Since our early decision to postpone Afera’s 9th Technical Seminar in Brussels to 24-26 August, we have seen the accelerated spread of the dangerous coronavirus throughout Europe. Meanwhile, we have lost count of the number of national, Europe-wide and international industry conferences, exhibitions, seminars, meetings and other public events that have been postponed or cancelled. Afera wishes to express its sympathy to the members of the European adhesive tape community, their partners, customers and local associations that have been adversely affected by the crisis, especially those in Italy, Spain, Germany and France, but increasingly elsewhere.

In addition to presenting a serious public health risk, the Virus is wreaking havoc on the world economy. Throughout the world, members of the tape industry are taking various measures to contain the risk COVID-19 poses to their staffs’ well-being and business continuity. Some of these preventative actions include social distancing, workforce staggering and even resizing after reassessing budgets in light of current work safety mandates. Companies are stocking up on gloves and hand sanitizer, spreading out or reducing the number of employees on site both in offices and on assembly lines, and encouraging working from home and phone/video conferencing. Many still are rolling out or updating their business continuity and resilience plans.

Will you share your best practises and experiences with our industry collective?

What are YOU doing in your business to contain the spread of coronavirus? What are your positive coping strategies? What is working and not working in your attempt to create systems of prevention and recovery to deal with this threat? As the linking pin between associations, companies and their leadership, Afera is supporting the European adhesive tape community by sharing the collective knowledge and best practices of our Members for the good of the greater industry. We kindly invite Afera Member Companies to submit your contributions via [email protected]. 

As Afera’s management continues to discuss and navigate this period of tremendous upheaval, we within the Association and at Lejeune are prioritising the health and well-being of our teams and the long-term health of Afera Member Businesses. Please feel free to reach out to us if we can help you in any way.