06.07.2021 / Editorial Staff

Full of Optimism Into the Summer Break

We here in Europe are currently feverishly awaiting the final of the 2020 European Football Championship, which will take place next week in London. Yes, you read that right - we are actually experiencing the 2020 European Championship right now! Exactly 364 days after the scheduled opening match, the European football festival, postponed due to the Corona pandemic, started under its old name.
 
"The name will forever serve as a reminder of the united response of the football family to the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and the difficult situation faced by Europe and the world in 2020," organizer UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, commented on its decision.
 
Digital customer communication establishes itself
We here at Muller Martini also experienced a united response to the difficult situation last year. From one day to the next, we had to completely change our daily work routine. Skype meetings, online training and virtual machine presentations are now an integral part of customer communication. We are breaking new ground with the new online showroom, which we use in customer meetings as an opportunity to present machines in a digitally appealing way.
 
After the cancellation of drupa 2020, we were able to (or better: had to) present our new machines, such as the Prinova and Primera PRO saddle stitchers, the Publica PRO perfect binder or the SigmaLine III book production line to the market in innovative and mainly digital ways. Which has worked very well! This is shown by the rising sales figures.
 
Strong book market
And yet we too are breathing a sigh of relief now that the first relaxations of the strict Corona rules have become part of everyday working life. We are also optimistic about the reports from the markets, where customers operating in the book business in particular have been able to profit from the Corona crisis. The example of the Swiss online retailer Galaxus, which sold 250 percent more books in the first quarter of the current year, shows just how impressive these increases can be. You can read the background to this in our last blog. But we are also receiving a lot of positive news from book producers in the USA, Great Britain and Eastern Europe.
 
So we are starting the blog summer break full of optimism and wish our readers a relaxing and sunny summer. We'll be back to you in August with new stories from the graphic arts industry.
 
Sincerely
Your blog editors