Sheridan Sets US Milestone with Installation of Komori Lithrone GLX844RP Press (piworld.com)

European printing companies have warned that industries such as food and consumer goods could suffer significant disruption to their supply chains because of a growing shortage of paper. Strikes by thousands of workers at mills owned by forestry group UPM-Kymmene in Finland have exacerbated paper shortages that started with an unexpectedly strong rebound in demand after lockdowns eased. “You’ve got paper prices spiking and everyone chasing too few tonnes,” said Iwan Le Moine, director of EMGE, a consultancy. “It’s an absolute mess.” Finat, which represents more than 1,000 European label producers, has warned of supply disruptions because of shortages in specialised paper types.

It’s not a major surprise, really, that our 38th annual ranking of the largest printing industry companies in the U.S. and Canada, as ranked by annual sales, is now the 2021 Printing Impressions 300 — and not the Printing Impressions 350 that appeared in 2020. After all, the majority of the graphic arts businesses on our venerable list reported their calendar 2020 annual sales as their most recent fiscal year, with calendar 2019 representing their previous year sales. Given the onslaught, and subsequent shutdowns, of many segments of the U.S. economy beginning in March 2020 due to COVID-19, it’s understandable that CEOs of commercial printing companies were not racing to report their annual sales numbers. And, although the printing industry was ultimately deemed “essential,” many of the vertical markets that these primarily privately-held printing businesses serve were not. Combine that with all the business uncertainty among marketers, brand owners, retailers, and other print buyers, it’s no surprise that many companies appearing on our 2021 list in this issue reported double-digit annual revenue drops.

Sun Chemical agreed to name Icaro International, a distributor of woven metallic wire mesh and synthetic mesh for different screen printing applications such as printed electronics, as its distributor for Sun Chemical’s conductive and dielectric inks as well as other electronic materials in Mexico. The three-year agreement allows Sun Chemical to expand its reach to the biosensor, automotive, white goods, and electronic assembly markets across Mexico using a well-respected and widely known partner.