The graphic and printing industry were affected by the crisis, but not are not doing bad either. But another threat exists for this sector, and it comes straight from the emerging countries.
Concurrence from emerging countries
Emerging countries represent a threat to European countries, and not only in the printing industry, but in all industries. The main reason is the extremely low production costs. As a matter of fact, in the graphics sector are China, Mexico and Brazil countries that may represent the biggest threat.
On another hand, European quality should enable Europe to keep the monopoly, however, developing countries keep on improving their factories, especially in China where quality standards were recently implemented. In the printing industry is a standard to be found that is recognized worldwide, namely the PSO (ProcessStandard Offset). Printers in possession of this standard in their factory are able to guarantee the quality of their printed products, from design to the finished product. Today many companies in China, the Philippines, or Singapore are PSO certified, which means that these countries are slowly catching up with Europe, proving quality production with competitive prices.
How can we save the European printing ?
What could Europe do to keep a real advantage over those countries? The first solution involves the relocation of the production in low-cost countries. Indeed, a French printing company may for instance decide to relocate its production abroad to offer more competitive costs to its customers. However, it seems quite difficult to control teh standards and working conditions from abroad. Therefore, Europe has every interest to stake everything on personalized services. A manufacturer in Europe can ensure accurate tailored service to the client, while it will be for a factory across the Atlantic slightly more difficult to offer this kind of services. Diversification can also make a difference: an European company is more likely to land a contract with a customer by offering auxiliary services.
Europe has not therefore said its last word by leveraging new technologies, personalized services and diversification, and should remain a leader in the printing sector. Feel free to consult our offers on European used industrial printing machinery in our online catalog.
