Graphic Arts Industry Enterprises in Switzerland

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.

Also in Switzerland, the number of establishments declined—on average by 4.1% annually from 2012 to 2022, noticeably above the average decline rate in Europe. After a small rebound from 2017 to 2019, the pandemic sent the number of companies downwards again.

The recent pressure on print costs and volumes will lead to an even higher rate of shutdowns in the next few years. Also, the rising operating costs will take their toll on companies that are not prepared to handle the cost and interest rate increases, especially as surrounding countries have lower labor costs. Accordingly, the forecast expects the decline to continue at a slightly higher rate despite the recent pause. Consolidation will take its toll, with a further average decline of 5.1% per year. Overall, the number of graphic arts establishments is likely to drop from close to 1,300 in 2012, to almost 550 by 2030.

Source: digitalprintexpert.de/2024

As in all countries, the majority of companies in the graphic arts industry in Switzerland are small, although to a lesser extent. About 61% have less than 10 employees (after adjusting for dormant or non-productive companies), noticeably less than the European average. Only 5.7% of all enterprises have more than 50 employees, which is also above the European average.

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 715 print enterprises in 2022—about the same number as graphic arts companies.

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 the UK. 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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