25/09/2019
I canāt forget in a hurry a conversation with my former but ever supporting Boss on my need for an Entrepreneurial Masterclass. We had not spoken in a while so he had asked āWhat are you doing now?ā Printingā¦ā¦ I replied and his response was āWow, from ICT to Printing?ā
The surprise in his voice was questioning and honestly that is not the first time I got that from well-meaning people like him. Most people view printing as an āold schoolā profession (canāt even blame them because I went got an education off the print business proceeds of my Dad!) that will fizzle out with the IT era.
The general impression is that it is not one those profession for the fast-paced generation of millennials or Generation X or Z, so I sometimes get that pitiful look that almost conclude that I must have lost my groove and thirst to achieve and would rather feel comfortable in old peopleās world when I introduce myself as a Printer.
Well, I particularly feel the need to bring someone who needs to know to speed on a few happening in the Print World that will make you reconsider your POV. I think you will find it interesting that at the just concluded PROPAK West Africa 2019, I was privilege to be a panelist discussing the āEmerging Trend shaping the future of Print and Packaging Industryā and this perhaps is the reason I feel obligated to write so you can have a feel of how that went too.
First of all, āPrinting is Big Boy Stuffā and is here to stay: Trust me, the Printing Industry is still the largest in the world apart from Automobile and still considered manufacturing with regards to the intensity of investment and one of the largest employer of labour globally and in Nigeriaā¦ā¦.letās look at some global industry statistics:
Automobile - $1.1trn*
Printing $898bn
Online Ad - $133bn
Music - $15bn
āYou want Disruption, Print it isā - Everyone knows that the new business phrase is āDisrupt or go homeā, right?....yes, Printing is the ultimate disruptive technology that brought knowledge to the masses and liberated women in the 18th century and just so you know the industry is still fresh on disruption with technologies that keeps moving from Mass Production to Mass Customization or Personalization, this industry id not about to shut down at all.
Iām sorry, but you still have to buy that book - With the ever growing and expansion possibilities of the web and online media, even I wondered if print will survive but print apparently has found its way to our brain and isnāt letting go of that spot. It is now common knowledge that reading from a book versus reading from a screen is very different especially as research suggest that reading from a book will allow memorizing as the brain connects the information to their position within the book and the page.
According to a 2017 survey of University student across technologically and digitally enhanced countries, student suggested that that printed books have an advantage over digital materials (Vincent, Jane 2016) These respondents were from Italy, Germany, Hungary, China, UK, Slovakia, Finland, Bulgaria etc.
But just so you donāt think weāre doomed because there will be deforestation and all the tree will die because of printā¦. well, that is also covered with sustainable technology in the consumables used for printing.
Print and Online have a āthingā - So before Iām being judged for writing on a digital platform and raising the bar for printing, my next point is the relationship that exist between the Print industry and the online platforms is an inseparable one. With the possibility of sitting in the comfort of your home or office and getting your personalized items or branding for your business from design to delivery is a narrative no one can fault. Besides, business dynamics and operation largely function effectively on online platforms to manage workflows, cost, customer relationship and so on, it is the era of convergence of Print and Digitalization that will thrive.
Want to join the party?......welcome on board! ā The Print Industry has room for everyone who is interested in its very robust value chain. Younger generation need not be afraid of the long-term existence of the Industry but rather participate to drive it especially in Nigeria and Africa. With possibility of 1million jobs in 24month, you can get yourself out of the unemployment market and enjoy the ride.
Cheers
