View of CONLATINGRAF The best birthday gift: an institution at top speed By Juan Carlos Sacco President of CONLATINGRAF . : versión en español

The recent meeting of Director Board of CONLATINGRAF and CIFAG ratifies the dynamic development of the top management union institution of the Latin American graphic industry. That fruitful power is the best gift to the 40 years from their foundation at the Argentine city of Mar del Plata.

The powerful maturity CONLATINGRAF has got was ratified again in the last meeting of the Director Board of CONLATINGRAF and CIFAG that we held recently in Montevideo. In the home of the institutional secretary I was accompanied in the meeting by the entrepreneurs: José Luis Zamora, from México; Mario César de  Camargo, from Brasil; Juan Marinetti, from Chile; Francisco Valdivieso, from Ecuador, and also the authorities of AIGU – Asociacion de Industriales Graficos de Uruguay (Graphic Industrialists Association of Uruguay) , Daniel Ciliurczuk, Guzmán Barreiro, and Gabriel Comelli.

We verified that our CIFAG, by the direction we have marked, is getting very good results. Taking profit from the operating structures of SENAI, Gutenberg Foundation and the Graphic Institute of Chile - other continental centers of specialized formation will be added soon - have been worked up activities with excellent answer of attendants. The balance has gone persuading on the convenience of investing for supporting this aim of training and several new supplier firms have accepted to collaborate and other firms are asking information to be summed up to.

The presence of CONLATINGRAF on the press means is growing in importance. New specialized publications from different countries have added a column to spread the activity and the thinking of our Confederation. Also communication means of general extent are giving space to our institutional movement.

Our Portal CONLATINGRAF is becoming stronger gradually. It’s updated weekly with news. Interesting section enlarges the contents index and takes in such a way the most different aspects of the industry of graphic communications. The most popular browsers confirm the Portal is frequently visited. Particularly, the new management of the Economy department has improved the attention on their reports. The Portal has proved, also, to be a good commercial drive because of the deals that have been worked up by means of their Classifieds section.

A new benefit will be found by the visitors to our Portal. The Printing Industry Center from RIT – Rochester Institute of Technology has authorized CONLATINGRAF to publish the Spanish and Portuguese translation of documents that such a renowned Center publishes in English.

Once a fortnight, in over 50 thousand graphic firm of the entire America, the electronic Newsletter is received and several messages from different places of the continent have confirmed the Newsletter is a useful tool. Nevertheless, and showing again that the printed means have assured their place in the electronic era, under the request of several associations from the member countries, besides of their electronic mailing, the CONLATINGRAF Newsletter will be printed locally to be sent by post.

Those many and relevant actions CONLATINGRAF does – here just a part of them is mentioned as example – are also esteemed by other boards. Such a case is UNI Graphic – World and Latin America – which has signed documents with CONLATIGRAF for socio-economic development of graphic workers and for protecting the regional market in defence of jobs.

Likewise, PAF – Printing Association of Florida has asked to be support by the Confederation to promote the attendance at GOA – Graphics of the Americas, from 28th February up to 2nd March. This American association, which already works altogether to nominate people who annually receive the Graphic Leader award, which this year is for the Ecuadorian entrepreneur Felix Enrique Cortes Pinto, is willing to give space in that event for CONLATINGRAF organize activities such as the Workshops of Graphic Specialties, besides their Extraordinary Meeting.

It’s not crazy to predict the world far-reaching the XXI Latin American Congress will get the next year when it will be held in La Rural Predio Ferial of Buenos Aires, from Tuesday 25th through Friday 28th November, together with the 72nd Ordinary General Assembly and the XV Latin American “Theobaldo De Nigris” Award of Graphic Products. Our Portal will show these events direct to the planet. It is for all of us, Latin American graphic entrepreneurs, and for every one, to work to be the focus of the great global market.

The fact of making CONLATINGRAF grow up to become a world reference of our sector, to keep in seamless dynamism and our engagement to make the Confederation goes steadily in advance is the best birthday gift we can give to CONLATINGRAF that, the last Friday 23rd November, has celebrated their 40 Anniversary

Four decades ago, at Mar del Plata city, a group of graphic industrialists who attended to a continental congress had the vision of creating a supranational association, which back us today to open our way in the world of globalization. Let’s honour those entrepreneurs who were before us making their legacy bears fruit!!!