Nitto EMEA joins Afera’s Steering Committee
Afera Secretary General Astrid Lejeune has announced that Nitto EMEA will participate in Afera’s Steering Committee (SC) as a tape manufacturer representing Active Members.
On behalf of Nitto, delegate Dirk Pittoors will join the SC at its upcoming meeting in Düsseldorf on 12 February. As general sales manager at Nitto EMEA, Mr. Pittoors brings more than 30 years of experience with Nitto in leading roles in technical support, sales and business development of products involving adhesive tapes to Afera’s leadership.
“Nitto sees the importance of Afera in the European adhesive tape arena in bringing the entire value chain together on a platform which supports the exchange of market information, networking opportunities and the education of our current and future workforce,” Mr. Pittoors explained. “I have seen that my colleagues Stefan Meirsman and Michel Sabo, who are currently on the Marketing and Technical Committees, respectively, have been able to tap into the current state of the industry while participating in initiatives to help grow and standardise the business. Nitto is greatly looking forward to expanding its role as a decision-maker in the European tape industry.”
“Representing over 80% of the producers of tape in volume in Europe, Afera unites stakeholders along the value chain of the European tape industry, to ensure and increase the relevance of the tape industry in the world of tomorrow,” Afera Secretary-General Astrid Lejeune commented. “Having Mr. Pittoors join the SC on behalf of Nitto, a leading global tape manufacturer, will lend even greater support to realising our mission.”
“In keeping with the evolving European business and tape climate, Afera has recently relaunched its goals and strategy with more of a focus on highlighting and educating the current and future industry workforce, working with adjacent organisations on stepping up our presence in regulatory and public affairs, and monitoring tape trends such as sustainability and changing end user needs and preferences,” added Dr. Evert Smit, Afera president and head of global R&D at Lohmann GmbH & Co., KG. “We are delighted to have Mr. Pittoors and Nitto’s support in driving our initiatives forward.”
Mr. Pittoors will join an SC which was restructured in 2017 from a regional- to a Member-class representational composition framework in order to reflect the adhesive tape value chain most accurately. This includes 5 Active Members (adhesive tape manufacturers with adhesive coating facilities in Europe), 2 Associated Members (raw material, machine and packaging suppliers), and 1 Converter Member (specialty non-graphic die cutter).
The SC Members represent Afera’s Membership by defining the Association’s mission, goals and strategies, which are in the best interest of the adhesive tape value chain. Attending 2 Meetings a year for a 3-year term of office, SC Members collaborate with the Technical and Marketing Committees on driving Afera’s working programme and objectives. They also control the Association’s finances. Mr. Pittoors’ nomination by the SC is subject to election by the General Assembly, which will convene on 1 October during Afera’s 63rd Annual Conference in Valencia, Spain.
Current SC composition
| Representing | Company | Candidates | Until |
| Tape Manufacturer | Lohmann | Evert Smit | 9/2021 |
| Tape Manufacturer | Nitto | Dirk Pittoors | 9/2023 |
| Tape Manufacturer | tesa | Reinhard Storbeck | 9/2021 |
| Tape Manufacturer | ABI | Jacques Geijsen | 9/2020 |
| Tape Manufacturer | TBD | TBD | |
| Converter | Egebant | İbrahim Hatipoğlu | 9/2021 |
| Supplier | Loparex | Ian Grace | 9/2020 |
| Supplier | H.B. Fuller | Melanie Ott | 9/2020 |
If you are or know of an Active Member who is interested in joining Afera’s SC, please contact Afera Secretary-General Astrid Lejeune on +31 70 312 39 16 or send an e-mail here for more details about applying or nominating a candidate. Read Afera’s Statutes here.