This week we can expect further revealing figures about the performance of the industry's major press suppliers.

At the end of last week KBA released preliminary results for 2009 that included some sobering stats: sales overall were down 29% on the prior year, and a whopping 40% on 2007. I don't quite know how to type the noise made by a deflating balloon, but that is the sound my lips are making in contemplation of these figures.

Tip of the hat and a whistle of appreciation to KBA's management, who through some radical actions - I do not belittle the loss of 1,000 jobs, with a further 700 or thereabouts to go this year - have nevertheless got the company in a position where it was able to break even last year. Commendable.

What's also noteworthy is the closing statement from KBA's report, shared here in full: "In view of the efforts KBA has made, management is deeply concerned that other companies appear to be using state aid to preserve excess capacities by building for inventory and selling off stock at deep discounts. This has seriously undermined the price of both new and second-hand equipment, making it difficult for competitors to win contracts at an economically viable price, and counteracting the benefits of consolidation. Such behaviour harms the entire industry and demonstrates once again that state [aid] for individual companies can distort competition for the rest of the field. Jobs secured at the tax-payer's expense are ultimately lost elsewhere." 

No prizes for guessing they are referring to Heidelberg. KBA's local management here in the UK has already made the same point. Two things will be significant now: whether this public statement has any knock-on political impact in Germany; and what clues about the use of the aforementioned aid package of some €850m lie within Heidelberg's own results, for Q3 09, which will be released tomorrow.