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Maintaining the Art Form
The German printing industry also differs from the American one in that as the United States has moved to automate printing and remove the craft aspect from production, the German industry has maintained a strong apprentice program, grooming workers for the industry. German labor agreements—which cover some 200,000 printing and related employees across the country—specify that apprentices must be employed for at least 12 months following their apprenticeship.
While lithography is the most important process in both countries, gravure plays a more important role in German printing than in the United States. Magazines and catalogs that invariably would be printed offset in the States are often printed gravure in Germany.
German printers also have a reputation for producing high-value products such as cosmetic packaging and printing with complex die cuts, embossing, and UV coatings—often for consumption in Europe. Digital printing has been widely embraced in Germany for outdoor advertising billboards, as in the United States.
U.S. printers probably can be expected to move more quickly to variable-data printing than German printers because of differences in regulations influencing the direct-mail industry. As part of the European Union, Germany is bound by strict laws regarding personal information. Conversely, in the United States, government agencies and corporations gather extensive data regarding their constituents and customers.
U.S. printers unquestionably face competition from printers in the Far East with low labor costs. Yet printers in mature economies such as Germany also are capable of exerting significant pressure. German printers have ready access to the most modern printing equipment because that equipment is made locally. A nationwide labor agreement levels the playing field for German printers, serving to reduce competition among local printers and permit them to focus on exporting their products. U.S. printers, on the other hand, have an excellent weapon in their productivity. Since printed products are by their nature heavy, printing tends to be done most economically near the point of usage. Thus, so long as the U.S. economy remains strong and U.S. printers remain productive, they should retain their advantage.
Dennis Mason is president of Mason Consulting, a firm specializing in marketing and technology issues in the graphic arts and electronic industries. He may be reached at www.masonconsulting.com.
