Printing: the challenges and opportunities of a changing industry

What will the situation be like in 2023?

In May 2023, the printing industry in France had 27,076 active establishments (up 3.7% on May 2022), employing nearly 45,000 people, with majors such as Maury Imprimeur Sas and Oberthur Fiduciaire Sas. The "Other printing (commercial)" branch alone accounts for more than half the workforce; this branch covers the printing of magazines, periodicals, books and brochures, musical scores, posters, leaflets, printing on textiles or other materials, and label printing.

In terms of geographical distribution, the highest number of companies and employees is recorded in the Île-de-France region (5,964 companies with over 9,000 employees), followed by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (3,473 companies with over 5,000 employees). In terms of entrepreneurial dynamism between May 2022 and May 2023, the "manufacture of stationery" branch shows the strongest increase in the number of companies, with +24.4%; by geographical area, the Hauts-de-France region comes out on top, with +11.6% growth in the number of companies.

In 2022, the printing sector recorded 170 receiverships and liquidations (55.4% of which involved commercial companies), threatening almost 1,000 jobs. Unsurprisingly, the geographical areas concerned are those with the highest number of companies, namely the Île-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions. In the first four months of 2023, 71 insolvencies were recorded. If this trend continues, the number of insolvencies at the end of the year could reach around 210...

2022, a year of transition

The printing sector, like many others, has been hit by the Covid-19 health crisis, leading to a significant increase in the price of paper and other raw materials. Between September 2021 and March 2022, paper prices rose by an average of +45%. Other factors strongly impacting the sector include the Russian-Ukrainian conflict ( Russia is a major pulp exporter), rising energy and raw material costs (leading to a reduction in pulp and paper exports), and the closure of several manufacturing plants. In addition, a strike in Nordic paper mills did not help matters... The Printing sector was also hit by a sharp drop in commercial printed products (advertising, leaflets...) following the shutdown of certain commercial activities. On a positive note, the latest health crisis, accompanied by several periods of confinement, has restored a taste for reading. Books and periodicals enabled the sector to maintain a level of activity during this difficult period.

An essential reorientation

In the case of active companies, it has proved necessary for some to reorientate their activities towards the production not of paper, but of cardboard packaging, which has proved to be more profitable due to the growing demand following the health crisis, the increase in e-commerce and the reduction in the use of plastic. Companies that have not made the switch are looking for alternatives, such as finding new suppliers or changing paper weight. This new strategy has forced professionals to invest in machines that are in line with these orientations, while also reducing energy consumption. Repositioning is also necessary due to changes in the communication strategy of certain companies. In the retail sector, for example, Leclerc and Cora have decided to stop printing leaflets and catalogs on paper.

What does the future hold for printing?

Despite the strong development of digital technology in our daily lives, the book sector still represents a significant economic weight, i.e. over 4 billion euros in 2022 (according to data from Gfk Market Intelligence). The stationery sector remains in good health, despite a fragile economic situation. Indeed, in the face of declining purchasing power, leisure spending remains, for most families, an item under pressure, which unfortunately is sometimes destined to shrink. Professionals, for their part, are constantly having to innovate in the face of various economic and ecological constraints, as well as the new expectations of their customers, whose main aim is to reduce their spending; inflation being the order of the day. Although a sharp downturn in business is not forecast for 2023 (stabilization of prices, volumes and supply lead times), the Printing sector is nevertheless likely to experience a further slowdown with the digitization of administrative documents, particularly invoices, from January 2023. The "paper-press" sector, which unfortunately has to pass on the rising cost of paper in the selling prices of its newspapers and magazines (a rise that is difficult for consumers to accept for recurring items such as subscriptions), is likely to be increasingly confronted with digital versions, which are already well established.

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