|
SIC 3555 Printing Trades Machinery and Equipment
Encyclopedia of American Industries
|
2005
|
COPYRIGHT 2005 The Gale Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.
(Hide copyright information)
Copyright
|
SIC 3555
PRINTING TRADES MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT
This category covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing machinery and equipment used by the printing and bookbinding trades, including printing presses, bookbinding machines, typesetting and photoengraving equipment, and a variety of specialized tools for the printing trades.
NAICS Code(s)
333293 (Printing Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing)
Industry Snapshot
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 546 establishments operated in this category in the late 1990s. This figure reflects steady growth from 430 in 1990 to approximately 525 in 1995. Industry-wide employment totaled 19,998 workers receiving a payroll of almost $912 million. Of those workers, 11,328 worked in production, putting in almost 24 million hours to earn wages of almost $424 million. Overall shipments for the industry were valued at more than $3.8 billion in 2000, up from $3.0 billion in 1995, but down from $3.9 billion in 1998.
Organization and Structure
Leading members of the printing equipment industry banded together in 1910 to form the Printing Press Manufacturers Association (PPMA), with the purpose of convincing Congress to pass laws protecting the industry from foreign imports.
In 1933, the National Printing Equipment Association was founded, hoping to help the industry recover from the Great Depression. Industry codes enforcing fair competition proposed by the NPEA were accepted by President Franklin Roosevelt's National Recovery Administration (NRA) in 1934, but in 1935, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the National Industrial Recovery Act, under which the NRA was formed, was unconstitutional. Although the NPEA code of fair competition was invalidated, the organization voted to continue as a source of information and education for the printing equipment industry.
The name of NPEA was changed to the National Printing Equipment and Supply Association in 1978, and changed again in 1991 to the Association for Suppliers of Printing and Publishing Technologies (NPES). In 1996, NPES had more than 300 members, which included computer manufacturers and software companies, as well as traditional printing machinery manufacturers. NPES conducted market research and promotes international trade on behalf of its members.
Background and Development
Letterpress printing, using raised images to print on paper, was an ancient art developed by the Babylonians as early as 2000 B.C. for producing playing cards. The first printing presses,...
Find more facts and information related to the
article "SIC 3555 Printing Trades Machinery and Equipment"