An excerpt from AP March 2020 Print Leaders Forum – by Rawson Print Co. director Lachlan Finch
2020 couldn’t be a better number to start the new decade with equal parts vision and hindsight.
We have learnt a great deal from the previous decade of unprecedented change which saw us lick our wounds of the global financial crisis (GFC) and adjust to a new world of disruption.
This was the catalyst for change within the printing and visual communications industry, forcing us to become agile and receptive to market conditions.
As I look to the year ahead, there is no doubt that industry consolidation will continue unabated as a natural part of the manufacturing lifecycle.
However, as customer experience (CX) and consumer responsibility become driving factors in the decision-making process, there is increasing space for bespoke businesses willing to be different and engaging with their customers beyond providing just “good service”.
Our industry will continue to face some challenging headwinds; however, I believe that our direction forward has evolved from industry competition to collaboration.
No longer are we a “closed shop” – we all need to collectively recognise that we are in this market together and are willing to share our learnings for the betterment of the whole industry.
Logically, the greatest opportunities ahead for our industry will come from the greatest impacts on it.
I see climate change as well as the continued growth and integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) being the biggest two impactors for the new decade.
As the world’s collective conscious is finally starting to respond to climate change, consumers are demanding better use of the world’s resources, resulting in a push for sustainable solutions. This doesn’t just mean paper instead of plastic; it’s a holistic approach from end to end which includes how we consume our energy, manage our waste and everything in between.
This is a great opportunity for printers to focus their efforts on the trend for sustainability and engage with markets looking for alternatives.
As for AI, we are only just starting to see a glimpse of things to come. With continued use of applicable and available data, AI is set to become one of the most powerful marketing tools we have ever seen.
Its ability to be predictive and communicate relevant messaging in real-time will be a game changer in one-to-one product marketing. The obvious impact is yet another marketing channel taking a piece of the pie, but the flipside is the ability to create a smarter business from the use of it.
A potential skills shortage looming on the horizon may impact businesses in the medium-term, however as the industry breaks from its traditional shackles of trade based blue collar manufacturing to a technologically advanced solution provider, I see a wealth of amazing young talent entering our workforce who are willing to challenge convention and shape the future, most probably with the use of AI.
The year ahead for Rawson Print Co. will see us continue to develop our product offering to our customers while maintaining our focus on waste reduction and energy consumption.
We will listen even more to our customers, staff and the market in general to ensure we continually evolve and improve to be the best business we can be. Most importantly, we will be kind and take care of each other and those around us in a tough but inspiring industry. After all, we are all human right?
This article was written prior to the impact of COVID-19. The digital version of AP March 2020 is available here.
And as part of AP’s 70 anniversary, we’re pulling together a list of 70 local industry pioneers – you can make your nominations here.
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