Printers on both sides of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine are suffering the effects of war, one because of war damage and the difficulties in obtaining raw material, the other because of sanctions and the difficulties in obtaining raw materials.
This will have a major impact in Russia where printers have asked for government support to mitigate the impact of sanctions. A number of the largest printers in the country have written to their government asking for the removal of import duties, reduced VAT rates on equipment and spares and to consider targets of financial aid as a number of suppliers have suspended their operations in the country.
The impact of sanctions is leading to an increase in the cost of consumables and delivery times are stretched leading to increased prices for printed products. And the letter points out that print is essential for older people on the one hand as the only way to deliver accurate news and essential information, and for children’s books and educational material on the other.
The plight of Ukrainian printers continues to worsen while many are switching production to help the armed forces. A number of corrugated packaging plants have sustained damage and are no longer in operation while others have closed because access via road or rail to bring in raw materials has proved impossible. Cardboard and printing papers are considered critical imports under the provisions of the martial law that is in place.
Burda Media Ukraine, a separate company to the German publisher following a buyout, has ceased to print magazines, relying instead on its network of websites to publish news and advice. The difficulty, it has said is that without printed magazines, there is no revenue coming in to pay salaries and bills.
Stickers with the Ukrainian flag and nationalistic slogans are now a staple product for many with suitable equipment as are T-shirts with supportive slogans.
Printline Studio, near the Slovakian border, has been printing hats as well as shirts and selling these to raise funds to buy first aid kits. Other printers have combined forces with other businesses to launch products to raise further funds.
This replicated in the UK by Lilly’s Printing in Kington on the Welsh border, which has been printing T-shirts with sunflowers and declarations that “We stand with Ukraine”, to raise funds.
Paperivka, a label printer close to the Polish border, has printed a label for packages of fruit and nuts which are provided as ‘vitamin bombs’.
Dnipro commercial printer Cresco has teamed up with a local clothing company to produce 400 sleeping mats a day for the armed forces. And according to Ukrainian print magazine Printing Plus, Volodymyr Maksymenko, director of Ukraine’s only printing equipment manufacturer (producing flexo presses and finishing equipment), has provided a car, equipment for check points and for the defence of hospitals in Kyiv.
Amcor last week joined the list of multinational packaging companies to issue a declaration about its operations in the region. It had closed its Ukrainian plant near Kharkiv even before the invasion of the country. It has now pledged to scale back operations in Russia, suspending new projects and investments in the country, discontiniouning exports and supporting only existing customers. Amcor has been active in Russia for more than 20 years. It now says: “We will also continue to explore all strategic options for the business while assessing the rapidly evolving situation.”
