Local printing businesses upbeat on 2010 elections

THE printing business in the city is expected to hit a 30% growth in terms of revenue this year when it capitalizes on the 2010 elections.
Eladio E. Aviola, chair of the Printing Industry Association of Davao Inc. (PIADI), said the increase in printing revenues in the city in an election year usually goes as high as 40%.
Even with the global crisis, the printing industry has continued to do better in terms of revenues, although the election process has yet to shift to high gear. Total revenue for the whole of last year, Aviola said, reached  about P60 million, while for just the first six months this year it has already hit the P40 million mark.
“We cannot feel the pinch of the global crisis,” he added, adding that another cushion for the industry will be the coming elections.
Aviola, however, lamented that while most local candidates have their campaign materials printed in the city, those running for national positions bring along such materials from their headquarters in Manila. “They could have printed their materials here at lower cost, considering that they would not have to pay for shipping,” he said.
The reason some national candidates, even some local ones, decide to print their campaign materials in Manila or Cebu is the misconception that the local printing business is not yet at par with the former, Aviola explained.
He said the local printers have been been playing catch-up through modern technology, with his organization even buying a P10-million computer-to-plate printing equipment.
Under this printing strategy, a printing material goes directly to the plating section, thereby, eliminating other processes along the way. While the investment is huge, savings in human resources and time can easily recoup the investment, he added.
“We can produce good quality prints (comparable to Manila). The local printing business has been modernizing the past five years. And we believe we are at par with others in the country,” he added.
He added that the local industry will continue to look into new technologies in the market and investment in them, if necessary.
But a local politician, who did not want to be identified lest he earn the ire of the industry leaders, said that while some big printing companies here have modernized, he noted that the printing rates are higher than in Manila.
“So, instead of having my materials printed here, if I were a candidate, I would still look at the capacity of the local printing companies and their pricing,” the politician said, pointing out that a 10% increase in printing cost is high for a client. [AD]