In recent years, the number of European printing establishments has continued to decline and employment levels have similarly fallen back. However, while some larger printing concerns have gone out of business, others have managed to adjust their offer to ensure that they are able to meet a more varied set of demands from their customer base.
Increasingly, customers are demanding faster turnaround times, shorter runs and more targeted printing with versioning and full variable content. Some print companies have adjusted to take advantage of this new reality. Although the pace of these changes can be overstressed, feedback confirms that printers are investing more time in ensuring that they are making the best use of their resources. Lean manufacturing techniques are widely adopted to optimise productivity, while workflow and MIS help keep the presses busy through a mix of long and short run work.
