Editor's Note:  See our article on this announcement, "BrandQ: What Does It Mean for Packaging Converters and Suppliers to the Industry"

New certification program provides tools, measurements, methods, and language for facilitating effective communications between brands and suppliers.

Alexandria, VA - Idealliance, the association for the Visual Communications and Media Industry has launched BrandQ, a new educational and certification program that provides the packaging supply chain with tools, measurements, methods, and language for controlling and monitoring print quality across the entire supply chain and improving brand manager-supplier communication. 

The goal of the BrandQ program is to facilitate effective communication between brands and suppliers, helping brand managers communicate their expectations and requirements and subsequently monitor and measure them throughout their supply chain. The first live BrandQ training program ran last week in Boston, Mass., hosted by GMG Americas, with additional dates booked in cities across the U.S. in coming months (see below).

“BrandQ was created by the packaging supply chain, for the packaging supply chain,” says Timothy Baechle, Vice President, Global Print Technologies & Workflows for Idealliance. “Brand managers who take the BrandQ training will learn the language of quality control and print measurement and how to effectively communicate expectations with suppliers.”

He notes that, among many other critical components in this deep program, “Brand managers will learn how to determine if suppliers can meet their expectations, confidently produce work, measure those expectations, and perform best work from design-to-print-to-delivery rooted in ISO standards and global leading methodologies. Ultimately, the BrandQ program will result in a vastly improved brand and supplier relationship,” adds Baechle.

Idealliance is offering three levels of BrandQ training and certification in a format similar to the training and certification program for its industry-leading G7^® specification: 

• BrandQ, designed for brand managers, 
• BrandQ Expert, developed to prepare individuals to train and implement the BrandQ program at brand and supplier facilities, 
• BrandQ Master, certification for facilities that meet BrandQ program standards. 

BrandQ training is delivered either live, via two- or three-day hands-on classes, or online. Industry expert instructors facilitate both formats and both live and online attendees must demonstrate competency with the hands-on portion of the class and score favorably on a final examination to receive BrandQ certification. 

Live BrandQ manager training is scheduled for delivery in Chicago on March 20-22, 2018, and June 5-7, 2018; and in New York City on May 15-17, 2018. BrandQ Expert certification training will be held January 16-17, 2018, in San Diego, Calif. Find details about all BrandQ programs at www.idealliance.org/brandq.

For more information about BrandQ or other Idealliance training programs, contact Baechle at (703) 837-1069 or [email protected].