and

2.      Enabling member companies to keep one step ahead by converting Why tape? reader interest to Afera’s member directory

2014

First meetings, physical (at 3M in Neuss) and via phone, of a larger Marketing Communications Working Group, formerly called the Virtual Task Force, which brainstormed and planned out the strategy and content of Why tape? at afera.com. Small base texts were provided by 3M and tesa.

2014-2017

Drafting of Why tape? text, with countless physical and phone meetings of the MarCom WG to offer feedback on structure and content

Fall 2015

Soft launch of Why tape? at afera.com

Contributors to Why tape? structure, text, images, edits

Henning Mohme, 3M (MKC)

Aric Getty, 3M (via MKC)

Ryan Miller, 3M (MKC)

Simon Jones, 3M (via MKC)

Sharon Boyle, Advance Tapes (MKC)

Alan Gilding, Advance Tapes (TC)

Thorsten Meier, Certoplast (TC)

Jeff Burrington, H.B. Fuller (TC)

Evert Smit, Lohmann (then Arizona) (TC)

Ian Grace, Loparex (then Mondi) (TC)

Patrick Eraets, Novacel (via MKC)

Mike Punter, Parafix (MKC)

Louise Vincent, Parafix (MKC)

Anurag Yadav, Scapa (MKC)

Pieter Deike Mueller, tesa (via MKC)

Lars Burk, tesa (via MKC)

Matthias von Schwerdtner, tesa (MKC)

Mete Konuralp, tesa (SC)

2015-2017

At every Afera SC, TC and MKC committee meeting, Astrid updated all members on Why tape? and asked that they provide their feedback

Spring 2017

Hard launch of Why tape?, see below and attached press release

My recommendation

1.      Update Why tape? in 2019-2020

·        Create an ad hoc TC WG to review the contents of the entire section (I recommend that Thorsten Meier lead this WG; this will be a straightforward task)

·        When the TC WG finishes its review and providing all technical (written and visual) possible to Bathsheba and Elke, the Content Generation & Engagement WG can review and approve it

·        Then the MarCom WG will finish rolling it out.

 

I am cc’ing Reinhard in this email, to see if this would work for him?  If it is okay, we could appoint the WG (of ~3 people?) at the TC meeting already on Tuesday, if Astrid advises that this would be the way to move forward?

 

Lastly, I pasting below and attaching the Why tape? launch press release FYI.

 

Take care,

 

Bathsheba

 

 

Afera logo with tagline

 

 

Text Box: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

 

Afera to reach new markets with 55-page website expansion on new generation of adhesive tapes

 

 

The Hague, The Netherlands, 29 March 2017

Afera, the European Adhesive Tape Association, announced today the launch of the Why tape? section of its website dedicated to inspiring design and process engineers with the broad functionality and range of advantages of adhesive tape. Why tape? is a journey of illustration and description of what tape is and how it can be used, its versatility, benefits and ease of application, the diverse markets in which it is used, and what current designers think about it.

 

Publishing valuable content on tape technology at afera.com/why-tape?

 

With its forward-looking integrated communications strategy in place, the Association aims to connect with, inspire, educate and most importantly, grow the global market that utilises tapes, which are the multifunctional bonding and fixing solutions of many current and future technologies and products.

 

“Data consistently tells us that a considerable number of product design and process engineers may not realise that tape could be that integral element that optimises the design and production of their product,” commented Mete Konuralp, Afera President and country manager of tesa Turkey.

 

“As the heart of the European tape industry, we receive many enquiries from potential customers, and Afera’s member directory gets the most hits of any page on our website,” added Michael Punter, Afera Marketing Committee chairman and managing director of Parafix Tapes & Conversions, Ltd. “We wanted to take that a step further by reaching out to potential customers who don’t yet know about tape as a solution by providing this substantial set of available information.”

 

Connecting through social media

 

Afera has already drawn an audience of 3,500 multi-industry mechanical designers to its Design that Sticks: Scanning the Web for Next Product Design Twitter account @_ProductDesign. Why tape? is another step in bringing the awareness of adhesive tape technology to a variety of innovation-focussed industries, such as the electronics, automotive, white goods, building and construction, and medical sectors, which are rethinking how their designs are brought to life.

 

Adhesive tapes can be virtually weightless and invisible, don’t weaken or fail, and don’t stain or corrode even in extreme conditions. They can also provide functionalities such as sealing, insulating, shielding, conducting electricity and communicating critical information. With tape, products like smart phones and flat screens, cars, appliances, windows and architectural panels, and biomedical electrodes and I.V. dressings, to name a few, can be made thinner, lighter and using fewer and less expensive materials.

 

“The technical innovation that tapes bring to product design today is amazing,” commented Evert Smit, Afera Technical Committee chairman and head of R&D at Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG. He is also host of the “Why Tapes?” seminar session and presenter of “Made to Stick: A General Introduction to Tapes,” the first lecture of the Association’s upcoming Tape College. “Engineers often turn to traditional fixings, such as rivets, screws, nuts and bolts, staples, clips, needle and thread, and liquid adhesives to join two substrates without the knowledge that they have an often better alternative in tape.”

 

Adding to engineering education curricula

 

Afera’s informational outreach also accompanies its current initiative of infusing adhesive tapes and the raw materials of tapes into the curricula of European mechanical engineering and product design higher education programmes. With the support of Mr. Smit and their committees, Mr. Punter is conducting a pilot project through Pearson, the largest technical and professional education awarding body in the U.K., on BTEC apprenticeship qualifications.

 

Click here to visit Why tape?

Click here to visit Afera’s Twitter page for designers.

Click here to visit Afera’s Twitter page for members.

Click here if you have a question.

 

***

 

 

Afera, the European Adhesive Tape Association, is comprised of over 100 member companies from 20 European countries that represent the scope of expertise of the tape industry. Aiming to promote adhesive tape as the most effective, innovative and economical bonding and fixing solution, as well as to act as the voice of the European adhesive tape industry, Afera actively studies relevant market and regulatory issues, provides platforms for discussion and learning, and facilitates contact among its members and all other pertinent bodies at national and international levels. Founded in Paris in 1958, Afera has operated with its head office in The Hague, the Netherlands, since 1999 under the management of Lejeune Association Management.

 

For more information, please contact:

 

Astrid Lejeune                                                 Afera Secretariat

Afera Secretary-General                               Lejeune Association Management

mail@afera.com                                            Laan van Nieuw Oost-Indië 131-G

www.afera.com                                             2593 BM  The Hague

Tel.:  +31 (0)70 312 39 16                             The Netherlands

Fax:  +31 (0)70 363 63 48                             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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