TRENDS Themen

In October 2023, the seasonally and calendar-adjusted business climate in the German print and media industry fell again. While the business outlook for the next six months rose slightly, assessments of the current business situation collapsed. The business climate index calculated by the German Printing and Media Industries Federation fell by 2.8 per cent compared to the previous month, adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects. At 86.4 points, the index was around 1.8 per cent above the previous year’s level, but reached a new low for the year. Companies’ business situation continues to be burdened by persistently weak demand and below-average capacity utilisation.

Durst has announced the strategic acquisition of Aleph to expand its range of sustainable digital textiles and décor solutions. This will strengthen Durst’s position in water-based and sustainable printing technologies.

Fogra’s Colour Management Symposium will take place for the ninth time on 21 and 22 February 2024. The international colour management event in Munich is a firm fixture in the community. The presentations by users are particularly interesting. Eight speakers from printing companies, brand manufacturers and the decor sector have confirmed their attendance.

FESPA has published the key findings of its Print Census 2023, conducted in collaboration with InfoTrends, a division of Keypoint Intelligence. According to the findings, sustainability requirements are increasing and customer demands are changing in terms of business models and investment plans.

The ninth drupa Global Trends Report, published in mid-November, sees growing confidence in almost all regions and markets. Print service providers and suppliers alike expect an even better development for the coming year.

Gustav Daiber GmbH has spent several months revamping its corporate image. The result of the “Lifetime Partner” campaign is new colors and typography: the corporate fashion manufacturer behind JAMES & NICHOLSON will consciously come to the fore in the future.

The Tip Switch vacuum, the vacuum system from swissQprint, has been patented since August 2023. Users can use it to control the finely segmented vacuum of their large format printer at the touch of a finger, thus saving time and electricity.