So let’s say I wanted to start a magazine. After deciding on the fundamentals of my title -niche, look and feel, content — I have to choose the kind of paper I’ll use. The best I can get, at the cheapest I can get it. For this, one of the people I must rely on is my printer. “They [printers] recommend paper based on what you want to achieve,” says Thando “Soxe” Khubeka, marketing director of the recently launched black men’s lifetsyle publication Blink. “In creating a magazine like ours, we knew what we wanted. Then we looked at how to best achieve it.”
Of course, for independent newcomers, finding a space within the publishing industry is complicated by the fact that they could be competing with titles owned by much bigger companies. Media24 and Caxton are relatively enormous conglomerates. Within their organisations, they provide the infrastructure to go from publishing all the way to distribution. Smaller publishers have to somehow squeeze into a profitable space within this pipeline.
In much the same way, smaller printers have to negotiate their own profitable middle road. On top of dealing with intense competition and virtual monopolies within the print industry itself, printers must contend with the issues surrounding the pricing and quality of paper. It is the contention of many small to medium-sized printers that Sappi and Mondi, South Africa’s paper producing giants, won’t budge an inch on pricing structures.
“Local paper should be cheaper than it is, but Sappi has never looked after local printers,” says a managing director of an independent printing company in Johannesburg. “A guy in Nigeria can buy paper from Sappi at the same price as I do. Why should I buy from Sappi if I can get a 20% difference in quality with international paper?”
So what is this much-touted difference in paper quality about? On a basic level, good paper has a longer life span, and absorbs ink well — it is easier to print on and it feels good. Most magazines are printed on fine paper and within the fine paper category are different coated papers at different prices.
Ernie Koen, sales manager for paper merchant Finwood Papers, says: “There is a difference in papers. It’s that trees in Europe take longer to grow. The fibres are different and that difference means different quality. The price depends on the market, and sometimes printers don’t want to pay the price. But one isn’t necessarily better than the other.”
André Oberholzer, Sappi’s group head of corporate affairs, is adamant that the quality debate is a lot more intricate than many would think. “If the imported paper comes from a well-known producer, the local user is able to do some research as to the quality and other commitments that the producer makes. But sometimes that is not the case. The paper Sappi makes locally adheres to strict manufacturing procedures to ensure quality.
We use the international ISO 9001 and ISO 14000/1 standards, as well as complying to local health and safety regulations. Environmental issues are also taken very seriously and we ensure that our paper is manufactured with wood sourced locally from sustainable sources and certified by the FSC (global assurance programme).”
Pricing, as Koen implies, is probably the bigger issue, both for printers and publishers; after all, paper can make up 50-55% of the cost of producing a magazine. One of the biggest areas of influence here is the strength of the rand. When the local currency is strong, people tend to stock up on overseas paper because it is that much cheaper. Once the rand weakens, however, people again revert to buying local stock, which they then expect to be more affordable.
But a common grievance of South African printers and publishers is that Sappi expects support when the rand comes off a slump, as it has recently, yet they don’t lower prices when the currency is being battered.
It’s an accusation that Oberholzer strongly rejects. “Price is determined by supply and demand and by input costs. Local paper manufacturers are committed to the local industry and have displayed their commitment throughout the paper cycle, despite opportunities that presented themselves during the collapse of the currency a few years ago. It is important for us to ensure local availability of local product at reasonable prices throughout the cycle, both when demand is high and when demand is low.
“We do not take a short-term view of the market. Local paper manufacturers are exposed to normal inflationary pressures and cost drivers, and our industry is directly affected by exchange rates which are at times favourable to us but at other times extremely unfavourable. Everyone in the local market is fully aware that Sappi significantly reduced its prices over the past 18 months due to market pressures. In just the same way, prices will be adjusted upwards to reflect market demand.”
So where does all this leave the independent printer and publisher? Though it is possible to buy paper directly from an international source when rates are favourable, it can be a very costly exercise. The problem is volume — mills sell paper by the ton and very few printers and publishers have the necessary storage capacity. Even if “free” storage space could be secured, the cost advantage would be negated by the costs of transportation.
Of course the picture is different as far as conglomerates like Caxton or Media 24 are concerned. Because of their sheer size, these companies have the power to significantly bargain down on their paper costs. They have the storage capacity to buy in big volumes directly from the paper mills (local or international), and they can bypass the fees of the paper merchants completely.
For those without such advantages, the paper merchant is the obvious choice, although Sappi have recently started to deal with independent printers and publishers directly. The former’s business model is dependent on the bulk deal from local or international sources — at a fee, they’ll take the risk on storage and/or transportation for you.
Merchants are also a very important link in the value chain, being able to deliver at short notice and provide advice to the newcomer. As for Sappi, it’s a matter of where your loyalties lie. Says Oberholzer: “[We] have invested large sums of capital over many years to ensure that [we] offer technical support, reliable service delivery and established infrastructures to support the local market. Knowledge of the local market is also critical in the long run.”
Ultimately, the print and paper chain is highly complex and not a little contentious. Some printers will maintain that there is collusion and price-fixing amongst the paper merchants and local producers. But, at the same time, merchants will argue that printers bypass the system by going directly to the mills and storing themselves — and that some even buy paper from the East and pass it off as their own grade. There’s a whole lot of finger-pointing going on.
The way this business functions has not changed with a new government, but what has changed is that there are some fresh faces. Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) has ensured that previously marginalised players can come onto the playing field. “You’ve found that historically it was easy to exclude black people in certain industries,” says Khubeka of Blink magazine. “But making it into law doesn’t mean that you don’t have to do the work. Those that are here are good at what they are doing.”
As in other sectors, what BEE means to the print and paper industry is that for those who do not have the requisite structures or programs, government tenders are hard to come by. BEE creates a pipeline of its own. Those who are empowered hope to work with others that have the same credentials. If a company does not conform with legislation, it may soon be out of the loop. It’s about making sound business decisions, and within that, making choices from what is available.
Some independent printers and publishers will find more to complain about in the chain than others. For many, this business works, and works well. But then what if it is broken, and has been for a long time? Either way, for now it’s business as usual.