Martti Lemendik is the CEO of the Estonian metal packaging manufacturer Metaprint AS.
He has commented on the future of the printing and packaging industry as follows:
“The printing and packaging industry in Estonia is flourishing, our technological basis is modern and in addition we have a highly qualified workforce and we use the latest operational practices. When I think about the future of the industry, I believe that we are in a very good place in comparison to our neighbours because we are accustomed to change.”
We see the bigger picture and we offer tailored services
The global economy is heading towards differentiation and personalisation and manufacturers of consumer goods are also creating individual solutions wherever possible. This results in different names and smaller printing and packaging quantities for the printing and packaging industry in Estonia. Therefore our own industry is changing to be more tailored. Currently, standardised products are only ordered in large quantities in China and the United States of America. Therefore, the export market for our company is the entirety of Europe.
Modern technology is here to assist us
The printing industry is one of the industries that have changed the most in Estonia, because the digital leap has been so comprehensive. Only the electronics industry is able to keep pace with us regarding digital transformation. For example, the print prepress process, which used to be difficult handiwork, is now fully computer-based. Back when letterpress printing was still being used, it was not possible to print 300 copies, which is now an everyday occurrence in book printing. The greatest challenge in the digital age is perhaps producing content of value.
An Estonian honours their work and is thankful
This was made possible because Estonian entrepreneurs are willing to work hard to win work and make a good job of it. Despite how well we have been doing, we continue to remain humble before our clients. This is not a denial of our position but rather gratitude, because this work puts food on the table. Our organisations sense that the greatest challenge is to make oneself relevant and useful to other individuals. Once the sale is done, then production or service is more of a technical problem.
This article is originally published in the Printed in Estonia 2020 magazine.
