The German Stifterverband association has once again presented ppi Media with its ‘Innovation through Research’ seal.
The German Stifterverband association has once again presented ppi Media with its ‘Innovation through Research’ seal. The basis for the award is an annual survey conducted by the association’s department for science statistics on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Since 2014, Stifterverband has awarded the ‘Innovation through Research’ seal to companies that take part in a biannual census on research and development in the German economy. After taking part in 2016, the company has renewed its support of the initiative after making more investments in research and development in 2020. The manufacturer focuses on the creation and development of software solutions for media produced by international publishing houses.
The solutions developed by ppi Media are used to produce publications like the New York Times, BILD, and Dainik Jagran – one of the most widely-read daily newspapers in the world – as well as around 80% of all daily newspapers on the German market. As one of the leading service providers in the field of automated newspaper production, ppi Media is playing an important role in maintaining press production and protecting critical infrastructure during the ongoing corona crisis.
Hauke Berndt, the chief executive officer of ppi Media (Credit: Timo Wilke), managing director, ppi Media
The CEO of ppi Media, Dr Hauke Berndt, shares his views on the award, “Research and development are crucial for our company and the media industry. Thanks to the constant review and development of our solutions, we’re able to continue providing media companies with the best possible support in the current situation and ensure the smooth continuation of the newspapers and magazines produced by our customers.”
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
