MAN Roland Helps Develop Balkans Print Cooperation

Representatives of the printing industry in south-eastern Europe have achieved what politicians have often found difficult: a multi-country exchange of ideas for joint activities and mutual support.

Representatives of the printing industry in south-eastern Europe have achieved what politicians have often found difficult: a multi-country exchange of ideas aimed at joint activities and mutual support.

That is according to MAN Roland, which is one of the initiators of the first Balkans Forum, involving the printing federations of the Balkan States, including the Bulgarian Printing Industry Federation.

The idea of such a forum always appeared to be sound and was discussed for a long time but the project took concrete form at Ifra Expo 2005 and finally got started this autumn.

Executives of the printing federations, managing directors and print specialists from Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey had an initial meeting in Velingrad (Bulgaria).

Hosts for the event were the Bulgarian Printing Industry Federation and MAN Roland Bulgaria.

The main item on the agenda was the foundation of a Balkan Print Forum made up of the printing associations of each individual country.

Co-initiator MAN Roland took over patronage of the project.

After a meeting with board members of the Bulgarian federation, the two hosts Petar Kanev, the chairman of the Bulgarian Printing Industry Federation and owner of Demax and Gerd Finkbeiner, the chief executive officer of MAN Roland, joined the group of print experts from south-eastern Europe.

The event was promoted under the banner, 'new developments and new potential for the printing industry' and close attention was paid to Gerd Finkbeiner's speech, not least of all because of his views on the development of the printing industry in Europe and eastern Europe in particular.

The audience also learned about major innovations in the printing industry, as well as process management and optimisation in printing companies.

According to MAN Roland, the delegates to the first Balkans Print Forum were very satisfied with the organisation's stated objectives.

The founding members plan to meet regularly in future to exchange experiences and knowledge, make new contacts and strengthen existing ones.

They also agreed to support each other in any joint projects that may be created in the region.

During his stay, Professor Gerd Finkbeiner met with Sergei Stanishev, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria and other representatives of the Bulgarian government who were very supportive of the plans being put in place.

The Bulgarian Printing Industry Federation was founded in October 2002.

Today the employers' association has 70 members, including small to medium-sized companies and also the largest private printing companies in Bulgaria.

Total sales of the member companies amounts to more than EUR300 million and they employ over 7,000 people.

The federation is a member of the Employers' and Manufacturers' Association of Bulgaria and one of the 26 members of Intergraf (International Confederation for the Printing and Allied Industries).

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