In 2003, ink manufacturers have realized that the difficulties facing companies are far beyond their original expectations. Prior to the recovery of Europe’s major economic ministries, the ink manufacturers faced the challenge of how to achieve profitability, reduce production costs, reduce excess production capacity, and explore the smooth operation of market sales. The small profits of the ink industry may trigger a new round of business mergers. In particular, some medium-sized companies that produce special inks are facing survival options. Affected by the pressure of printing prices in major print markets, ink manufacturers are working to open up new markets with high profits.
Another way out for ink manufacturers is to expand the printing market in other regions because the economic growth rates in European countries are not synchronized. For example, the GDP growth rate of some countries in the eastern European region is higher than that of the European/Western region. Even in the EU Economic Zone, there are differences in the economic vitality of countries. In May 2003, the print output value of 12 countries in the euro area fell by 0.9% due to the decline in the output value of Italy for two consecutive years. The same situation has also occurred in France and Germany. The output value of printing in countries such as Greece, Denmark, Belgium and Ireland showed an increasing trend.
Overall, however, the printing market in most of Europe is still struggling. In the UK, the demand for printed matter is stronger than in other countries in the euro area. According to the latest survey by the British Printing Federation (BPIF), various sectors of the printing market are facing pressures of excess production capacity and reduced profits. The UK in 2002 The pre-tax profit of the printing industry has dropped to 45%, and it is expected that the profits of various departments in the UK printing market will decline again in 2003. Due to the overall decline in the printing industry, the recovery of the European ink market will take some time. Under such circumstances, the combination of cold solid ink manufacturers and thermosetting ink manufacturers appearing in the ink industry is also justified.
In March 2003, Flink ink took over the global thermoset and coldset ink business of Swiss SICPA. At the same time, SICPA took control of Flint Ink's anti-counterfeit ink business. It is said that through this business takeover, SICPA can "accelerate the professionalization of packaging inks." In May 2003, AkzoNobel Ink (ANl) took over Belgium's TrenalS-A., a 70-year-old manufacturer of coldset and thermosetting inks. This acquisition became the third largest supplier of coldset inks in Europe. Finale. AkzoNobel Ink's products will be supplied to customers in Scandinavia, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and northern France. After the merger, the factory in Belgium was managed by Akzo Nobel Ink, which also used the Trenal brand.
Product specialization is a major development strategy adopted by European ink manufacturing companies. In addition, ink manufacturers in other regions are also undergoing transformations, such as the transfer of ordinary inks to specialty inks.
Although the German printing market is still sluggish, the ink business of Germany's Zelle+Gmelin has expanded and its profits have increased significantly. Alex Stevenson, head of Zelle+Gmelin's ink division, said: "We have withdrawn from the war of war and are entering a more valuable market." The company currently specializes in the production of UV series. Parking ink products. In fact, this strategy has long been adopted by Intercolour. Although this year's profits will be slightly lower, that is, the average profit is 10%, Interprofit's profit after taking the above strategy has risen to 15%. On the other hand, they have realized that in addition to producing specialized products, a lot of effort should be put into improving the quality of service. In addition to tapping into the development of an emerging ink market, ink companies have also increased their investment and hope to expand their business to other regions (eg Eastern Europe). In July 2003, Sun Chemicals opened a new factory near Warsaw, Poland, which produces pulp inks and liquid inks for the Polish printing market and its neighboring countries. George Cocolis, the manager of the "Eastern Europe Division" of Sun Chemicals, said that Poland has a population of 40 million and the market is stable. These two factors have contributed to Poland becoming the preferred area for Sun Chemicals to expand its business in Eastern Europe. According to statistics from the Finnish Federation of Forestry, at present, per capita paper consumption is 55 kg in countries in Europe and Chenbe region, and 200 kg per year in countries in western Europe. It can be seen that there are huge developments in eastern Europe. Business opportunities, the increase in paper consumption, will inevitably drive the growth of the ink market. In the midst of a downturn in Western Europe, ink producers can take a step forward and extend their reach to Eastern Europe with a bright future.
Article from: China Dyeing and Chemicals Network