In recent years, the Chinese printing market has shown strong growth, offering significant opportunities for consumables manufacturers. International players are actively entering the market, while domestic brands are also gaining momentum. This article explores the current demand for scrapers in China's printing industry and their future potential, aiming to spark discussions on the development of the scraper market in the country.
Scraper Supplier Market Structure
The primary users of scrapers are the gravure and coating industries. With the growing adoption of flexographic printing in China, the application range of scrapers has expanded further. Commercial printing, which has never been a key target for scraper suppliers, has seen a decline, but this hasn't affected the scraper market significantly.
Daetwyler is a well-known name in the scraper industry. After a decade of effort in the Chinese market, it achieved major breakthroughs in 2013, with sales reaching nearly 100 million yuan. As a leading brand, it continues to dominate the market.
Swedcut also performed well in 2013, thanks to its innovative sales model and a wide product selection that allows gravure companies more options. RolfMeyer, a traditional German brand, has strengthened its presence in the Chinese market. Known for high-end international clients, it holds a monopoly in the paper industry and is expanding into packaging and printing.
In recent years, Swedish AKE combination scrapers and Japanese coated scrapers have gained popularity, attracting a growing customer base. While international brands maintain a strong position in the high-end segment, over ten domestic brands have established themselves in just five to six years, capturing a large share of the low-end market.
2013 marked the first year of harvest for the scraper industry. Domestic suppliers have moved beyond mere imitation, focusing more on branding and quality. However, some domestic brands like Maanshan focus on cost-effective steel strips and self-assembled equipment, offering lower precision but targeting mass production and a broad customer base due to lower labor costs.
Despite this, many domestic manufacturers are striving to innovate and improve technology, not settling for the bottom of the market. These companies have earned loyal customers through technological advancements, especially in coating technologies previously dominated by foreign firms.
Impact of Raw Material Prices
Historically, stable raw material supply and pricing have been crucial for scraper suppliers. Compared to the ink industry, the scraping sector has benefited from consistent steel availability. However, exchange rate fluctuations remain a major concern for high-end suppliers, as premium steel is sourced from Europe. The Swiss franc, euro, and Swedish krona have all remained strong against the yuan, keeping costs high.
Some global suppliers like Uddeholm and Sandvik are responding to China’s growing packaging and printing market by localizing production, reducing supply cycles, and mitigating exchange rate risks. Meanwhile, high-margin coated scrapers are still manufactured abroad, limited by high tariffs, production costs, and steel supply constraints. These factors continue to challenge the expansion of many domestic printing companies.
Foshan Liqia Hardware Products Co., Ltd. , https://www.liqiamei.com