Some leaders managed to cut through the chaos

I’d like to go out on a high. After the year many in the industry have had, that’s not necessarily an easy task. 

Striking a balance between telling it like it is and talking up the industry can be difficult. A fellow editor gave me his feedback from this year’s Australian Magazine Awards, where the keynote speaker, a media analyst, pulled no punches about the grim state for print publishing. My editor friend said he exited the keynote wondering whether he should slit his wrists. 

I was speaking recently to the head of a major equipment vendor, who made the same observation about the PIAA’s quarterly Trends report. With so much doom and gloom around, it can be hard to see the value in another report about falling volumes, rising costs and unsustainable prices. Printers trading day to day don’t need anyone to tell them times are tough.

So as I look back on 2012, I don’t want to focus on the downbeat stories. I want to remember this as a year of great change when people with ink in their veins and print in their pedigree showed they believed there was life left in our proud industry, from the Bauer buyout of ACP, to Fujifilm’s takeover of Salmat’s BPO division, to the Selig-led acquisition of Blue Star. Some firms have redefined themselves despite the trying conditions. I’m thinking of a South Australian print shop like Finsbury Green moving into print management and Wellcom winning accounts with NAB and Commonwealth.

The year has certainly brought its fair share of bad news. ProPrint has catalogued the spate of company failures that have dominated the news agenda. As journalists, this is our job. As industry members, we also have a role to support the sector, to praise its positives and to promote it wherever possible (sometimes these roles can seem to be in direct opposition). 

Which brings me to this year’s ProPrint Power 50. It is the third year we have run this who’s who of the great and the good of Australian print. The ProPrint Power 50 is not just about elevating certain individuals; it is about elevating the industry as a whole, to affirm that being a leader of industry in print is something to be proud of and to aspire to. 

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If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.  

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