Wang Yanbin Outlines Four Priorities for Printing Industry Structural Adjustment

Printing and reproduction make up a substantial part of the press and publication sector, and the industry is one of the five key industry development tasks named in the Guiding Opinions on Further Promoting the Development of the Press and Publication Industry (the Guiding Opinions). By setting requirements for printing and reproduction, the document gives the sector a clearer direction and more defined methods. Wang Yanbin, Director of the Printing and Distribution Management Department of the General Administration of Press and Publication, provided an open-ended reading of the Guiding Opinions from four angles on how to advance structural adjustment in printing.

Advancing technology to drive industrial upgrading

Printing depends on scientific and technological progress for development and upgrading, so structural adjustment must be anchored in technology. Wang Yanbin said domestic printing companies should follow new developments in printing technology and processes and seek breakthroughs in key areas such as digital printing, computer-to-plate, high-speed multi-color sheetfed offset, web offset, gravure and flexo printing, as well as in the use of new printing standards. Major initiatives in digital printing and printing digitalization should start as soon as possible, with focused breakthroughs in inkjet digital printing, digital assets, computer-to-plate, digital proofing and digital workflows, so that major technological innovation can lift the whole industry. Building on introduction, absorption, adaptation and further innovation, China should accelerate breakthroughs in equipment autonomy. Foreign suppliers of large printing equipment and raw and auxiliary materials should also be encouraged to invest and build plants in China, lowering costs and selling prices through localized production.

On digitalization, Wang Yanbin noted that the government encourages and supports new digital printing business models, and the Measures for the Administration of Digital Printing will be drawn up and released.

Strengthening quality systems to sharpen competitiveness

For the printing quality supervision and management system, Wang Yanbin highlighted several areas that require attention.

Printing quality standards should continue to be developed, revised and refined, gradually aligned with relevant standards to create a relatively complete quality standards system. Printing enterprises must be supervised to organize production strictly according to quality standards. Methods and procedures for supervising and testing printed products should be improved, and inspection and testing procedures should be studied and established for incoming materials, production and outgoing products. Testing institutions should have their functions strengthened, and the quality level of printing companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, should be raised step by step. The 3·15 printing quality supervision and testing campaign should also continue, using print quality as a lever to reinforce regulatory oversight of the printing industry.

Developing green printing and phasing out outdated capacity

Green and environmental protection is now a major focus for printing, and the government has set clear requirements. Wang Yanbin outlined three points. First, green printing standards should be formulated and issued; their development and implementation should help the entire printing industry improve quality, adjust its structure and move toward intensive development. Second, new environmentally friendly printing products should be cultivated. Printing processes should meet environmental requirements, save energy and recycle resources effectively; environmentally friendly raw and auxiliary materials should be used; raw materials with toxic or harmful side effects should be prohibited; pollution should be reduced; and public health, particularly that of young people, should be protected. Third, low-end and outdated printing capacity should be eliminated. The exit mechanism should be further improved, technology and equipment phase-out standards clarified, elimination targets quantified, and removal efforts intensified. The goal is to retire a group of production facilities within three years that use outdated equipment, run at low efficiency and consume large amounts of resources and energy.

Building printing bases and cultivating leading enterprises

Printing base construction is currently moving forward, and the government is conducting research ahead of issuing the Guiding Opinions on Establishing Printing Demonstration Bases. While focusing on the three major printing industry belts—the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta and the Bohai Rim—authorities are evaluating, integrating and regulating printing parks under construction across the country. Through five guiding factors—policy, location, resources, market and technology—they aim to concentrate printing resources, steer printing enterprises toward intensive operations and strengthen overall competitiveness.

Beyond printing bases, the government also supports leading enterprises that have own-brand products and strong market competitiveness in expanding and growing stronger.

Leading printing companies with advanced printing capabilities, significant economic scale and efficiency, and the ability to compete should be guided to become printing demonstration bases, together with technology-innovation enterprises, specialized supporting companies and advantageous companies in related industrial chains. The goal is to cultivate different printing industry clusters that match market demand and are characterized by specialization, refinement, distinctiveness and novelty. Through the demonstration effect of leading enterprises, scattered resources across the printing supply chain should be integrated, printing capacity should be allocated more rationally, and the industry's overall transformation and upgrading should be advanced.

Source: China Packaging Network (pack.cn); original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362225.html