Editorial - Graphic Monthly Canada

October 2009

Print 09 may go down as a turning point for print

The show reflected the toughness of the times, but there

We all know what a tough year this has been so far. So it was with a little trepidation that some of us headed to Chicago and to Print 09. Print is the largest trade show in North America, taking the place of GraphExpo every four years. It’s a six-day event in two large halls that tasks the feet and lower backs of everyone who attends.

No one really knew what to expect. Most of the key exhibitors were there, and though some chose not to bring equipment, a good many fired up significant iron: Komori, Ryobi, Heidelberg, KBA, Mitsubishi all brought offset presses, including 8-up models.

But that was no guarantee that crowds would come. And on the first day it did indeed look as though the halls would remain empty, with crowds falling shy of thin. But attendance built from there and by Sunday, the aisles were bustling. Trade shows are always bellwethers of the industry. So what did Print 09 tell us?

ONE This was the first time since the economic nosedive that the industry had gathered on a North-American scale. And it was palpably clear that most of us are a little shell shocked. Bernard Schreier, CEO of Heidelberg, said this is the worst downturn he has weathered since joining the company in the ’70s. The most-often heard word at press conferences was “challenging.”

There’s also a sense of fatigue. Everyone knows we have to jump-start the industry, but few solutions seem to be taking hold and no solid jumping off point is evident.

TWO The industry may never get back to its pre-recession levels and it may have to adjust to a new “normal.” There are fewer print shops, so the consolidation that many have been predicting is effectively here. At the Executive Outlook conference the day before the show, someone pointed out that it took a few decades for the U.S. industry to go from 25,000 printers to 50,000 printers, and less than 10 years for it to go back to 25,000 establishments.

Consolidation and restructuring is happening among suppliers too. While there were no official comments from either Manroland or Heidelberg regarding their rumoured merger, something is afoot. There will be some mergers in those quarters, if not necessarily among those two companies. On a global plane, Print 09 had the largest presence of Chinese manufacturers we’ve seen at a North American trade show. Are they competitive now? No. But they will be in a few years, and that certainly will be a game changer.

THREE Bloody and tired as it may be, there is still a lot of life in this industry. There certainly was a lot of innovation to be seen on the floor. There are options. And, while lamenting the diminished crowds, many exhibitors also said the visitors they had seen were serious about buying and investing. Heidelberg, Manroland, Fujifilm, HP, Agfa, Xeikon, Screen, among others, all announced sales at the show, or gathered a healthy bunch of leads. Interest in the new inkjet presses, especially at Fujifilm, was running high. HP announced another sale of its inkjet web press. Most manufacturers pointed to a few areas of positive activity, including wide-format offset, packaging printing, and customized communication pieces.

FOUR When the dust settles the true benefit of Print 09 may be that it painfully illustrated that print needs to articulate its value to customers if it is to remain relevant and profitable. What’s clear is that the status quo won’t do anymore, even when the economy turns around. Print 09 offered options to take print forward. Anyone know any visionaries?

Filomena Tamburri is the editor of Graphic Monthly Canada. She can be reached at ftamburri@graphicmonthly.ca