One of Russia’s largest and most advanced print businesses has complained that the conscription of reservists to fight in Ukraine will leave it with insufficient staff to produce schoolbooks for the country’s education system.
Pareto Print, reckoned to be one of the top three printers in the country, faces the loss of 142 people, 19% of its total workforce, who qualify in the first category of reservists. If the government follows up with conscription of the second category of reservist, Pareto could lose 46% of its entire 747 strong workforce.
CEO Pavel Arsenyev has written to the governor of Russia’s Tver region, between St Petersburg and Moscow to say that if the first draft is carried out the company would have to suspend some work and if this is extended to include a second level of reservists, the business would have to close.
The business already has vacancies for 30 sheetfed printers, around 25% of the pressroom headcount, with 40 vacancies in finishing areas. Suitable candidates are reluctant to join a company where their status would be registered and so can be discovered by the authorities.
In his letter Arsenyev states: “The ongoing mobilisation activities have already led to the refusal of some candidates from employment due to their unwillingness to have an official place of work with military registration.”
The business was formed in 2008 to address the inability of other printers in the country to produce books to the quality publishers required. It has grown to produce more than 5 million books a year, around 18% of the total bought in Russia. As well as books for the education and academic sector the business produces exam papers.
It operates Manroland sheetfed, web presses, prepress and plates from Kodak and finishing from Muller Martini and Kolbus. Prior to Covid, the company had plans for further expansion and was eying on opportunities to supply countries beyond the Russian border.
It is not only print that is appealing for care in the mobilisation process, the pharmaceutical sector in Russia has warned that it faces devastation if its highly trained and experienced personnel become part of the call up.
