Read the latest issue of the magazine dedicated to surface treatments and organic and inorganic finishes.
This is 2022.
The Omicron variant (hopefully) seems to be leading the SARS-CoV-2 infection towards the transition from pandemic to endemic.
The industry has rebounded with growth figures well above expectations, in some Euro area countries. This is proven by the partial cut of the European Recovery Funds earmarked for nations with real growth trends above the 2020 forecasts, including Italy.
The year 2021 ended with a more negative sentiment than December 2020. Perhaps, our exhaustion for a situation that has brought the extraordinary into the ordinary of our lives, as well as the spread of yet another variant of the virus towards the end of the year, made us end 2021 with the gloomiest thoughts, overshadowing all the good things that the past year gave us. One of them was certainly unexpected economic growth, although not homogeneous across Europe and despite still having to deal with the raw materials crisis and out-of-control energy tariffs, an emergency only partly linked to the management of the pandemic crisis.
Undoubtedly, these crises have led to profound changes in the value chain, in supply methods and, in general, in the economic scenario of the next five years.
Although it was already underway before the pandemic, another transformation has received a major boost from it: digital transformation, which has had a major impact on the information and publishing world.
I do not often use this space on ipcm® to talk about topics related to the magazine itself, but please allow me to take you through this first issue of the year by sharing a few thoughts with you, because the way the world of information is being shaped will also have a major impact on technical and industrial magazines.
According to analysts, within twenty years journalistic information will be distributed exclusively online, thus completing its transition to the digital form. It is undeniable that this is also the future of technical information. However, because of its specificity and, above all, because it is less about current affairs and more about in-depth information, with a value that is maintained for a much longer time than journalistic information, readers’ loyalty to print media is still high – not only among the Boomers but also among the Gen Xers, that is, the current company managers.
The next few years will certainly see a profound transformation of editorial offices. Already today, ipcm® is a digital magazine more than a printed one: its digital circulation through the web, newsletters, and social media is at least five times higher than in print. The future of publishing and information, however, cannot be reduced to a battle between digital and paper, new and old: the real battle lies in the quality of content, in knowing how to attract readers and build their loyalty, in continuing to be an authoritative source of information, both digital and traditional.
Regardless of whether you are “team paper” or “team digital”, this January issue will be distributed, together with the following March issue, at the world’s most important trade fair for the industrial coating sector: PaintExpo 2022, which is making a comeback after an absence of four years. Everything is ready for this event (of which ipcm® has been the media partner and exclusive representative for Italy, Spain, and Portugal since 2010) to be a success: the number of exhibitors has already exceeded 400, 90% of the exhibition space has been reserved, and hundreds of visitors have already pre-registered.
ipcm® is going to be waiting for you there as well, and this January/February issue already gives you a preview of the industrial excellence and innovative products you are going to find.