On 15 July 2020, Komori Corporation, through its president and CEO, Satoshi Mochida, announced its decision to cancel its participation in the drupa 2021 exhibition. Initially planned for June 2020, the drupa in Dusseldorf was postponed to 20 to 30 April 2021, due to concerns over the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Komori is the fifth major exhibitor to call off its drupa participation, the others being Bobst, Xerox, Heidelberg, and Manroland Sheetfed.
Komori’s press release says, “The comprehensive decision to suspend the exhibit is made in response to the continued raging of the novel coronavirus infectious disease and its serious impact on the economy of both the developed and emerging countries.” The company says it is taking into consideration the potential risks of a second or third surge of the pandemic and putting the highest priority in securing the health and safety of our global customers and our employees.
Komori plans to launch an array of new products and services in the days to come through open house events and active participation in regional exhibitions. Further information will also be released utilizing various media such as corporate websites, data, and video distribution services using emails or SNS, online demonstrations, and webinars.
The press release adds, “The pace of social and industrial structure change has accelerated rapidly in 2020, transforming the printing industry’s operating climate. Aiming to become a company that inspires customer Kando, ‘Beyond expectations,’ Komori always puts customers first. We will always listen to our customers, develop and deliver innovative technologies and services essential for printing companies worldwide to adapt to such climate changes.”
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.
