Print Market in Asia set to Pick up from 2011

05 March 2010

Leatherhead, UK, 5 March, 2009. Affected by recession, the print market in Asia is expected to contract until 2010, according to a major new study by Pira International. From 2011 onwards, the market is expected to recover steadily to reach US $221.5 billion by 2014, a growth of 2.6% over 2009 estimates of US $215.8 billion.

Based on primary research and expert analysis, The Future of Printing in Asia breaks down the Asian printing and direct supplier market by country, product sector, process, inks and colorants, machinery, consumables, and paper and boards, with detailed five-year forecasts to 2014. The study also provides an up-to-date overview of the capabilities and activities of the leading printers and suppliers in Asia.

The study covers: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Macau, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar (formerly Burma),Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

Pira predicts developed countries such as Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan will show a declining trend after 2009, while emerging nations will grow steadily after a stagnant 2008-10 period.

Packaging continues to be the largest end-use sector across Asia and is expected to grow from US $61.8 billion in 2009 to US $ 66.5 billion in 2014. The overall increase in the Asian print market is expected to be driven by real growth in sheetfed litho, heatset and flexography as well as high growth in digital technologies during 2009-14. Coldset web, gravure, screen and letterpress are predicted to experience a significant decline throughout this period.

In 2009 Pira expects the volume of inks and colorants used by Asian printers will be some 832,000 tonnes, worth $5.8 billion. Even though this represents a lower volume than 2008, value estimates are higher due to growth in higher value digital toners and inkjet inks, more colour and increasing usage of radiation curing inks and varnishes. There has been upward price movement with ink suppliers raising prices, having suffered significant oil-price-driven raw material price increases.

The Asian market for new printing equipment is expected to drop to US $5.5 billion in 2009, with Japan on the decline and China growing marginally despite the recession. Recovery is expected from 2010 onwards with slight growth up to 2014, led by the emerging markets and sales of digital equipment.

The main consumables markets in Asia are film, offset and flexo plates. However, the use of film is dropping rapidly as printers and specialist trade platemakers use CTP to expose plates for printers in a particular location. Pira International forecasts strong growth for all pre-sensitised plates, from 135 million m2 in 2003 to over 211 million m2 by 2014. This increase is being driven by a substantial increase in the offset print market, with more full colour jobs demanding four plates for process work. CTP plate growth has also been very rapid between 2003-08 in most Asian countries. The market has grown from 7 million m2 in 2003 to 123 million m2 in 2009 after which growth is expected to moderate but then rise to 165 million m2 by 2014.

Demand for print has grown steadily over the last few years. Tracking this trend, paper and board consumption across Asia is expected to reach 70 million tonnes in 2009. With a slight reduction in the average grammage range in most grades, tonnages have reduced. Coated grades and packaging boards have seen higher growth as the quality of printed products has increased, particularly in developing countries.

However, according to the study, between 2003-08 the value of print grew more rapidly than paper consumption and slightly more rapidly than ink volumes, while there was a real drop in the value of all print machinery orders in Asia. This reflects several important overall trends, but most notably the activities undertaken by printers to provide additional value-added services to their customers. This trend is expected to continue to 2014 as the print market is set to outperform growth in ink volumes and paper tonnage.

Looking forward, the study predicts the print machinery market will significantly outperform the print market as sales volumes recover from the 2009 lows. Pira suggests developing companies and recession survivors would do well to invest in equipment that provides productivity advantages and new functionality - particularly digital capabilities. Greater competition is expected to drive down the unit cost of production, forcing print companies to adapt themselves and take up more digital production.

The Future of Printing in Asia is available now for £3,500. For more information, please contact Stephen Hill on +44 (0) 1372 802025, or complete the online form.

Press contact: For editorial queries, details of the report or an expanded article please contact: Rebecca Leigh +44(0)1372 802207 rebecca.leigh@pira-international.com

Pira International
Pira International - the worldwide authority on packaging, paper and print industry supply chains

Established in 1930, Pira provides strategic and technical consulting, testing, intelligence and events to help clients gain market insights, identify opportunities, evaluate product performance and manage compliance