Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) is encouraging its converter member base not to miss what it promises to be a riveting, highly informative keynote address at FORUM INFOFLEX 2025. 

Sean Smyth, a consultant and analyst in print and packaging for Smithers, known as a global authority on packaging markets, takes the stage Monday, May 6 at 8:00 a.m. sharp. He will deliver the talk that sets the tone for the full day’s proceedings. His focus: “Package Printing: 2025 & Beyond,” will offer a deep dive into “The Future of Flexo,” as well as the influence of other print processes on it.

Smyth will put forward insights and elaborate on findings of Smithers’ most recent analytical studies and statistically sound demographic profiles that look to define the growing, yet shifting shapes of package printing and converting enterprises, as well as the demands of the customers they serve. 

For example, he will report that the global value of flexographic printing in 2024 was $230.5 billion. It is forecast to increase at a 3.0 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2029, when it will approach and may even exceed $270 billion. Production itself is likely to accelerate by nearly 17 percent over the five-year period.

Smyth will embellish on findings contained in reports like “The Future of Flexo to 2029,” and “The Future of Labels & Release Liners to 2030, as he conveys keen positioning strategies that are being embraced today and reveals expectations for growth across the corrugated, flexible packaging, folding carton and label applications.  

He will voice contentions and support predictions that changes in print buying will make digital more competitive with flexo on shorter runs. Smyth will also acknowledge that widespread adoption and strong ongoing sales of hybrid presses continue to indicate that flexo volumes are holding up and will continue to grow. 

For more than 30 years, Smyth has been helping companies make money through appropriate implementation of technology to include MIS and workflow systems that take time and cost out of the print supply chain. He regularly speaks and chairs conferences on print markets and technology and serves as a key member of the Smithers team providing quantitative market data and forecasts for the printing, paper and packaging industry. He authors off-the-shelf market studies and provides strategic consultancy services to a range of clients across the value chain.

He has written many books and market studies on the future, print technology and digital print, including Smithers flagship title “The Print & Production Manual” and the “Future of Global Print Markets.” Over the course of his career, Smyth, who holds both an MBA and a doctorate in chemistry, who got his start as an ink chemist, has owned and managed a number of print businesses. 

Critical questions now on his plate, certain to draw comment at FORUM 2025 include:

• How are current regulations impacting developments?
• Are growth rates shifting? What implications does this have on printing processes?
• How will digital and analogue processes fair? 
• Where are the drives for digitalization, automation, innovation and sustainability intersect?
• What impact will AI have on our future?

The keynote address stands to present a forward-looking analysis of industry trends, technological innovations, and market dynamics poised to reshape the packaging landscape. It  will provide cutting-edge insights, predictive strategies, and a transformative perspective that will equip professionals with the knowledge to navigate and lead in a rapidly evolving world.

FORUM INFOFLEX 2025 will be held at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA, from May 4-7, 2025.