Print Against War is an organisation which is working to support Ukrainian print businesses affected by the ongoing war in Russia. The company seeks to give a face and voice to these companies and provides assistance with any needs they have.
According to Print Against War, prior to the war the printing and packaging industry in Ukraine employed around 100,000 people including 16,000 freelancers, working at over 5,000 print and converting companies.
One company that has received support from Print Against War is Odessa-based print company New Media. Founded in 2014, the business provides short-run printing and before the war employed 35 people.
In 2020, the company set out to bring new offerings and invest in new equipment including a Konica Minolta
AccurioPress for commercial printing, an AccurioLabel narrow-web press for labels, and a JETvarnish 3DS unit for digital spot varnishing and foil.
The communications industry in Ukraine is annihilated, and it will take years for the domestic market to restart”
Russia first invaded Ukraine on February 24th and in the first month of conflict New Media lost 90% of its turnover. It was able to regain a small amount of this in the following month however over 100 days later and the company’s turnover is two-thirds less than it was before the war.
Due to this, New Media is unable to pay equipment leases and salaries with its biggest concern seeing its skilled workforce dispersed.
Viktor Artyushchenko, owner of New Media, explains: “We invested in technology to make a difference for our clients and partners, but the war stopped everything. The communications industry in Ukraine is annihilated, and it will take years for the domestic market to restart.
“The conversation with Print Against War was unexpected, and it was really a kick in the pants. For the first time, we felt that we were part of a global industry; and it forced us to look inward, redefine our priorities, and convince ourselves that we need to create the conditions to take our products beyond national borders.”
For the first time, we felt that we were part of a global industry; and it forced us to look inward, redefine our priorities, and convince ourselves that we need to create the conditions to take our products beyond national borders”
With support from Print Against War, New Media has started conversations with potential customers and resellers in Europe, particularly those that own the same technology.
Looking forward, New Media plans to automate its workflow and produce a multilingual website and online shop to sell both in Ukraine and further afield. Print Against War will support the company with areas such as consulting, support and technology.
To become part of the Print Against War community to collaborate and support print business owners in need of help, companies can fill out a form on the Print Against War website here: https://printagainstwar.org/join-print-against-war.
If you have any news, please email carys@linkpublishing.co.uk or join in with the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn.