Business

Quebecor World’s fall from grace has been met with disbelief by many in the print industry. Once the pin-up of the printing world, the company’s current troubles send a warning to UK print.

Jasper Scott, manufacturing director at IPC, said: “It is very, very worrying. I certainly think that the Smeets shareholders saved Smeets from themselves in stopping that deal from going through. I can’t help feeling with Quebecor that it’s the senior management that have got things horribly wrong.”

Colin Thompson of consultancy Cavendish said that this was a wake-up call to the print industry: “It is sad news when any company files for protection. Unfortunately, there will be many more companies not surviving in 2008, due to very low gross margins, high overheads, bad management and no business models and training.”

Print and Procurements’ Matthew Parker agreed: “There are many print companies that need to change their ways of thinking and operating. The good news is that sometimes simple changes can make a very big difference.