Time to pulp excess organisations

The printing and graphic arts industry suffers from over representation according to a controversial Pulp & Paper Edge report by director Robert Eastment.

Entitled, 'When is Enough Industry Representation Enough', Eastment puts forward the argument that with more than twenty paper-related associations, the industry runs the risk of fragmentation.

Listing organisations including:

* Australasian Paper Industry Association (APIA)
* Appita - Australasian Pulp and Paper Industry Technical Association
* Australian Catalogue Association (ACA)
* Australian Direct Mail Association (ADMA)
* Australian Plantation Products and Paper Industry Council (A3P)
* Graphic Arts Merchants Association of Australia (GAMAA)
* Graphic Arts Services Association of Australia (GASAA)
* Label and Tag Manufacturers Association of Australia (LATMA)
* Lithographic Institute of Australia (LIA)
* Magazine Publishers of Australia (MPA)
* National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI)
* Packaging Council of Australia
* Paper Round
* Printing Industries Association of Australia (PIAA)
* Screen printing and Graphic Imaging Association of Australia (SGIAA)
Eastment questioned the need for this high number of groups. "It seems at odds with what is happening globally in our industry in the pulp and paper sector, and perhaps more locally, amongst our printing fraternity which has seen a continual stream of mergers, acquisitions and closures," he wrote.

"Some rationalisation amongst industry bodies is almost certainly overdue."

Calling for rationalisation, Eastment suggested that groups with overlapping interests should join forces under the one name. "Perhaps time has come for some serious discussion to occur between industry bodies on rationalising and merging with associations of similar interest, for example, between PIAA, LATMA, SGIAA, LIA and GASAAA, who would all appear to have some common basis."

Eastment admitted that his argument could appear 'controversial" but should not be ignored. "They need to be considered in the light of the likely fact that pressures on all sectors of the industry are not going to reduce, and will most likely increase in coming years," he wrote.

Read on to see what some of these groups thought of Eastment's claims.