Frankfurt am Main – Printing machine manufacturers as an industry are under massive pressure. On the occasion of the drupa trade fair for printing and paper, works councils are now demanding more commitment and cooperation from employers and politicians, especially in research and development, in order to secure jobs in the industry in Germany. “We as IG Metall and the works councils of the German printing press manufacturers see the existence of the German locations and the associated additional 20,000 industrial jobs at risk in the medium term,” says a joint position paper that was adopted at the printing press network conference on the sidelines of drupa. The employee representatives appeal to political decision-makers and company management to “actively look for solutions together to make industrial value creation, locations and jobs sustainable in the long term.”
Mechanical engineers should form research joint ventures
Compared to large international corporations and competitors, the medium-sized German companies in the industry only have limited resources for in-house developments. The works councils therefore propose a common development strategy. This could include setting up a research joint venture in the German cluster, as an alternative to further purchasing key technology from international competitors.
Industry discussion should enable more cooperation
The works councils are convinced that there is no way around increased cooperation. This is the only way to preserve knowledge and skills that have been built up at German locations over decades and prevent an outflow from the industry. To this end, the works councils are calling for a structured industry discussion between company management, works councils, VDMA and IG Metall. This should be established as soon as possible with the involvement of the Federal Ministry of Economics.
More investment required
The works councils are convinced that more investments are needed – both in technology and in the training and further education of skilled workers. “It was not wage dumping and price wars, but quality products that were developed and produced by highly motivated employees with outstanding ideas and a high level of qualifications that brought the German printing press industry to its current global ranking,” says the paper.
The topics of the position paper will be discussed today at drupa as part of a panel discussion. Participants in the panel discussion are Jürgen Kerner, Second Chairman of IG Metall, Ralph Arns, Chairman of the Works Council of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Thomas Schiemann, Managing Director of the Printing and Paper Technology Association in the VDMA, and Dr. Andreas Pleßke, CEO of Koenig & Bauer AG.