GREEN BAY, Wis. — Nov. 10, 2026 — BW Converting welcomed flexible packaging converters to its Packaging Innovation Center in Green Bay, Wis., Oct. 13–15 for FIRST Live: Press Operator Certification. The in-person Foundation of Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) program combines technical instruction with practical pressroom experience. With an emphasis on anilox management, the three-day course connected the variables operators manage on press with the process-control principles that support consistent print quality.
The program brought FTA’s FIRST training curriculum into an in-person setting, pairing classroom discussion with exercises that allowed participants to examine how materials, press settings and operating practices influence printed results. Sessions progressed from flexographic fundamentals through press setup, fingerprinting and process control, culminating in a Level 3 certification exam.
“Operators make decisions throughout a run that directly affect print quality, waste and productivity,” said Rodney Pennings, Strategic Accounts & Technical Sales Leader - Americas, BW Converting. “Understanding how those variables interact gives them a stronger basis for troubleshooting and maintaining consistency. By hosting FIRST Live at our Packaging Innovation Center, we can help connect that technical knowledge with what operators see and do on a flexo press every day.”
The course included dedicated instruction on anilox management, with a banded anilox run and review of the resulting samples complementing sessions on anilox roll creation, maintenance and care. Additional sessions addressed ink technology, substrates and plates, color and press operating procedures. Participants also examined a four-color print job and used print evaluation and measurement concepts to assess results.
“Our partnership with BW Converting is a great example of how we can combine industry expertise, world-class facilities and FIRST methodology to deliver meaningful, hands-on training,” said Tom Griffin, Industry Training Engagement & Development Specialist, FTA. "FIRST Live connects technical concepts to what happens every day on the production floor, and that’s where technical education has its greatest impact. When our members invest in education together, the entire industry benefits."
Hosting the program reflects the Packaging Innovation Center’s role as a resource for training, technology demonstrations and collaboration. Bringing structured operator education into that environment gives converters an opportunity to develop their teams’ technical capabilities alongside practical experience with the flexographic printing process.