Fujifilm Europe announces that, as a result of sustained and substantial increases in raw materials and logistics costs, it will be increasing the surcharge on its aluminum offset printing plates by an average of £0.60 or US$ 0.82 a square meter from 1 November 2021.
The company has been working hard to absorb material price increases by reducing its own operating costs and improving productivity. However, in the case of alumnium, the sheer magnitude of rising costs can no longer be sustained in this way. Fujifilm will continue to mitigate other rising costs, such as exchange rate fluctuations, energy, and paper.
Fujifilm to surcharge on the London Metal Exchange rate
The company will base its plate surcharges on the London Metal Exchange rate, which will be reviewed monthly. Details of the new structure will be communicated to all customers across EMEA.
For printers looking for certainty in plate pricing over the long term, a stable plate price is available via Fujifilm’s Platesense program, an initiative where the company manages various elements of a printer’s prepress operation, including plate supply and collection of scrap, for a fixed monthly fee, helping businesses manage their plate production more efficiently, and ultimately reduce costs.
Taku Ueno, senior vice president at Fujifilm Graphic Systems EMEA, says, “Earlier this year, we informed our customers of an increase in our raw materials and logistics costs. Over recent months the situation has evolved to an unprecedented level. While this is unfortunate, and we certainly understand that these conditions are hugely difficult for our customers, the new surcharge will be offset by the increase in the value of scrap aluminum.”
