Printers of the world unite: Print 21 magazine article

Printers around the world face a number of common problems that threaten the future viability of the industry. Recently returned from meeting with other print industry association representatives at drupa, Joan Grace outlines the positive measures that everybody can undertake to advance their own cause and that of the industry.

New Zealand may be located to the southern extreme of the world but the businesses in our industry face the same issues as those in many other countries.

This was highlighted during my travels to drupa in June which included several speaking engagements and meeting industry association representatives from 20 countries at a drupa forum. This provided a unique opportunity for discussions with my counterparts from countries as diverse as the US, South Africa, Netherlands, Australia, China, Japan and Lithuania. There were a number of common themes to the conversations, including how to improve the image of the industry, the focus on environmental issues, skills (or a lack of them), and the global economic downturn.

Improving the image of the industry is an on-going issue that has an impact on the number of skilled workers coming into the industry, whether print is chosen as the preferred means of communicating a message and how the industry is portrayed in these times of green thinking. This is an issue that led PrintNZ to develop a marketing strategy for the industry earlier this year.

This is not a new issue but what can we actually do to improve the image of the industry? Some suggestions include talking up the industry at every opportunity we get – I am criticised at times for being too positive but if we don't do this for our industry, no one else will.

Invite people (clients, other employers, students, local government) into our businesses to see what we do. If samples of work are on display, why not have customer endorsements alongside these? Get involved with promoting career opportunities – for example by attending a PrintNZ Print Careers Breakfast in NZ, where we work with careers teachers so they can help us promote careers to students.

Print under attack
Environmental concerns and how to respond to these were another debate. The print industry is under attack, some say unfairly, by the environmental lobby, but it is a reality. On top of this are the ever increasing energy and oil prices which have a direct and indirect impact on every business.

So what can we do?

Consider implementing credible environmental management systems and promote your efforts to clients – have the accreditation and be prepared to back up your 'green' marketing with hard facts and credentials. Look at implementing lean manufacturing principles as a way to reduce waste, cut costs and improve business efficiencies. Promote the benefits of paper, a product which has sound environmental credentials, and encourage recycling efforts wherever possible.

While we are entering poor economic times globally, we are still in a position where there is low unemployment and widely reported skill shortages. Many people coming into the industry have low level skills and require an investment in training by their employers. The investment will benefit the business as the person becomes more able, confident and productive in the workplace. Another concern is that it is common for staff to travel overseas or gain work at another company in order to build upon their experience. While a problem in the short-term, we are aware that these same people often return to the business that trained them. In speaking to my colleagues overseas, they envied the 'one-stop-shop' that the PrintNZ model provides in the way of training and member services.

What can we do about skill shortages?

Talk to PrintNZ Training which provides a wide range of flexible training including not limited to apprenticeships. Encourage staff to undertake training to improve their skills in a broad range of areas and factor the time it takes for staff training into your business plan and budget for it.

The current economic downturn that NZ is facing is a reality for most countries in the western world. I will leave Tony Alexander, a fellow NZ columnist, to cover the NZ view on this issue.

Awake in the night
The four issues mentioned above may be keeping some of you awake at night but I would like to reflect on the answer I was asked to give to the Print Yorkshire Directors Club's Victor Watson who asked me: What makes a business successful in NZ?

My answer to him was:
* Strong leadership – someone with good business sense and well-developed management skills.
* Leadership that can make 'hard decisions' – driving out unnecessary costs and redefining the structure of their business.
* A clearly defined niche market to operate in.
* Knowledge of their customer base and what keeps their customers awake at night.
* Investment in current technology that matches the needs of the customers and their business practices.

Whether the business climate is positive or negative these answers don't change. My belief is that our members all strive to meet this profile and PrintNZ is committed to providing services to assist them in this challenge.