This article appeared in the March 2025 issue of Australian Printer, authored by VMA’s Kellie Northwood
The key areas of focus for the industry remains skills and training, and the lack of skilled labour, for our industry. However, we are seeing this ongoing challenge addressed with improved automation investment from workflow to technology, equipment and more.
Additionally, we have improved our uptake of apprentices, and that investment will pay dividends over the next five years.
Consolidation across the industry continues as the industry is disrupted with diversified offerings to market, mergers, acquisitions, and more. If we examine international trends, this consolidation is likely to continue for a further period until stabilising. However, we can be buoyed by the stabilisation in print volume decline numbers, now at a forecasted dip of 1.6 per cent, improving from the past five-year CAGR of 3.1 per cent.
Certifications aligned with sustainability has also been a growing focus over the past 12 months, with improvement industry standards and certifications that relate to our industry needs and specifics. Understanding how we can improve our businesses across sustainable initiatives, without simply funding certifications, for certifications’ sake is necessary. This revised approach will bring a stronger industry in the next one to two years.
The main priority for VMA in 2025 is to support the industry in all the opportunities and challenges faced. We will continue to build an independently verified certification standard to reduce cost for member businesses, whilst also improving our environmental, social, and governance footprint across the broader industry.
We will diversify our offering across HR/ IR advisory and lobbying and advocacy work increasing the Mail Industry and Labels & Packaging Coalitions, while also expanding our HR/IR advisory into sign and display, labels and packaging, commercial print, and vendor support.
Another focus this year will be returning the National Print Awards to its former glory with a united, national approach to bring all of industry together under the week of PacPrint25.
Business growth lies within diversification and specialisation. Print is broader than print alone – print, and visual media is our future. An expanded, diversified offering across ink on substrate to multi-channel output, workflow solutions for customers and improved application is key.
Businesses diversifying their manufacturing, but also their service offering, and building niche markets for their businesses to maintain margin is critical.
When I look to businesses that are doing well, they have found a specific service, demonstrating value that is beyond commodity pricing and reduced margin. Successful businesses will find this and the VMA’s role is to assist all businesses in reducing non-core costs from their businesses to further improve their success.
Under the VMA’s current offering, we deliver below market HR/IR advisory and legal costs, buying co-operative across insurance, reduced environmental certification accreditation, reduced sales training fees, reduced immigration law fees and marketing collateral to promote member’s businesses, with more to come across 2025.
In addition, a national election will deliver much focus for the government, and in turn the industry. Our industry enjoys volume increases across election years, for all sectors. However, this is also an opportunity to build our advocacy platform into all sides of government and begin calling out our value and economic contribution as a large manufacturing employer.
Sovereign manufacturing must be more than a catch phrase used in parliaments. We are a large manufacturing industry and standing together makes us stronger. We need to ensure governments understand increasing land taxes on our large manufacturing sites is crippling, introducing regulations that do not apply, to the same rigour as overseas manufacturing, is crippling, ignoring apprentice and skills and training needs for an ageing workforce is crippling and more.
We will see an improved communication platform to ensure one consistent message, and we call on all industry bodies to come together in our voice to government.
The greatest opportunity is our products – the return to print and visual media being trusted, sustainable, and effective are key to our volume stabilisations.
The challenges will be to ensure we can deliver with ongoing pressures and obstacles from government, labour shortages, and operational costs.
The VMA’s message to the industry is this: Our industry is resilient, intelligent, and innovative. Working together to deliver effective programs across the challenges we face is critical to our success.
Mergers, consolidations, and acquisitions are all opportunities of investment into our future industry of people, innovation, products, and services. Similarly, the VMA will continue to work to a united voice for you and deliver a commitment to reducing your business costs with commercial and relevant services to assist your businesses throughout 2025 and beyond.
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