It was the year when the Queen’s Jubilee and the London Olympics gave a much needed boost to UK print and a general feeling of contentment. There were a number of high profile insolvencies and mergers, but the number of customers leaving the printing industry is slowing. Access to capital funding for those with the right trading record and realistic plans seemed a little easier. Technologically there was the razzamatazz around Benny Landa although the timescale and commercial viability of nano technology will be the acid test. More immediate hot issues certainly included Web2Print, increased integration and hybrid printing. Whilst shorter make readies and even quicker running speeds for litho presses won business from the traditional digital market.

What do you think will represent the single biggest opportunity for printers in 2013 and why?

Web2Print, cross media and ganged up print. Joined up business and production workflows have become a reality. Now that the network  extends back into sales and e-commerce. It’s an opportunity for printers to entice more customers into using print by offering easy to use templates and a way of building closer partnerships with existing buyers. Printers are dividing into two camps, the commodity printer (where higher productivity through shorter make readies matters and ganged up printing could maximise efficiency and reduce waste) and the added value printer (where offering multimedia solutions could create new opportunities).

What do you think will represent the single biggest threat for printers in 2013 and why?

The global economy generally, the Eurozone crisis in particular and the resulting impact on business confidence and bank financing in the UK specifically.

What’s the one thing that the industry should do more of, or do better, in 2013?

Invest in its skills, show young people that print is a vibrant and opportunity-rich industry. Recruit more apprentices and ensure existing staff are better trained with the resulting gains in productivity. Heidelberg sponsored the printing section of The Skills Show this year as well as the Print Week Trainee of the Year and we continue to be committed to young people and the industry and both need each other!

What was your highlight of 2012?

Drupa. We had a really successful show with some fantastic orders, including a £7m spend by Buxton Press, a convert to Heidelberg and Speedmaster technology. 

What are your hopes for 2013?

Peace and prosperity! It might sound flippant but a period of calm that allows economies to keep focused on creating opportunities for growth, fostering a culture of innovation and a robust confidence would be very welcome. At Heidelberg we have the right product portfolio, a strong skills set and service levels that our rivals envy and so we hope to work in an even closer partnership with existing and new customers.  Oh and the British Lions to win the series in Australia. 

What was the most important thing that you learnt in 2012?

Pace yourself at Drupa!

What will you do differently in 2013?

Make fewer predictions about the future!

What does the industry need to do differently in 2013?

Take pride in its achievements and believe in its future.