How will Nigeria printing industry look like after Covid-19?

Ranmilowo Ojalumo
It is no longer news that Coronavirus is currently ravaging the world. As of the time of this write up (satrurday June 27, 2020), about 10 million cases has been recorded in about 2015 countries across the globe. The developed countries like America, Italy; Germany, United Kingdom, France, Brazil to mention but few are the worst hit by the pandemic.

For instance, as of today (June 27, 2020 at 2PM PM), statistics obtained from the World Health organization (WHO) has shown that about 10million cases of the virus has been confirmed all over the world and about 500,000 deaths have also been recorded all over the world. The only good thing about it is that over 5million people have recovered.
US currently top the chart with about 2.6million cases and about 128, 000 deaths. Brazil takes second spot with about 1.3 million cases and about 56,000 deaths. Russia has recorded over 600,00 cases and about 9,000 deaths. India has about 511,000 case with over 2000 deaths. UK has about 309,000 cases with 43,000 deaths. Spain has about 295,000 cases with about 28,000 deaths. Peru 272,000 with close to 9,000 deaths. Chile currently has about 263,000 case and over 5,000 deaths.
Italy currently occupied 9th position with about 240 cases and close to 35, 000 deaths. Iran is in 10th position with over 220,000 cases and over 10,000 deaths. Germany, the home of printing technology has recorded over 194,000 cases and over 9,000 deaths. France currently has close to 163,000 cases and 30,000 deaths.
China, the originating country of the deadly virus currently has about 84,000 cases with 4,634 deaths.
In Africa continent, South Africa is on top of the chart and 22 spot in the world with close to 125,000 cases and over 2,300 deaths. Egypt is second in Africa and 30th position in the world with close to 63,000 cases and near 3,000 deaths.
Nigeria is currently the third highest in Africa and 49 worst hit countries in the world with over 23,000 cases and near 600 deaths. The last few days have also witnessed a surge in the figure; hence an end to the pandemic, in Nigeria and across the globe is still out of sight. The pandemic has forced the almost all countries economy on lockdown with Nigeria not an exemption. Every sector has been hit hard. Every business is witnessing what is known as new normal as business.
The printing industry, all over the world has not even been spared either. The development has made many pundits to begin to probe into what the printing industry look like after the pandemic, which its era is still seems far from ending. Experts have said, recovery to normalcy remains a mirage but an emergence of a very different set of norms.

For an instance, the President of web-2 print Experts, a technology-independent print software consulting firm, Jennifer Matt has postulated that the experience of this global pandemic will change the print industry forever; some changes will be judged as positive, others will be judged as negative.
“One of the primary forces behind these changes is what I’ll call the weakening of the “this is how we’ve always done it defense.” I am seeing it in printers of all shapes and sizes. Business processes that involve a lot of human touch, lots of face-to-face interaction, and too much time and labor are being replaced. The simple fact that front office employees are/were working from home in almost every state in the country forced this new reality on print businesses of all sizes”, Matt said.
In one of her popular write ups in June, Matt said “I see this as having a very positive impact on the industry because it will accelerate the digital transformation of print businesses to catch up to the expectations of 2020 and beyond. It’s such an interesting psychological experiment. You take a business where everyone is packed together in the same space (an open office) only because some tech geek thought that was how to get people to collaborate (I never thought this was a good idea) and then you send them home. Are they more or less efficient? I’ve been in these print businesses where the culture is all about interruption. I leave after spending one day in that environment wondering how anyone gets anything done, especially tasks that require uninterrupted focus (e.g. complex estimates, production optimization/scheduling, and collaboration with clients)”.
“The downside of the weakening of the “this is how we’ve always done it defense” for the print industry is that print customers will be assessing their business processes under these new “norms.” We have been experiencing this transition from print communication to digital communication for the last several decades. COVID-19 will accelerate it further”, matt said.
As it applies to every nations of the world, so also it is in Nigeria. The good thing however, is that the Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria (CIPPON) under the leadership of Mr. Olugbemi Malomo has been making frantic effort to ensure that the effect of covid-19 is not too severe on the printing practitioners in Nigeria, that is however not to say that the effect of covid-19 will not hit many printing professionals hard. Infact, as of today, it is already hitting many hard.

There is however hope that with the vision of the new leadership of CIPPON and institute’s planned programmed of action, Nigeria printing practitioners will be able to sail through the covid-19 critical era. This why it is now important, and may be urgent for every printing practitioner in Nigeria to join CIPPON and support the leadership of the institute to successfully implement planned programs and actions.
Meanwhile, like Matt has said in one of her write ups, Covid-19 has opened up all parts of business processes to be reinvented. One thing many experts have also harped on is the fact that, large percentage of print could be discarded for digital communication alternatives during this “reinvention” and this why every printing practitioner needs to wears his/her thinking cap every moment.
The print job flight syndrome in Nigeria even compounded the problem of the Nigeria printing industry. There is however a ray of hope that the challenge will be soon become a thing of the past with the Malomo’s ongoing sensitization program.
At the moment, experts have hinted printing practitioners in Nigeria and all over the world to begin to think of post COVID-19 as a new print industry, not one that’s trying to recover from a global pandemic.
Matt has specifically said “the market conditions will be un-comparable to 2019. It isn’t a recovery; it’s a reinvention. There will be upsides and downsides. Each print business will be faced with strategic decisions on how to minimize the downsides and take advantage of the upsides”.
It is therefore imperative, as a printing practitioner to know, as many experts have said that, your success during and post covi-19 will depend on your ability to think outside the box, deploy, implement, and optimize digital transformation of your business. All hope is not lost, there is shining light behind the tunnel.