The Situation of the German Printing Industry

The Situation of the German Printing Industry and
the Future of Print Media from the Perspective of
the German Manufacturers of Machines

　　Kai Büntemeyer,
　　Chairman
　　VDMA Association of German Manufacturers of Printing & Paper Technology
　　Managing Partner of KOLBUS GmbH & Co. KG

　　Ladies and Gentlemen,

　　I am very pleased to be able to speak to you on behalf of the German engineering industry today in order to give you a brief glimpse into the present situation of the German printing industry and to explain our vision of the future of the printing industry.

　　I am talking to you today in my capacity as chairman of the VDMA Association of German Manufacturers of Printing & Paper Technology. In the industry, I am holding the post of Managing Partner of Kolbus, a company manufacturing bookbinding machines and inline postpress production systems with a workforce of approx. 1300.

　　1 INTRODUCTION/ BRIEF PRESENTATION

　　The German supplier industry for printing and paper
　　Sales:  8 billion Euros (2008)
　　No. of staff:  approx. 50,000
　　Export share: more than 80 %

　　The Association of German Manufacturers of Printing & Paper Technology has 122 members representing 90 percent of the German machinery manufacturers for the printing and paper industry and covering the total value chain from papermaking to paper converting, printing and postpress processes. Total sales of our industry amounted to approx. 8 billion Euros in 2008; the number of staff is approx. 50,000. With an export share of more than 80 %, Germany is the leading supplier of machines for the printing industry world-wide.

　　The share of German manufacturers in global exports for printing house equipment is approx. 42 %. The German manufacturers of machines wish to remain among the technological leaders in the world and at present invest on average approx. 4 % of sales in research and development activities. As far as the manufacturers of printing machines are concerned, this percentage is above average and approx. 6 %.

　　2 THE GERMAN PRINTING INDUSTRY IN FIGURES AND FACTS

　　Basic data of the printing industry
　　

　　German Import of printed products: approx. 1.9 billion