Graphic Arts Industry Enterprises in the Netherlands

The graphic arts industry includes graphic arts print, often also termed commercial print (although including publication and specialty print in this overview), as well as newspaper print, prepress and postpress companies. Since 2012 the number of printing establishments in Europe shows a steady decline—the effect of ongoing consolidation in the industry.

Consequently, the number of establishments in the Netherlands declined on average by 4.7% from 2012 to 2022—a rate noticeably above the average decline rate in Europe. Numbers stabilized somewhat in 2021 and 2022, with companies being kept operational by subsidies during the pandemic, which led to lower rates of shutdowns. The recent pressure on print costs and volumes will lead to higher rates of closures in the next few years, however. Also, the rising operating costs will take their toll on companies that are not prepared to handle the cost and interest rate increases, leading to more consolidation. Accordingly, the forecast expects the decline to resume, at about the same rate as in previous years. Overall, the number of graphic arts establishments is likely to decline from close to 2,000 in 2012 to just over 800 by 2030.

Source: digitalprintexpert.de / 2024

As in all countries, the majority of companies in the graphic arts industry in the Netherlands are small. About 77% have less than 10 employees (even after adjusting for dormant or non-productive companies). Only 3.9% of all enterprises have more than 50 employees. Both values are better than the European average, signifying that the Netherlands is a very competitive market and that consolidation started earlier than in other countries.

There are other important print producers that are, statistically speaking, not part of the graphic arts industry. Those are folding carton, flexible packaging, corrugated, and label printing, plus photocopy services and in-house printing. This adds another 1,290 print enterprises in 2022—about the same number as graphic arts companies in the Netherlands.  

Further Industry Data

This article is part of a bi-weekly series of pieces looking at print industry data in 24 European countries. The next article will feature Norway. A European overview can be found here.

A breakout of all segments by country and timelines for the number of establishments, revenue, and employment in the graphic arts industry and other print segments can be found in the 2024 European Print Industry Sizing report. The report also features the number of companies by size class and country. The report can be purchased from the WhatTheyThink store.

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