FHKI 60th Anniversary Commemorative Album

Regarding the future development direction, Hong Kong printers have to consider the changing needs of their clients and challenges from competitors. Competitors in Eastern Europe have upgraded their machinery during the past decade and are getting more competitive in printing quality, services and pricing. In response to the challenge, Hong Kong printers have to offer to clients value-added service that other suppliers cannot provide, such as shorter production lead time, better printed quality, more sophisticated printing effects but pricing remains competitive and affordable. To achieve this, they have to continue to invest in the upgrading of machinery and printing techniques. Another trend is the increasing use of automation so as to cut labour cost as well as to enhance the printing quality of products. The printing industry is capital-and technology-intensive. The Mainland economic opening policy did provide opportunities for Hong Kong printers to replace their dated machinery by state- of-the-art printing machines and technology in their Hong Kong and Mainland factories. It was because the lower operational cost on the Mainland allowed them to gain substantial profits and therefore could afford expensive investment on new machinery. Hong Kong, as an international financial centre in the region, has also provided support to printers’ financing needs. Given the very competitive pricing, superb printing quality and speedy production time made possible by new machines, Hong Kong printers are able to further enhance their competitiveness in the worldwide market. Federation of Hong Kong Industries 60 th Anniversary Commemorative Album 51