Wide-format Blogs

There are going to be fireworks. With bonfire night do’s back on many a town’s agenda, and Christmas fairs springing up all over the place, it seems public events really are back to pre-Covid levels. Wondering if the level of large-format print for the wider events market is too?

Given it’s Halloween I thought I’d ask ‘what scares you?’  I expect energy prices and supply chain difficulties to come top of the list - but am I wrong?

Epson will showcase its GX4 and GX8 Scara robots at the Robotics and Automation show in Coventry next month to highlight “simple and affordable solutions that help operations enjoy reduced production costs, improved product quality, increased workflow, and enhanced business capabilities”. Sounds great! They’re aimed at the medical, electronics and consumer electronics industries though. I’m back to wondering to what extent this industry, and the wide-format sector in particular, is likely to see wider robotic automation adopted. Feel free to enlighten me…

At the time of writing, it looks like former chancellor Rishi Sunak is going to be our next prime minister. Are you confident he - or indeed Penny Mordaunt, if she gets the job - will improve your lot?

Are you even remotely in Las Vegas? See what I did there - I’m talking about you being at Printing United Expo 2022, even virtually. Worry not if you can’t make it - we’ll bring you up to speed with any crucial developments - see some of the news herewith. If you are there and are particularly impressed by anything wide-format related, let me know!

“What is sustainability?” tops the list as the world’s most Googled question about sustainability, according to a study by the company Drinking-Straw.com. According to its research there are on average 58,000 searches a month asking the question. The Cambridge Dictionary provides a simple answer - ‘the quality of being able to continue over a period of time’. But even it has added in an environmental definition - ‘the quality of causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time’. What’s your definition of running a sustainable company?

Pre-pack insolvencies - what’s to be done about the situation? Over the years we’ve run many a story on the damage they do, but all we can do is report. Can we do more as an industry? FaberExposize UK and Northern Flags MD Iain Clasper-Cotte - while still celebrating fab wins at the UK Graphic Awards - is up in arms about the situation, as are many others. He recently pointed out on a LinkedIn post that: “Over the past few years we have lost lots of monies when clients have gone into receivership. The first we know of it is when mysteriously another company has bought them and wants to trade with us. They have not taken on the historic debt as the receiver neatly packages all the good bits (i.e not the money owed to us) and sells it for way less than, to my eyes, the assets are worth. It’s interesting to see a number of printers/directors have done this a couple of times over the years - effectively getting a major competitive advantage over the rest of us who have paid full price for our printers, inventory and tax.” With the post of small business minister having been scrapped by the new PM, it would seem likely the problem isn’t going to get looked at very seriously anytime soon. Ideas?

Teesside University is inviting businesses in the area to take part in a ‘Skills Bootcamp in Strategies for a Sustainable and Circular Economy’ starting on 18 October and running until 26 January. It’s aimed at those wanting to reduce/eliminate company waste, include sustainable and circular economy strategies into their business plans, and develop skills and industry connections to that end. Have any of you been on any similar course and, if so, what did you think about its usefulness?

With the IPIA having released data on the number of youngsters it has helped into print since becoming a gateway for its members to benefit from the Government’s Kickstart scheme last year I thought it apt to ask what more you think the industry - and the large-format sector more specifically - can do about making it a more attractive option? I’ve asked the question before, and I I’ll ask it again - do we need something of a rebrand? If so, how on Earth do we go about doing that?

Flint Group has just warned that ink price hikes are coming on 1 January to cover inflationary costs associated with raw materials, labour, shipping, packaging and energy increases. A) Should we assume ink costs are likely to go up across the board? B) Have you any chance of clawing those costs back from your customers?

I’ll be on holiday as you read this (yay!), which means I’ll miss the Net Zero Roundtable on Thursday, so please email me if you have anything to say on the topic, which will also be covered at our very own Widthwise Roundtables in October. Come to that, let me know of any other burning questions or issues you would like to see discussed. Right, I’m off - back next week!

So, energy bills for UK businesses will be cut by around half their expected level this winter under the new government support package, and it’s understood that the scheme - which will fix wholesale gas and electricity prices for firms for six months from 1 October - will be reviewed after three months. It’s expected there’ll be an option to extend support for vulnerable businesses - should print companies be categorised thus?