Rochester, NY – The Global Packaging Alliance (GPA) held its annual meeting in Sydney, Australia during the week of January 22, 2007. With members convening from all over the world, the yearly event was a much-anticipated chance to discuss strategies and goals, and provided an opportunity for alliance members to evaluate the latest in packaging technology.

GPA members spent the first half of the week at Colorpak's Braeside facility in Melbourne. Their internal meetings included a special presentation from an expert third party contractor in relation to the latest technologies in anti-counterfeiting measures for the pharmaceutical and other industries.

The second half of the week was spent at Colorpak's new Regents Park facility in New South Wales (NSW). GPA members also took plant tours of some of Colorpak's major clients while they visited Australia.

“The Alliance has had some terrific benefits for our collective customer bases,” said Alex Commins, managing director of Colorpak and secretary of the GPA since its inception. “We are able to share technical data between the supply base, meaning an absolutely consistent approach to the graphic reproduction of a specific brand and/or product can be achieved with minimal input from the brand owner themselves.”

The GPA has been instrumental in the successful global launch of some of Gillette’s flagship products, including Mach 3, M3Power, Fusion, Venus and Venus Vibrance. Gillette set up the look of the brand with one GPA member, and the alliance executed consistent packaging for the products on a global scale.

“The GPA has delivered great benefits to each alliance member and its customers,” said Hans-Christian Bestehorn, CEO of RLC Group. “We are still looking for suitable members in other parts of the globe. Next year we will be holding our annual meeting in South Africa with the view to potentially covering another part of the world.”

The Global Packaging Alliance is an international organization of independent packaging experts proficient at managing all aspects of the supply chain. With state-of-the-art production facilities and logistics centers around the world, the GPA provides responsive, localized service, award-winning creative designs, identical product specifications and consistent brand recognition, resulting in unparalleled global packaging support. Members include:

• Diamond Packaging - Rochester, NY, USA
• Rob. Leunis & Chapman Group - Hannover, Germany
• Colorpak Packaging Group - Melbourne, Australia
• Gonçalves SA Indústria Gráfica - Sao Paolo, Brazil
• Yau Bon Offset Printing - Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
• Cartmont - Tlalnepantla, Mexico
• Kumar Printers - Gurgaon, India

GPA members practice packaging management geared toward the needs of international companies, including Bayer, Beiersdorf, GlaxoSmithKline, Kraft Foods, L’Oreal, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Schering Plough, and Unilever. This includes designing and producing innovative paperboard and plastic packaging, as well as providing logistical services such as fulfillment and POP management. The GPA’s goal is to support clients in launching new brands or products, while significantly reducing time-to-market.

 For more information about the Global Packaging Alliance, contact Dennis Bacchetta at (585) 334-8030 x229 or visit the website at www.global-packaging-alliance.com.