August, at least in the northern hemisphere, began as July ended, with pictures of burnt-out destruction, some caused by heatwaves and wildfires, others by war. But the month is ending with rain sweeping across Europe, putting out the wildfires. Nonetheless. Economists at the Dutch bank Triodos have estimated that this year’s heatwaves could take €180 billion off the EU’s Gross Domestic Product.
Naturally, we still have plenty of war, with Ukraine having repeatedly hit energy and logistics infrastructure throughout Russia. There is some evidence that this has undermined the Russian economy, with reports of Russians withdrawing savings amid fears that the government might nationalize their money. For its part, Russia is now accused of targeting publishers and printing presses within Ukraine, presumably to try to undermine the cultural strength of the country.
The conflict between the US and Iran is still smoldering on, with both sides carrying out sporadic attacks but without the intensity from earlier in the year. Instead, the Americans have switched to an economic offensive having apparently failed to break the deadlock either militarily or diplomatically. The American president Donald Trump appears to be desperate to claim some sort of victory, with wild threats to bomb Oman and declare the Strait of Hormuz as a US territory, while the Iranians seem willing to delay any resolution until nearer the US mid-term elections to cause him maximum embarrassment.
And America is feeling the economic fallout of this war with increasing prices for gasoline, which is now over US$4 a gallon on average. Data from the American Commerce Department shows that the US economy slowed down in July, with GDP growing at 1.5% in the second quarter, down from 2.1% in the first three months of the year.
The US national debt has now passed US$40 trillion, double what it was in 2016 at the start of the first Trump term, and is forecast to hit US$64 trillion by 2036. US national debt is currently around 126% of GDP, which is far higher than average, but America has more leeway than other countries because of the size of its economy plus the dollar is seen as the world’s reserve currency. The debt has pushed up interest rates and this is filtering down into the broader economy to American consumers. In response, the US Treasury has attempted to buy back some of this long term debt to lower the yield rates but this has had only limited effect, with rising inflation now seen as a further risk.
Earlier in August, the US Treasury coordinated with Japan’s Ministry of Finance to buy billions of Yen to halt a slide in the value of the Yen and subsequent sell-off of Japanese government bonds that could have had a wider impact on the global economy. However, the impact appears to have been relatively short lived, with the value of the Yen falling further less than a week after this intervention.
The US Treasury funded this action by selling Euros rather than dollars. That caught the European Central Bank by surprise, and may signal a new approach in how the US manages its currency strategies with the concern that less coordination between central banks might lead to more volatility in the future.
This high American debt is also having a knock-on effect on other economies, since there is a finite amount of money available for international borrowing. There is an additional squeeze due to the huge borrowing from tech companies to fund the AI boom. The result is higher yield rates that is forcing many governments to attempt to reengineer their long term borrowing. Some European countries are particularly vulnerable, such as France, but also Britain and Italy. Spain, also badly exposed, has relaxed its immigration rules so that there are now more people paying tax, neatly spreading the debt burden, which is expected to fall below 100% of GDP this year.
Nor is China immune to the global economic worries. The latest economic figures from China’s National Bureau of Statistics showed that its economy is continuing to falter, with both industrial output and retail sales falling in July. There is still growth in the Chinese economy but it is not at anything like the speed that we have seen in the past. Li Qiang, premier of China, has said the solution is to push more exports to make up for weak domestic consumption. You can find longer analysis of the geo-economic and geopolitical situation filed respectively under Letter from Lincoln and Return to Sender.
China Print Supplies UK, which is based in Oswestry, just inside the English border with Wales, has expanded its arrangement with Fujifilm for the ink used in its Dlican series of large format printers. CPS had originally used Fujifilm Ink’s thermoforming flexible ink technology but has now expanded this to include UV inks across the Dlican portfolio, including flatbed, hybrid and cylindrical printers.
Scott Clutton, managing director of China Print Supplies UK, said, “We wanted to make sure we had the best, compliant, long-term ink solution to go with our printers. The more I spoke to people in the industry whose opinions I respect, the more obvious it became that Fujifilm Ink was the only choice.” He added, “Providing long-term support, along with guaranteed availability of consumables such as ink, is hugely important to us as we continue to grow our business and reputation. Knowing the ink is manufactured here in the UK by Fujifilm made the decision even more of a no-brainer.”
Soyang Europe is developing a dedicated showroom and expanding its engineering training program to support its recent appointment as British distributor for the Platinum Technologies’ Liyu range of wide format printers. It’s designed to mirror the minimalist look and feel of Platinum Technologies’ European Demo Centre in Düsseldorf, Germany. Mark Mashiter, CEO of Soyang Europe, commented, “By investing in a dedicated demonstration facility and expanding our technical expertise, we’re ensuring customers have access to the highest levels of support, from their initial enquiry through to installation and ongoing service. We believe this combination of innovative technology and exceptional customer care will help drive the continued growth of the Platinum Technologies Liyu brand across Great Britain.”
Actega is building a new production facility for sealants at its Foshan site in Guangdong Province, China, which should be completed by the end of September 2026. This site will manufacture both premium and standard sealant grades for food and beverage can applications. Dr. Teresa Ramos, head of Global Market Management for Cans B&B within Metal Packaging Solutions at Actega, commented, “By combining local production, technical service, digital technologies, and a broad portfolio of packaging solutions, we are positioning ourselves precisely where our customers need us and creating real added value for regional can makers as they prepare for future growth.”
This is part of Actega’s planned growth in the Asian region, which includes the recently opened office and application laboratory in Bangkok, Thailand, designed to strengthen technical service capabilities and customer support across Asia-Pacific. Actega already has production facilities in Brazil and the United States.
Mondi has developed a new packaging concept that combines a corrugated outer box with recyclable flexible packaging for eCommerce and bag-in-box applications. The idea is to apply the artwork directly onto the flexible packaging during converting using laser marking, which allows for personalisation and does away with the need for plates. It can be adapted across a variety of flexible packaging formats, from reels to pre-made pouches and promises to simplify material structures and reduce decorative elements.
Jens Koesters, manager Technical Service, R&D and Innovation Mondi Consumer Flexibles, explained, “Customers are under growing pressure to meet sustainability targets while managing increasingly complex product portfolios and changing consumer demands. This concept supports circularity with the use of bio-based materials and greater artwork flexibility in a single solution, helping brands respond more quickly to market requirements while progressing towards their circularity goals.”
Ink and coatings manufacturer Siegwerk is expanding some of its sites in North America. This includes the site in Des Moines, Iowa, where a new storage warehouse is being built, while the milling and blending equipment has been modernised and there is new white and colour production systems. Meanwhile, at the Morganton, North Carolina site Siegwerk is adding water-based and UV-based inkjet production, as well as adding new milling and blending equipment, plus solar panels for renewable energy.
Innotech has introduced a new black display hardware collection that should fit better with a trend towards more use of matt black in public spaces. The collection includes twelve products with roller banners, pavement signs, lightboxes, a magnetic totem and a cafe barrier system in a powder-coated black finish, similar to an existing set supplied in silver. Kieran Dallow, head of CX and Marketing for Innotech, says, “Silver aluminium has been the standard for the portable display market for many years. Our customers are looking for more choice when designing and specifying their signage installations, and the Black Collection gives them that choice.”
Installations
Cuchulainn Workwear, which is based in Jonesborough in Northern Ireland, has invested in two Inkcups direct-to-object UV inkjet machines: a Helix One benchtop cylindrical printer; and an X5-T flatbed printer. The company specializes in short run workwear and promotional items, mainly concentrating on embroidery and Dtf printing for a range of garments such as t-shirts, fleeces and hi-vis jackets.
Between them, the two machines will allow Cuchulainn to offer a wider range of branded products, such as branded cups, pens and travel mugs, while keeping production under one roof. Cuchulainn’s marketing assistant Jolene Muckian, added, “This will allow us to streamline processes and significantly improve efficiency.”
The German printing company Kern GmbH (not to be confused with the Swiss manufacturer of mailing systems), which is based in Saarland, has installed two new Primera Pro saddle stitchers from Muller Martini to replace two older models. It’s a family-run business, currently owned by André and Holger Kern, with around 150 staff.
Much of the work is finished on a perfect binder but saddle stitching is often used for traditional brochures, magazines, inserts, training materials, industrial documents, and pharmaceutical and informational printed materials. André Kern says that saddle stitching is growing in importance: “This is less because softcover products have become unimportant, but more because the market for saddle stitched products has become increasingly demanding. Customers today expect very high quality, very short lead times, and competitive prices at the same time.”
Kern offers a highly diverse product range for saddle stitching, that includes a wide variety of formats and page counts, double-use productions, inserts, sticker/cardboard sheets, truncated product sections, ring-eyelet bindings, and products with special requirements for folding, trimming, camera inspection, and packaging. So the Primera Pros were chosen for their ability to keep up with this, with quick retooling between jobs, high quality and ease of use.
Appointments
Christoph Burkhard (62) will join Heidelberg’s executive board as chief financial officer on 1 October, replacing Volker Herdin who is retiring. Burkhard will be responsible for the departments of Finance, Controlling, Investor Relations, M&A, Accounting, Legal, Tax, and Information Security. He holds a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics, and began his career as an analyst for the European Commission in Luxembourg before moving to BHF Bank in Frankfurt. He has worked for Siemans and later wind turbine manufacturer Nordex, with his most recent role being CFO of construction equipment manufacturer Wacker Neuson.
Jürgen Otto, CEO of Heidelberg, commented, “With Mr. Burkhard, we are gaining a CFO who will sustainably strengthen our company on its path to becoming an integrated technology group. In addition, the focus will be on expanding the financial strength of Heidelberg and positioning the company appropriately in the capital market.”
Agfa has appointed Declan Guerin as chief financial officer along with a seat on the Executive Committee. He replaces Fiona Lam, who will leave the company on August 31, 2026. He is an experienced international finance executive and was most recently CFO of the Norican Group. Before that he held senior CFO and transformation roles at Rolls-Royce, Cargotec, Caterpillar and DHL.
CEO Pascal Juéry commented, “I am delighted to welcome Declan Guerin to our leadership team. With his extensive experience in capital markets, financial stewardship, restructuring, portfolio management, value creation, M&A, and transformation within complex multinational organisations, I am confident that he will make a significant contribution to our ongoing transformation journey. I would also like to sincerely thank Fiona for her commitment and valuable contributions to Agfa over the past period.”
Soyang Europe has taken on Andy Webb as Commercial Director and Ian Windebank as Wide-Format Print Specialist. Webb, who has previously worked with Canon and Fujifilm, will be responsible for Soyang’s hardware solutions. Windebank, who spent 11 years with Inktec Europe, will report to him as part of the hardware team, focussing on supporting customers. CEO Mark Mashiter commented: “Having the right people in place is essential to ensuring our customers receive the advice and ongoing support they need when making important technology investments. Andy and Ian will play an important role in strengthening the business.”
Upcoming events
Loupe Americas – the show formerly known as Label Expo – returns to Chicago, followed a week later in Las Vegas by Printing United. ESMA’s Textile Printing and Sustainability conference takes place in Mönchengladbach, Germany, while London Packaging Week covers a range of packaging issues. You can find further details on all this from the Events page.
Finally, anyone working in the printing industry from 9 to 5 – other hours are available – might consider donating a book to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides free books to children, inadvertently also helping to keep many printers in business.
