Recently, there have been two sets of data, which make people in the industry question whether the recent development of printing industry is a little overheated.

First, published data show that in 2010, China's import of printing equipment reached a record high, reaching US $2.29529 billion, an increase of 42.64% over the previous year, of which the import of printing machines increased by 56.53%. For example, in 2010, the import volume of multi-color offset paper machines increased from 574 in the previous year to 883. Compared with the annual average import of 660 units during the 11th Five Year Plan period, 223 units are enough, a net increase of 309 units over 2009.

Second, according to the data from the second China (Guangdong) International Printing Technology Exhibition held by China printing and equipment industry association in Dongguan, Guangdong Province in April this year, there are more than 1200 exhibitors, covering an area of more than 120000 square meters, realizing a transaction volume of 5 billion yuan, five times that of the first exhibition of 1 billion yuan four years ago.

Since the end of the 11th five year plan, the state has emphasized the transformation of the mode of economic growth from the traditional extensive type and extension type to the intensive type and benefit type. In order to improve the production efficiency of the enterprise, the equipment is an important factor, and the entrepreneurs who have completed the original accumulation are able to update the equipment. Moreover, China is facing the appreciation of RMB, and the country still adopts the policy of tariff reduction and exemption for the introduction of domestic high-end equipment which is not yet able to produce. At the same time, there is also a good chance. In the international financial crisis in 2009, many developed countries have not been able to get out of the dilemma. In order to make up for the sales vacancy in developed countries, the sales price of suppliers in the Chinese market appears more flexible. Since there are so many favorable conditions, the printing enterprises that originally planned to carry out technological transformation must seize this favorable opportunity.

Whether or not China has reached the turning point of Lewis, it should be admitted that with the rising labor cost, the advantage of low cost is gradually losing. Generally speaking, the improvement of employees' income should be synchronized with the improvement of employees' skills and professional quality, because only when enterprises create more profits, can enterprises and employees share the wealth they create. However, the biased publicity of public opinion makes people feel that increasing the income of employees is an inevitable measure to cope with the price rise, which is natural. As for the increase of efficiency, it depends on the "creation" and management level of the enterprise, while the printing industry is just in the stage of continuous decline of the labor price because of the oversupply. Therefore, the enterprise owners feel more and more pressure. Choosing equipment to replace labor can not only improve the efficiency, but also avoid the pressure brought by the rising labor cost, as well as avoid the pressure brought by the living employees All kinds of inevitable contradictions.

In recent years, the development trend of China's printing industry is very good. Although the rapid development of the national economy has brought about an increase in the demand for printing, there are also statistical data that give a false impression. In 2009, the international financial crisis broke out, but the output value of China's printing industry jumped from 475 billion yuan in the previous year to 668.95 billion yuan (see the 2009 press and publication industry survey report released by the General Administration of press and Publication). Mingming's southern printing enterprises, whose main business source is overseas orders, have been severely hit, but it can't be seen from the data. Since the situation is good, it is normal to increase investment and strive for new development.

However, less consideration is given to the possible changes to printing caused by the emergence of new technologies. The increasing popularity of e-books, the development of digital printing, and the promotion of green printing inevitably have an impact on traditional printing. On the eve of dramatic changes in printing, they are all calm and still competing to purchase traditional equipment, which is not surprising. If the market changes from quantity to quality, will it cause further surplus of printing equipment in China?

In the printing industry, there is an old saying: "first class loss, second class breakeven, third class profit." It is said that in order to effectively dilute fixed costs, improving the utilization rate of equipment is fundamental. But now, due to the relative excess printing capacity, insufficient business volume, and employees' emotional unwillingness to work at night, the realized output is relatively low. The situation of no night shift is gradually increasing, and the idle capacity of equipment is increasing. Compared with the further introduction of equipment, it should be said that it is more urgent to mobilize the enthusiasm of employees in production and improve the utilization rate of equipment.