FUJIFILM Corporation has announced it will increase the price of its offset printing plates, processing chemicals, PWB films and inks on a global basis. The price will be increased by up to a double-digit percentage as of May 1st, 2021 and will differ depending on the region and the product.
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| An unfortunate consequence of rising raw material costs, coupled with soaring freight costs. |
Some contracted Fujifilm consumable users may be protected from the rises.
In a company statement, Fujifilm says: "While the price of various raw materials, including aluminium and silver, are soaring significantly and freight costs are rising globally, Fujifilm has been working tirelessly to absorb the increases by reducing costs and improving productivity. However, the magnitude of rising costs can no longer be sustained by the company.
"Details of the new pricing structure will be communicated to all customers worldwide on a case-by-case basis."
Fujifilm is not alone in being forced into price rises, for the same raw material and freight cost issues. Agfa raised prices by 3-5% in March; Kodak insituted a 'plate surcharge' earlier in the year, as did Flint Group for inks and chemicals.
Leading Australian Sign industry supplier Graphic Art Mart released a new catalogue in April, with Executive General Manager Mousa Elsarky saying "Due to these (raw material and freight) challenges and despite our efforts to minimise the impact of these pressures, we are in a position where we can no longer absorb the increases. As such, our updated price catalogue reflects these new prices. The increases are generally within the range of 3% - 5%. In addition, our standard freight charges will increase by 5%. Our local freight free threshold will remain at $300.00 ex. GST."
It appears that price rises for all print consumables from the majority of suppliers will be a fact of life. The only consolation for offset plate users is that the recycle/scrap value of aluminium plates will go up accordingly.
On the positive side, advertising rates for Wide Format Online have remained unchanged for the past 3 years - with no plans for increases in the near future. All enquiries to andy@wideformatonline.com
