Registration is now open for this exclusive premier training event for the packaging supply chain on September 18-19, 2018.

Alexandria, Va. – Idealliance, a global thought leader in the graphic communications industry and a non-profit organization with 11 strategically located offices around the world, has partnered with Microsoft to offer BrandQ® Certification and Training on September 18-19 at the Microsoft Global Corporate Headquarters Visitors Center in Redmond, Wash. Registration is now open for this in-depth training session at www.idealliance.org/brandq or https://tinyurl.com/y9lwkjlp.

Microsoft and Idealliance have built a global partnership to best serve the company’s global packaging supply chain through the BrandQ program by offering this training for brand managers and packaging supply chain experts and by aligning the company’s own print supply chain through the global Microsoft BrandQ Color Reproduction Certification program.

Who Should Attend:

• Brand Managers/Brand Owners
• Global Packaging Managers
• Quality Assurance Managers
• Supply Chain Managers
• Color Standards Manager
• CXOs
• Designers/Creatives
• Specifiers
• Packaging Supply Chain Professionals
• Print Buyers
• Packaging Supply Chain Experts/Auditors
• Anyone Responsible for Quality within the Packaging Supply Chain Eco-System

Earning and retaining certification credentials is a must for anyone providing printing and packaging services to the consumer-packaged goods market and FMCG market. This elite status demonstrates to brands, brand owners and print buyers that a packaging and printing facility meets the highest quality standards. The Idealliance BrandQ Supply Chain Certification is effective, efficient, and aligns the supply chain.

The September training will be led by Ron Ellis, a global brand expert and consultant specializing in brand quality, color management, automation and workflow integration. He is a BrandQ Expert Program Trainer, BrandQ Certified Supply Chain Expert, G7 Expert Program Trainer, Chair of Idealliance’s Print Properties and Colorimetric Working Group for innovation and standards development, ISO Standards expert, and global brand consultant.

The two-day training will be a full hands-on experience and demonstration with the tools used by the print and packaging supply chain for quality management that are critical for brand owners to familiarize themselves with in order to be able to align with their supply chain partners. It also includes extensive open discussion and review of real-world brand management workflow processes, solutions, and implementation experience for collaboration not only between brand managers who will achieve BrandQ Manager certification by attending this training and completing an online exam, but also with their supply chain partners who also participate in training to earn BrandQ Certified Supply Chain Expert certification through their extensive knowledge of aligning and serving brands, as well as the print and packaging supply chain, which allows them to audit facilities and certify BrandQ Certified Supply Chain facilities.

BrandQ training is multi-leveled, serving everyone in the packaging supply chain. BrandQ Manager Certification is for brand managers, creatives, designers, specifiers, print buyers or anyone in the packaging supply chain eco-system who has completed BrandQ training in order to improve their knowledge of their packaging supply chain, quality control, and print measurement to effectively communicate with their suppliers. BrandQ Managers are able to determine if suppliers can meet their expectations and manage the many critical components of the print and packaging supply chain, including working with spot colors and effectively assessing print quality and control, plus much more to result in a vastly improved brand/supplier relationship.

BrandQ Certified Supply Chain Expert Certification is a comprehensive certification validating that an individual has completed training and demonstrated mastery of key concepts and topics in the BrandQ program to align the packaging supply chain and support brands and the print supply chain. BrandQ Experts are also certified to perform on-site facility audits and analyses to help print and packaging suppliers achieve BrandQ Certified Supply Chain Facility certification, a third-party audited documented proof assuring the highest standards of performance are in place in the form of certified credentials, trends and analysis reports, overall operational performance reporting, and regularly scheduled audits for those serving brands and brand owners of consumer-packaged goods and FMCG.

BrandQ Supply Chain Certification assesses key aspects such as process capability, performance, process control, color management, ISO Standards implementation, proof and press alignment, spot color rendering, pre-media capabilities, and G7 calibration, and includes detailed reports and analyses. BrandQ not only enables a direct channel of communication between the brand owner and the supply chain, but also provides a comprehensive evaluation of suppliers and how they are meeting brand expectations and needs.

BrandQ Certified Supply Chain Facilities are qualified to handle the most demanding jobs in the world. BrandQ Certification assures a high level of quality and performance and helps the supplier work to retain this distinction. Ultimately, Idealliance BrandQ Certification leads to overall operational efficiency, process control, measurement controls, and data that can be shared among a print service provider and brands, brand owners, and print buyers in order for everyone to enable efficient communication and data exchange, while having a great understanding of a print service provider’s ability to not only meet the highest demands of quality, but also maintain the highest standards of quality. This communication protocol creates a wonderful partnership for job specification exchange, regardless of language and regardless of location in the world.

Idealliance is recognized by ISO as the largest certifying body in the graphic and visual communications industry. BrandQ Managers and BrandQ Experts are certified by Idealliance as proven leaders in packaging supply chain and print production and utilize global standards to align all proof and print applications for optimal brand supply chain management critical for maintaining brand quality and print production requirements.

Registration is now open for this event at https://tinyurl.com/y9lwkjlp. For more information about BrandQ and BrandQ training opportunities, visit www.idealliance.org/brandq or contact Jordan Gorski at (703) 837-1096 or [email protected].