2002 GATF Technology Forecast Part 1 Printing and Image Communication Industry
Second, uncertainties promote careful consideration and make wise decisions. Generally speaking, there is a time lag between writing articles and the publication of articles. This year's time slot is particularly important because of this issue of the GATF Technology Forecast. It was written during the most unstable and most anxious time in American history.
You may also remember the memory of the PRINT 01 exhibition in Chicago that ended last year. Thousands of industry experts attended the event. Although the PRINT 01 exhibition was successful both from the perspective of new technology and product sales, it could not erase the shadow of the 9/11 incident in any case because the incident occurred during the exhibition. .
After that attack, the national economy of the United States began to decline from a long-term sustained and prosperous growth. The printing industry is a true reflection of the fluctuations of the national economy.
In 2001, the printing equipment and supply industries have shown a clear downward trend. According to statistics, the total shipping value of printing equipment in 2001 reached 2.499 billion U.S. dollars, which is about 7.5% lower than 2000. It is expected that there will be a rebound in 2002, but it is difficult to determine when it will happen.
But one thing we can assert with great confidence is that correct business decisions are more important than ever. These correct decisions are based on a careful and careful understanding of the market and the effective application of new technologies, which not only improve quality and service, but also reduce operating costs.
This sounds a bit like a preaching, but only this way of returning to the foundation can make the printing economy of the United States return to prosperity in 2002. In this phase of economic recovery, new technologies and equipment are the most important.
So what is the basis now? How can printing companies, publishing houses, and paper processing companies make successful business decisions? The first core theory of a new market is that for any company, simply defining itself as an opportunity for companies that print ink on paper will be less and less. To survive in a highly competitive market, printing companies must go beyond this narrow definition.
One of the reasons that big customers gradually turn to strategic resources is that they can get more support from fewer resources. For this reason, we are also expected to see more mergers and acquisitions in the future. The result is to see fewer customers, but to obtain more purchases, and establish long-term relationships with a few suppliers.
Similarly, customers of all types and sizes will see their information exchange needs as a complete, integrated whole. All media work together and co-exist, such as printing, broadcasting, e-mail, networking, and multimedia.
For the printing industry, this means that it may accept various types of input and transfer jobs in various forms. This also means that the work can be arranged according to the schedule provided by the customer, and the short operating cycle can be obtained through the electronic media.
Another factor in shaping the new environment is to obtain more jobs by improving the basic quality of each product. In the past, they all wanted to complete production in a quick and inexpensive manner, and relaxed their requirements for quality standards.
Nowadays, good enough work is very noteworthy. However, many printing companies realized that their long-standing process direction and their pursuit of superior print quality will not separate them from other competing companies. The customer certainly likes high-quality products, but still signs contracts based on shorter operating cycles and other guidelines that are fully compatible with other members of the exchange cooperation group.
The third core theory is that the cost will continue to decline. The successful companies of the future will be companies that can manage their costs fully and continuously. At the same time, these successful companies can absorb their mixed costs more thoroughly by adding more tasks to the system during each shift. This means that they can sell more products and earn more through the equipment.
Today's equipment creates a good opportunity for more jobs per shift because they are all automated, process jobs quickly, and generate less waste.
Lower productivity growth has a very large impact on production deadlines. If a printing company squeezes more jobs into each shift, its basic blending costs will not change. However, the profit rate of extra work may even be the total profit of the class. To ensure that the job is completed within the prescribed working hours will have great benefits.
However, printing companies must pay attention to the fact that a simple increase in productivity does not necessarily increase profit growth. If you want to increase profits by 10%, it is not enough to purchase a printer that is 25% more productive. This shortfall will almost certainly hurt all profits.
This is also one of the important reasons to emphasize the entire process from marketing to final delivery. And this integrated approach is more important than ever because of its fourth core theory of the future market.
This fourth core theory is the digital workflow. It is no longer an abstract concept. It is no longer the unique concept of prepress specialists. Digital workflows are tools that allow print managers to measure, understand, and control every process and function in the enterprise. It is also a tool that enables printing operations to be performed step by step, faster and more smoothly within the company and even globally.
Digital workflow is the key to services such as remote proofing. One of the major trends in recent years has been the transfer of creation capabilities to the customer's desktop. In this trend, customers need a reliable way to preview jobs on their own screens, and this need is achieved remotely.
Other functions such as CTP imposition, on-press plate imaging, variable data printing, etc. can also be achieved through digital workflows. In turn, these capabilities enhance the printing company's ability to support customers' overall communication needs in a variety of ways.
All these technological developments have gradually matured through long-term processes, all of which were demonstrated at the PRINT 01 exhibition. For example, direct-imaging presses are everywhere, indicating that this technology has gradually become the mainstream of the industry. These new technologies in the form of concept products are very good news for the printing, publishing and paper processing industries. To make a company a strong advantage: strict cost control, sensible technology applications, and forward-looking marketing methods, these will never be out of date.
Smart managers across the industry seem to have weathered the current difficulties and are preparing to prepare for future industry challenges, but the situation is still not optimistic.