Print Innovation Asia Issue 4 2023
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The print and paper industries in the face of supply chain challenges The printing segment has always been coping with supply chain pressures. With energy prices now skyrocketing, the industry is facing a new challenge. The shortage of paper in Europe has caused mill shutdowns and curtailments and some businesses are even on the verge of closing. How is the sector grappling with the energy crisis and other industry challenges? The Supply Chain in a Precarious State At the height of the pandemic, demand for production decreased. As a result, manufacturers laid off employees and reduced operations. As soon as the world awoke from the pandemic, the global supply chain couldn’t meet the high consumer demand. With limited supply on one hand and skyrocketing demand on the other hand, manufacturers have increased their prices which has led to print companies having to raise their prices as well. In addition, interruptions have occurred in supply, especially
key materials like ink, paper, and printing supplies which are scarcer nowadays. Not to forget other socioeconomic factors, including inflation, transportation challenges and labour shortage, that pose a threat to the print and paper industries.
In light of the above, now with many businesses back on track, print marketing materials, especially catalogs, brochures and so on, are highly soughtafter. With reference to it, materials used during production including cartons, banding materials, pallets and