What affect will imported equipment have on the screen printing industry in the United States?
Many of us that have been in the industry for any length of time have seen numerous changes come about. These changes have not only been in better supplies but also in better equipment that has made our jobs a lot easier. Just look at how film output devices have changed where now anyone with a decent ink jet printer and a good rip program can output near image setter quality films. Gone are the days of needing to use cameras to create the films and all the heavy expenses that went along with it. A lot of the changes have seen the rise of new companies that offered updated equipment that was easier to set up, provided for more consistent printing and allow for higher speeds of production.
Currently in the United States there are only a few main players that make quality automatic screen printing equipment. As one would expect in our industry automatic screen printing equipment is not normally been affordable to a lot of shops. This forces a lot of small and start up shops to seek out used equipment as an option to go automated. While this can be a viable option it does have its own set of problems. Used equipment is just that it is used. This means you may or may not get that sweet deal and find a piece of used equipment that will not have a lot of problems with it. This does not mean you cannot find good used equipment it just means that you really have to look hard and check into the equipment's history so that you can make your most educated decision as to whether buy the equipment or not. At the other end of the spectrum on used equipment would be the equipment that has been refurbished. If the equipment is refurbished by a reputable service center chances are it will perform very well and not give you too many problems.
Another problem that small shops for startup shops will typically have is access to funding needed to purchase automatic screen printing equipment. When purchasing used equipment from an individual a small shop will typically have to dig deep into their pockets to find the funds to do so. Depending on the age of the equipment it may not even be eligible for financing and thus the purchase of it will require cash on hand. While refurbished equipment may be a safer buy it also typically comes with a higher price. This amplifies the problems of securing funding and some small shops and startup shops may have. In today's economical climate it is hard enough to secure financing as it is but a small shop for a start up shop will probably not have the credit rating and definitely not the tax records needed to secure such a loan.
Just recently China has started manufacturing screen printing equipment to be exported into the United States. This equipment will be available at a significantly lower cost than equipment currently available in the US market. One of these manufacturers is even offering manufacture finance with no credit checks. The lower cost and ease of financing may make these machines of viable option for a lot of shops in the United States. As usual there's always talk about how China builds inferior products. In the case of the screen printing equipment the statements may be being thrown out there as a scare tactic to keep shops from considering China built equipment. Those statements could also be true at the current time. I feel within the next year we should know one way or another if the equipment manufactured in China will stand up to the day and day out production requirements needed in most shops.
As with any equipment the equipment made in China will have some problems. But this is no different than equipment made in the United States or anywhere else for that matter. The question will be can the problems be resolved to where they will not fail again in the same manner. Only time will tell but I'm thinking of the fact that the China equipment will be better than most people are saying right now. If the China equipment can stand the test in a production setting, and I think you can, then this will be another turning point in our industry as it will allow shops that could never have had automatic equipment to be able to purchase the equipment to improve the quality of the product they put out and the production levels.
How will this affect current suppliers of automatic screen printing equipment here in the United States? If the equipment proves to be junk as some have said, then it will have little if no effect at all on the current suppliers of equipment. If however the equipment produced in China proves to be dependable, durable and can stand up in production settings then it is safe to say the current suppliers of automatic screen printing equipment distributed in the United States will have to rethink what they are doing. If the equipment manufactured in China proves to be just as dependable and robust as equipment currently available in the United States and is available for two thirds perhaps the cost of current available equipment in the current manufacturers and suppliers of automatic screen printing equipment in the United States will have no choice but to change their business model.
As this proving time plays out over the next year I am quite sure several negative smear campaigns will ensue. The smart shop owner will be the one that looks through the smear campaigns for any truth in their content. It is quite apparent to me that the current manufacturers and suppliers of automatic screen printing equipment in the United States will use smear campaigning in an attempt to retain market shares. The question Owners will have to answer to themselves is if there is any validity to the smear campaigns. If the equipment manufactured in China proves to be not reliable and not very durable then this will be easy information for shop owners to find out without the need to rely on the context of smear campaigns. However if the equipment manufactured in China proves to be very reliable then one must see the smear campaigns for what they are.
I for one am interested in watching the show but in my opinion I believe the equipment manufactured in China is the next game changer in our industry. If it proves to be dependable and can stand up in a production setting then the current manufacturers and suppliers of automatic screen printing equipment in the United States will have no choice but to change what they are doing or close their doors. I feel that they will change the way they do things instead of closing their doors. This can only be a good thing for all the shops here in the United States. Only time will tell.
