STATE OF THE INDUSTRY ON THE OFFENSIVE

In an uncertain economy, package printers should stay in aggressive pursuit of profit-generating capabilities and growth markets.

NEWS FROM THE NPES 2002 Print Outlook® conference was predictably somber. Printing Industries Association (PIA) Chief Economist Ron Davis related before the terrorist attacks of September 11, projections forecast print industry sales to grow to $169 billion in the following year, a meager 3 percent annual gain. Post-September 11 predictions for 2002 were scaled back to $166 billion. NPES Consulting Economist Michael Evans also had dismal tidings for equipment manufacturers: total printing equipment shipments had dropped approximately 18 percent from last year's levels in both the third and fourth quarter of 2001, and were expected to fall further through the first half of 2002.