In an open letter, Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO of the Heidelberg Group, calls on the German Federal Government to take exceptional emergency measures to save printing plants affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
In an already difficult environment, the printing industry is facing the enormous economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, explains the offset press manufacturer in its letter. The German group has itself recently announced a comprehensive restructuring plan (read Extensive action plan at Heidelberg to restore profitability ).
"Major events and shows like Drupa are cancelled important orders are suspended or abandoned", he points out. More from 7?500 companies of the graphic chain in Germany would, in his opinion, affected by the Covid-19 pandemic s, mainly small and medium-sized enterprises.
" These companies are of great importance for various economic sectors and in particular for the commercial economy. They produce packaging, operating instructions, forms, reports, posters, leaflets, labels and many other materials. The advertising industry also needs paper in the communication mix, and our diversity of opinion is maintained through printed materials such as newspapers and magazines"
The company director points out that this crisis is affecting his printing customers, himself, but also paper manufacturers, suppliers and resellers of printing inks and producers of adhesives.
And while the German manufacturer welcomes the economic measures taken by the Federal Government to improve the liquidity situation of companies, such as the flexibility of short-time working, it denounces provisions that are too cumbersome to put in place in the current bill.
"Therefore, I ask you - and on behalf of the many companies in the German printing industry - in the current difficult situation, immediate help s, i.e. money in the accounts of companies in difficulty, quickly, so that they are able to overcoming short-term liquidity problems due to the dramatic drop in sales due to the coronavirus. Whether through tax prepayment refunds or other short-term measures. Only in this way can the policy ensure the survival of many small and medium enterprises."
He finishes his open letter: "It is our sincere hope that the federal government will provide unbureaucratic support tailored to the needs of medium-sized enterprises to ensure that this important sector of our economy can survive this historic crisis."
