9 June 2006

BPIF Shaping print''s future in Europe

Intergraf, the European federation for the printing industry, last week appointed Bob Hodgson, Chairman and Chief Executive of Ormolu Group, as its President at its General Assembly on 2 June. The appointment marks a triumph for the British printing industry’s efforts to drive forward change within Intergraf and Europe. Hodgson believes that lobbying in Europe is crucial for the future of the UK printing industry. In naming his priorities for his two-year presidency, he emphasised the role that Intergraf must play in influencing the development of environmental legislation. “Intergraf has a unique role in ensuring that the environmental legislation that directly affects every printer in the UK is made as practical and low-cost as possible. This is particularly important to printing companies in the current market, especially given the challenge from new media which does not face the same environmental issues.” One key campaign of Hodgson’s presidency will be the Cepifine ‘Print Sells’ project, which will promote the value of print, as opposed to other media, to key print buyers across Europe. The migration of print overseas was the other priority for Hodgson’s presidency. He confirmed that Intergraf will be working closely with the relevant officials in the European Commission’s Enterprise and Environment departments to ensure that regulation enhances Europe’s international competitiveness rather than stifling it. Finally, the new President declared that Intergraf will work to broaden membership beyond its existing 26 members, to ensure that the printing industry of Europe speaks with one voice.