Indeed the Master Printers Association, Singapore was set up in 1936 by 32 Chinese printing companies as an association of employers to protect themselves against militant workers and the very high price of imported paper. As the name suggests, these printers were all small family-owned companies.

This situation continued into the post-war years. Most printers remained small family-owned print shops. However, in the Seventies as the Singapore economy took off and Government attracted many multi-national companies to set up shop, the printers began to modernize and expand to meet the needs of clients.

The bigger companies began to use the latest printing presses from all major manufacturers. In keeping with the development of the printing industry, all major printing machinery manufacturers also set up marketing operations in Singapore. There was a concomitant growth in the support industries like prepress, paper, ink etc.

The Master Printers Association, Singapore also kept pace with the development of the local printing industry. In 1956, a significant decision was made to open the doors of the Association to suppliers. Though controversial it permitted the printers and the suppliers to have a better understanding.

The make-up of the printing industry began to change in the Seventies and Eighties as a few larger companies who were well capitialised began to pull ahead. They began to take the lion's share of the local business with the smaller print shops doing most of smaller and simpler jobs.

Using the latest printing machines, the bigger players also started to venture overseas. Those with the ability to meet the demands of the international market, became very adept at printing books and magazines for leading publishers in Europe, America and Australia. Many of the larger printers began to cater more towards the overseas markets.

This is more or less the situation today. There are about 300 large and medium sized companies with another 700 very small printers mainly run by families. Several of the larger printers have also gone public. Their operations have also kept up with the times. Most have in –house prepress and design capability. Several have also ventured into other areas like CD manufacture, to diversify their operations. Another hallmark of our larger Singapore printers is that they are not afraid to invest in the state-of-the art machinery using the most up-to-date technology.

This has allowed them to serve the international market successfully. Several have gone international by setting up branch operations in countries like Malaysia and China, where operating costs are lower. One company Times Printers specializes in printing regional editions of several international magazines and newspapers.

The printing and graphic arts industry in Singapore is not a big employer of labour. It currently employs around 17,000 workers. In fact with more modern printing machines, the number or workers in the industry has in fact declined slightly in recent years.

Another notable feature of the local printing industry is the high concentration of foreign workers on our shop floor. Singaporeans seem to shy away from the industry, which has been unable to shake off the dirty shop floor image. Most of the workers are also trained on the job and then work their way up. Those in prepress, sales and in management tend to be Singaporeans with tertiary qualifications. Most of the medium and smaller printers remain family owned.

Unlike other countries where the printers are spread all over the country with a concentration in the capital cities like Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or Manila, the Singapore printers operate in clusters very close by to one another. In fact it is not uncommon for several printers to operate from the same building. Many do not have in-house facilities for certain functions like binding and outsource to a few binders in the vicinity. Currently there is a Government initiative to set up a fairly large printing hub, which will house only printing and printing-related companies. This Print Hub will be beneficial to the industry as it increases efficiency, reduce logistics costs and allow specialization.

In terms of output the industry puts up a sterling performance. The total output of the printing industry in Singapore for 2002 was S$2.58 billion. The total remuneration paid out was S$674.4 million. The total value added by the printing industry was S$1.23 billion.

The paper and paper products industry in Singapore progressed in tandem with the printing industry. There are about 80 companies employing about 4500 workers with a total output of S$915.6 million in 2002.

As far as progress is concerned Singapore printers have kept pace with change. They have always adopted the latest technology be it in pre-press, press or post press. Most of the larger printers make full use if IT in all aspects of their operations like in churning out quotations, purchasing, prepress and printing operations. This leverage of IT has enabled Singapore printers to be very efficient and productive. Hence the success of the larger printers in the very competitive international markets.

What does the future hold for the printing and graphic arts industry in Singapore?

For those serving the local market the main problem will be the ability to compete in a very saturated market. The current situation where there is rampant price undercutting will result in very low profit margins which will in the long term result in many companies going under. This is especially so given the high costs involved in purchasing printing machinery. The only way out will be to merge or form consortiums to undertake joint purchase of paper and the like.

Two other major problems are shortage of suitable manpower and the willingness of the younger generation to take over the businesses from aging parents.

The young school-leavers do not appear to be keen to take up careers in the printing industry in the face of so may other more attractive options. Currently Singapore relies on foreign workers.

Due to the complexity of the machinery used in printing, the modern printing worker must be a technical person with good knowledge of IT as well. This problem has to be addressed with diligence and imagination. One way of addressing this problem is by introducing suitable training programmes, which will provide ample opportunities for career development for young people.

More needs to done to correct the image that working in the printing industry entails sweating it out in dirty and hot print shops. Especially as this no longer the case. Most of the larger printing companies are very modern and up-to-date stressing more on technology and the skills of the workers. Away from the shop floor in areas like prepress, production planning, sales, customer service it is just like any other company. The industry needs staff with a good educational background, technical knowledge and skills in areas like IT, sales and customer service. More needs to be done to educate the public on the availability of good and well paying jobs in our industry.

In this regard the Print & Media Association, Singapore has tied up with RMIT University in Melbourne to conduct a Diploma in Printing. Upon successful completion of this course, Diploma holders can continue their studies at RMIT University to acquire a degree in printing and graphics. By providing more of such opportunities at least some of the bright and ambitious can be convinced to join the printing and graphic arts industry. This diploma and degree holders will provide the printing industry with its future supervisors and managers.

For the printing industry the other major issue is technology. The industry operates by using technology, which is constantly changing. The printing equipment manufacturers are constantly upgrading their technology. The problem is that the printing equipment is very expensive resulting in our industry being very capital intensive. Thus unless companies are profitable and well capitalized they will not be able to upgrade to the latest machinery.

This is quite apparent among the very small printing companies in Singapore. Many still use old machines for basic printing jobs like invoices and the like. Thus for printing companies to utilize the latest technology they must achieve an optimum size and reach a certain level of profitability. Only then can they move forward and continue to prosper.

This will entail a major mind set change among the smaller printers which are still run as family concerns fiercely protecting their own turf. They will have to adopt modern management practices using the latest concepts in marketing, sales, planning and customer service. This will entail employing competent staff armed with the right skills instead of only relying on relatives.

Singapore printers will have to follow the example of the printing industry in places like Hong Kong, where printers tend to cooperate more for the common good. Though we all have to compete for business, there are benefits in cooperating in some areas so that all can continue to survive. This is especially so when overcoming overseas competition or going out into serve the international market.

Singapore printers also indulge in severe price competition as the cake is rather small. Competition is healthy but taken to extremes it will cause harm to the printing industry in the long term. Some form of moderation in price under-cutting is wiser for the benefit of the long-term survival of the printers.

We will find out at Drupa in May of this year, what the major machinery manufacturers have to offer. It will be interesting as it will show us the direction our industry will take in the next decade. Previous Drupa shows have introduced us to new innovations like CTP and digital printing.

We are still digesting these changes. Many local printers have embraced the changes, while the smaller printers have yet to do so. CTP has not been universally adopted by all Singapore printers. While digital printing has make inroads, it has not overtaken offset printing, which still dominates for large volume printing.

Now that we have overcome the initial scare brought about by the Internet and CD technology, we can all conclude that the printing industry is still needed. There is no evidence that people have stopped buying newspapers and switched over to the electronic medium. People are still reading books and this is not going to change. Now that we know printers are still needed, we will have to position ourselves so that we can co-exist with the electronic medium and complement each other.

However his does not mean that all printers in Singapore are going to survive or prosper. Only the fittest will do well and survive. Many will fold especially those who continue to adopt archaic management practices and do not keep up with the times in technology. The big companies will tend to focus on serving the international market and will set up plant overseas to leverage on lower operating costs. Several Singapore printers like Times, SNP, Teckwah, International Press Softcom, just to name a few have already done this. More will do so in the years ahead.

For the smaller printers, some are now very innovative in that they focus on niche markets or serving specialized industries like advertising, education etc. Many will diversify by opening new frontiers in other businesses like CD-ROM replication, publishing etc. Some specialist companies in areas like colour separation will also move into new areas. Colourscan a leading colour separation in Singapore has now moved into printing in a big way. Many others are doing the same.

Finally more Singapore printers will have to broaden their horizons by adopting an international mindset. They must go overseas into new markets like Indo China and the Middle East. Having established a good reputation overseas, Singapore printers will continue to serve the big publishes in Europe, North America and Australia. Print buyers will go for the best quality and competitive prices by using he Internet.

Meeting like FAGAT will also afford Singapore printers to meet their counterparts from Asia and Australia. By meeting and exchanging ideas we can find solutions to the challenges facing our industry. There is no reason why we cannot work together in cooperative business ventures encompassing the whole region.