United in Labels (FINAT 1958-2008)

In 2008, FINAT is celebrating its 50th anniversary and, to commemorate this event, several festivities have been planned. One of them is the publication of a book relating FINAT's 50 years' history.

In order to fully understand the success story of the association, it was important to have the input of the individuals who were key to that success. Consequently, contributions have been provided by all FINAT presidents since 1958 and a number of committee chairmen and individuals.

As the spectacular growth of the self-adhesive labelling industry took place in the years of FINAT's existence, it was agreed to start the book with the story of the invention of pressure sensitive label in 1935 by Stanton Avery and the way in which a great number of other pioneers, particularly in the field of machinery and dies, made the system work.
Consequently, the story the book tells starts prior to the foundation of FINAT. It explains the way in which the industry grew and makes clear what the contribution of FINAT has been in this process. Great care has been taken by the editors to illustrate the text. The balance is about 1:3, which means that, on average, one text page is accompanied by three pages of pictures and illustrations. Great care has also been taken to make the book a story of the individuals.
Important over the years were the annual congresses, the seminars and certainly also the study tours. All these events have been included in the book, underlined by numerous pictures. Important over the years has also been the Labelling Competition as this annual event greatly contributed to make the converting industry inventive and quality conscious.