From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
If Mr. Gbenga Ladipo, the Managing Director of Academy Press Plc, could ask providence for anything, it would be the powers to slay the inflation beast, crash tariffs and develop local capacity so the printing industry in Nigeria could be weaned off over-dependence on imported materials for survival.
According to him, the sector is currently battling severe headwinds to stay afloat due to various factors.
In this interview, Ladipo spoke about the state of the print industry, his company, among other issues.
Status of the printing industry in Nigeria today
The printing industry in Nigeria is not fully controlled like some other sectors. There are laws enacted to guide the practice through the Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria(CIPPON), but these laws are not adhered to compared to what obtains in some other bodies like ICAN.
There are no strict rules on how printing is controlled. CIPPON is not fully supported by some government policies which include offshore printers taking the better part of printing jobs in Nigeria which should not be the case.
Economic impact on the printing business
In Nigeria’s printing industry 90 to 95 per cent of the materials used are dependent on imports. The devaluation of the naira has not helped either. High duties and tariffs are also having a negative impact on the industry. Tariffs can be as high as 35 per cent.
Navigating the hurdles in the industry, especially challenges around cost of electricity is a major setback.
Academy Press has been through both good and bad times and we have weathered this with our clients who we refer to as “ partners”. We focus on our basic principles which are service, quality and speed. It’s the partnership we have with our clients that has seen us through the challenges
New innovation
We are taking advantage of the supply chain within the industry, partnering with paper mills, splitting the paper business, and launching into the digital aspect of printing. Most importantly, we are poised to be a great player in the light packaging of the printing industry.
Future plans and Nigeria’s economic growth forecast
We want to consolidate all these innovations and bring our experience and versatility into the market. We might delve more into anything relating to communication in future. Printing is also part of communication.
Talking about the economic forecast, we believe that if this present government is able to see through all the challenges as regards the stability of the economy, the GDP may go as high as 10 per cent.
About the company
Academy Press Plc, began operations in October 1965. It is located at Industrial Avenue, Ilupeju Industrial Estate, Lagos. The company provides general printing services and is dedicated to delivering high quality printing solutions for both organizations and individuals. At Academy Press, we transform ideas into tangible expressions through the artistry of printing.
Our purpose is to maintain a first-class printing outfit that is committed to high quality service with prompt delivery to achieving customers’ satisfaction and optimal returns to stakeholders. We are quality-driven, our commitment to our clients is utmost. Reliability, prompt delivery, consistency, precision, integrity and trust are our core values.
We adhere to rigorous quality control measures and take pride in our commitment to quality assurance at every stage of the printing process. Our experienced team of skilled professionals monitor each step to guarantee precision and accuracy, ensuring that the final output meets the highest industry standards.
Today, Academy Press has expanded its capacity in response to our clients’ demands for quality colour prints on sheet fed and high-speed web offset presses. Our capacity can produce in excess of 100 million educational books annually.
Clientele
Our diverse clientele includes publishers, small and medium size businesses, corporations, religious bodies, corporate organizations, government agencies, NGOs, IGOs and creative agencies both local and international. We take pride in fostering long term relationships that are built on trust, reliability and successful delivery of exceptional printing solutions.
Innovation
Academy Press has diversified into flexographic printing for self-adhesive labels, flexible wraps and hologram print.
Products and services
We have offset printing. With our state-of-the-art offset printing technology, we ensure color accuracy, consistent prints for large scale projects, and sharpness in every print run. This is attestable in our collection of eye-catching educational books, biographies, company reports, brochures, leaflets, notebooks, calendars and journals. We also offer digital printing, customized printing, specialised printing among others.
Environmental protection
At Academy press, we are committed to good environmental practices and sustainability, promoting a greener and more responsible approach to printing.
We go the extra mile to satisfy our clients. All our equipment and processes are complemented with dedicated and highly skilled manpower which has enabled us to provide our clients with countless printing possibilities. Staff development is priority for us. At Academy Press, “we are Home of Printing Excellence”.
Competition
The Paper and Consumables business sectors are highly competitive due to infiltration by non-professionals and middlemen, yet the window of opportunity offered by these sectors is unimaginable.
To lend credence to this is the fact that papers and some consumables like inks and printing plates are no longer manufactured locally, hence the business is still majorly import biased. Interestingly, the Asian market has come a long way to offer a range of quality products at competitive prices compared to Europe where prices are at roof top though with guaranteed quality.