The Number of Printing Enterprises is reduced

(NPES International E-commerce Website, Sep 03 2008) According to the statement of British Analysis Institute Begbies Traynor, the number of printing enterprises in the United Kingdom may be reduced to less than 10,000 by the end of 2010. Some analysts believe that the number of British printing companies annually decreased 4% on average in the past five years, and the total number of British printing enterprises will be reduced to around 9900 by 2010, which have been reduced 25% compared to the beginning of this century. While, Begbies Traynor believes that the actual reducing range of the quantity of British printing companies could be as high as 29%. Calculating at this rate, employees of British printing industry will be about 141,000 by 2010.

Japan, whose printing industry relatively well-developed, is also facing such a problem. The number of enterprises and workers of Japan's printing industry is in continuous decline, the Japanese newspaper said the printing industry has entered a "Enterprises Elimination Era." The number enterprises (4 or more workers, the same below)of Japan's printing industry (including the printing industry, plate-making industry, binding industry, print processing industry and other related services),is 30,970 in 2005,which reduced 5.4% compared to last year, the number of employees is 371,000, which reduced 2.4% compared to last year. The number of enterprises and workers of Japan's printing industry has been declining for seven consecutive years. Shipment revenue of printing industry is 7.12 trillion yen in 2005, which has declined for eight consecutive years.
The overall number of U.S. printing companies has shown a declining trend since 1970s, the number of large printing enterprises in particular. While, the number of small enterprises showed a sustainable growth trend during the economic growth in 1990s; but, small and medium enterprises of U.S. printing industry have been impacted on a certain degree in recent years as economic growth slowed down and the non-print media which resulted from the development of networks are highly active, its overall number showed a downward trend.

First of all, along with the slow economic recovery, the disharmony between GDP growth and the development of the printing industry, the printing industry showed significant overproduction. Meanwhile, price competition is also relatively intense. Secondly, the printing industry is also facing a huge impact because of the development of information technology and the advent of the Internet age. What people concerned is whether it will be replaced by digital transmission technology, advertisement made by paper is becoming less, and other media competition has intensified. In view of this, the development status quo and problems of printing industry in different regions are various. Taking the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States for example, you can learn that the global printing industry is facing a sharp drop trend throughout the development and changes of the global printing enterprises.