Koenig & Bauer strengthens market presence in Vietnam

To open a branch office in Hanoi

60
Koenig & Bauer
Participants of the Keonig and Bauer roadshow in Vietnam.

Koenig & Bauer recently underlined its commitment to the Vietnamese market with its participation in the Print & Pack 2022 trade fair in Ho Chi Minh City, and with a dedicated roadshow. The scale of the two events reflects the strong growth of the local industry, which is characterized by an increasing number of international players. There are around 2,000 printing and packaging businesses in the country, among them companies from all over the world that have chosen to invest in Vietnam. Trade volumes and the national economy are expanding rapidly.

Koenig & Bauer objectives are to tap into the Vietnamese market, which is enjoying a post-pandemic boom, and to establish a strong foundation for future market activities. Over the past two years, considerable progress has been achieved – primarily through the group’s Chinese subsidiary – in the provision of modern machinery and technologies, alongside professional services, to support printing and packaging companies in Vietnam. 

Roadshow held

At events held in Hanoi and Binh Duong, Koenig & Bauer presented future-oriented technologies and state-of-the-art equipment for print production and subsequent conversion to representatives of almost 100 printing companies. 

At the first event, HH Dream Printing, a joint venture founded by the Hong Kong-based Hung Hing Printing Group, was able to confirm its credentials as one of the leading companies in the local packaging and print industry. HH Dream Printing is primarily active in the field of toy packaging. Hung Hing has installed six medium- and large-format Rapida presses with related equipment since 2017 in order to boost its production capacities and efficiency. One of these modern presses is already in use in Vietnam, and a further installation is to follow in 2023.

The second roadshow event took place at the end of December and was hosted by the print company Lập Thịnh in Binh Duong in the south of Vietnam. A six-colour Rapida 105 with inline coating facilities will be increasing the production capacities here in the near future. Both events served to boost the profile of Koenig & Bauer as a press manufacturer and partner. The visitors were especially impressed by the cooperation with the two local printing companies. 

New branch office

One item of good news announced during the roadshow was that Koenig & Bauer is in the final stages of opening a branch office in Hanoi. Establishing this office will help strengthen the company’s local presence, and will enable the provision of even more comprehensive and diverse services in the future. 

The two Vietnamese trade associations representing the printing and packaging industries welcomed the initiative and promised their support for the planned opening of an office and service center for both the northern and southern regions of Vietnam.

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.

– Naresh Khanna

Subscribe Now

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here