For the second year running, Labels and Packaging ranks the highest in diversification investment for commercial printers, with promotional products/merchandise and wide format rounding out the top growth areas.
The constantly evolving threat of cyber security key focus according to VMA survey
The Visual Media Association (VMA) has just delivered its latest annual industry insights survey and for the second year running, Labels and Packaging ranks the highest in diversification investment for commercial printers, with promotional products/merchandise and wide format rounding out the top growth areas and Warehouse, Logistics and Finishing showing up as key current investment areas.Job ordering is mainly via email (59.95%) with e-Commerce or web-to-print (30.15%) second and Direct Sales (27.09%) third. Job Ordering to Quote to Production and Distribution is the highest concern from businesses with high manual handling costs and fragmented automation. 
By correlation, the survey highlights a clear need for more industry training and support related to workflow automation to increase productivity. Perhaps unsurprisingly, according to the survey, over 80% of our industry operates on some form of account or credit payment structure. But the more concerning discovery is that only 21% of businesses are collecting payment within 30 days, compared to 40% in 2023. Since being returned to the AAPL (Australian Apprenticeships Priority List), there has been a significant increase in apprentice employment nationally. Professional organisations or on-site training programs is the highest training engaged at 37.5% and with 3rd Year / Stage 3 Apprentice levels up by 24.79%, there is a buoyed enthusiasm for completion rate improvements for the industry.
The constantly evolving threat of cyber attacks remains one of the highest concerns, along with the lack of employee IT training and compliance, reports the survey.
www.visualmediaassociation.org.au
