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Jon Excell
Editor
The Engineer
An important announcement about the future of The Engineer
Many of you may have heard rumblings over the past few days relating to the future of the print version of The Engineer. I’d like to use this opportunity to address these rumours.
The pressures on print publishing are well known. Increasing distribution and production costs, and the impact of an ongoing economic crisis on advertising revenues, have conspired to create a challenging environment for magazine publishers. At the same time, the rise of the internet — with its global reach, low production costs and unfulfilled commercial potential — presents some truly exciting opportunities.
Against this backdrop, the owner of The Engineer, Centaur Media, is proposing to close to the print version of the publication and focus all of The Engineer’s editorial and commercial resources on growing the website and other digital products. It is proposed that the 16 July issue will be the last in print.
It’s hard to know what our Victorian forbears would make of the proposal to close the magazine. Some would certainly be horrified. Others might well be astonished to know that a publication launched more than a century and half ago is still in existence. But none would have anticipated the rise of the internet — a technological development every bit as disruptive as the invention of the automobile or the aircraft.
Since the relaunch of its website at the end of 2009, The Engineer has undergone perhaps the most striking evolution in its long history. We have been able to extend our reach far beyond that of the magazine, seed daily debate on the key issues, bring our subject matter to life with video and break and analyse news in a way that’s simply not possible within the constraints of a fortnightly magazine.
Clearly this will be unwelcome news for many — If not all — of our print readers. Indeed, given the hard work we’ve put into the magazine, we’d be disappointed if its proposed closure were met with indifference.
But The Engineer will live on and, we believe, continue to grow. We have big plans for the website, including making more of our vast and fascinating historical archive, building on our news and in-depth coverage and expanding our video content. And for those who like their content with a cover and a contents page, we’re launching a monthly digital version of The Engineer that can be read on a host of mobile devices.
Finally, I’d like to reassure all of our readers that the editorial team of The Engineer remains dedicated to maintaining the high journalistic standards and spirit of enquiry that have been at the heart of this important publication since its launch in 1856.
Watch this space for more details on our future strategy.
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Readers' comments (223)
John Fenton | 10 Jul 2012 12:54 pm
I have to say that I am very unimpressed by this decision. It will mean the end of reading The Engineer for me. I can only read the articles when I am away from my desk (and computer), usually in the canteen. If print publication is to cease, "Bye bye, Engineer".
Hardly calculated to increase advertising revenue, is it? I doubt that I am the only one in this position.
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Anonymous | 10 Jul 2012 12:55 pm
I liked to read the magazine in the canteen at lunchtime. I then passed old copies to my father ( who does not have a computer ).
All three of us will miss the printed edition.
Thanks for many years of interesting magazines.
Paul.
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GRAHAM STEED | 10 Jul 2012 12:55 pm
I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO THE PRINTED EDITION AS I CAN READ AT ANY SPARE MOMENT AT ANY TIME OF DAY AND ANY WHERE.IT WILL BE A SAD LOSS
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Malcolm Watkinson | 10 Jul 2012 12:56 pm
Brilliant! You are the first of the magazines I read regularly to do this and it is definitely the way to go from an enviornmental impact viewpoint as well as cost. I look forward to the further improvements to the web offering that will no doubt result.
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Anonymous | 10 Jul 2012 12:56 pm
Can we have the crossword back, please?
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Ben | 10 Jul 2012 12:57 pm
It's a sad day to see the end of the Engineer.
Dress it up anyway and it's still the same fact that the Engineer will be no more from the 16th July.
:-(
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Anonymous | 10 Jul 2012 12:57 pm
I welcome the change, the daily e-mail along with a monthly magazine that can be read on the ipad, saves the planet's resources and gives access to read the magazine on the move.
John
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Dr A B Clarke | 10 Jul 2012 12:58 pm
A ridiculous and pathetic decision, especially presented as a 'fait accompli' with 1 week notice.
Who seriously wants to attempt to scan long articles and read them on portable devices??
The Engineer is an excellent publication and I will miss it as I will cancel by subscription..
And we complain that the general public don't appreciate engineering....?
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John Eaves | 10 Jul 2012 12:58 pm
You're crazy to close the print version as did Design Week. print is coming back! Many of my clients are realising that many of their targets prefer to read hard copy rather than an email - and that emails just stay on the computer
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Robert Freer | 10 Jul 2012 12:58 pm
Sorry to see you go.
Your historical archive is valuable, please make it easily available
Sic transit gloria mundi
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Mark E | 10 Jul 2012 12:58 pm
...in many ways, entirely inevitable, to be expected and a decision that makes sense, however, while my initial thoughts that this will also be perceived to be "environmentally-friendly", use of mobile devices, computers, and the internet in general, is a very power-hungry alternative (more energy inefficent than many imagine) when compared with print production, however a sensible way for The Engineer to go, and in many ways, more convenient.
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Carolyn Knight | 10 Jul 2012 12:59 pm
I will miss getting the print copy. I do understand the reasons for going digital - it was inevitable.
Thank you for a really useful magazine. I do hope the monthly digital version will fill the gap.
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Jonathan | 10 Jul 2012 1:01 pm
If you are closing down the print form then you should archive previous versions as PDFs resembling a print format available for download. The Economist does this already with past issues and are offered for free.
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Michael Dixon | 10 Jul 2012 1:02 pm
I liked to read my copy during take-off or landing!
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Mike West | 10 Jul 2012 1:05 pm
Makes me rather sad, but in the end I have to accept that I'm a dinosaur, and it is probably the right thing to do. Short notice, though.
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Anonymous | 10 Jul 2012 1:06 pm
What a shame, however it appears to be the way things are going.
I hope that The Engineer will remain if possible a Kindle or Peroidical can still be issued for use on computers.
Some sort magazine format similar to the Offshore Engineer would be way the forward.
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Gill Hodgson | 10 Jul 2012 1:06 pm
Oh well, I suppose we should have known this day would come.
Sorry to say I doubt I'll get chance to read the on-line version. I've always read the printed copy during my breaks when I'm away from my computer.
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Robert Harris-Mayes | 10 Jul 2012 1:06 pm
I shall miss the paper copy and probably won't bother much with the website.
What shall I read when consuming my morning toast & coffee
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Alan Q | 10 Jul 2012 1:07 pm
I think it's a great move, and will save a lot of cost and energy shifting heavy paper around the country.
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Alex Evans | 10 Jul 2012 1:08 pm
That is a shame. As someone who looks at a screen most of the day, I find the printed version of the Engineer a welcome screen break. I appreciate that rising costs are testing the viability printed publications. However, as much as I enjoy reading your publication, I expect that I will be less inclined read the online version. Thank you for the years of intersting articles.
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brian m | 10 Jul 2012 1:09 pm
Always sad to see the end of an era, especially one that links back to our great engineering history.
The big advantage paper had over 'e' magazines was that you could read them anywhere. Now with low cost tablets that is no longer the case.
I'm sure the Engineer will remain a cause of delay for the rest of the family in getting into the smallest room in the house :)
Here's to your next century and half!
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Berenice Baker | 10 Jul 2012 1:11 pm
As a former reporter for The Engineer, I am saddened to hear of the demise of the print magazine and proud to have seen my name in ink on its pages. I hope The Engineer will look to the future by practising what it preaches about pioneering innovations by fully embracing interactive e-zine techniques to best explain the potentially world-changing technologies it has written about for the past 156 years.
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Andy Bevis | 10 Jul 2012 1:11 pm
Inevitable as it unfortunately is in this age, I too regret the passing of the printed word in this format as it does provide that convenient access in what might be termed "moments of quiet contemplation" we get away from the electronic device. The electronic format provides the information when we want it and easily stored whereas the printed format is the more comfortable indepth read. Its the best of both worlds we have become accustomed to I suppose. Still a sad passing, thank you for the many years of the printed form.
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Anonymous | 10 Jul 2012 1:11 pm
Move with the times guys, this is the way of the future and it's most welcome, personally I will enjoy reading it on my iPad. By the way, I am a young 63.
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Kate | 10 Jul 2012 1:12 pm
I shall be sorry to see the print version go. I, like many others, find it easier to read the print version than the electronic due to restriction on computer use at work and the fact that I have stupidly slow "broadband" speeds at home.
I've been reading the magazine since I was studying for A-levels: my Dad's boss would give me his copies and I read them cover to cover on the bus. I finally threw these 1980s magazines away about 6 months ago!
If you haven't already chosen a platform, the best I've seen in the one used by Diesel and Gas Turbine International.
BTW: I often read the job ads in the print version, but never check out your on-line listings. Jus' sayin'
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Matt | 10 Jul 2012 1:12 pm
What a ridiculus decision!!! People are spending too much time staring at screens and not moving away for a breaks as it is. Printed media is the stuff of life and you don't need the latest upgrade to read it.
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stephen mosley | 10 Jul 2012 1:12 pm
I much prefer a magazine as I can very quickly flick through and find things that are relevent, with the bonus of spotting articles where the title does not catch the eye but a picture or text box does. This expands the pieces of interest compared to targeting through headlines and is I think what I shall miss most. I suspect therefore that it will, to a degree, frustrate the increase of my more widespread engineering knowledge. It may be the fashion of the moment, or indeed seen as financially preferable - but I'm not convinced that its the long term way forward.
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Alex Morris | 10 Jul 2012 1:16 pm
A foolish decision, no doubt driven more by inflated distribution (postal) costs than printing costs.
Healthwise, we all spend far to much time staring at computer screens. That's why the opportunity to relax and read printed magazines and newspapers at lunchtime and while commuting is such a blessing.
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David | 10 Jul 2012 1:17 pm
I read the print copy front to back
Going only digital devalues your brand
I wo'nt be reading it on screen so you have lost a reader in me & there will no longer be a copy in our reception
Very short sighted in my opinion
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Danny | 10 Jul 2012 1:18 pm
If John thinks an iPad will save the planet's resources he needs to get a life. A printed magazine has far more versatility and can be recycled after use.
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Michael Thompson | 10 Jul 2012 1:20 pm
I've not missed the hard copy since I elected to receive The Engineer electronically some years ago. It makes economic sense and these days even The Third Age are actively engaged in their use of computers. For centuries the engineering sector has itself kept pace with changes in technology so The Engineer's decision is well understood.
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Paul Wyatt | 10 Jul 2012 1:20 pm
I have been a reader of The Engineer since 1973 when I started my Apprenticeship, and have found it in tune with Engineering over the decades.
Now as a Senior Environmental Specialist I would suspect a detailed Life Cycle Analysis would reveal that print has less of an environmental impact than digital - its those IT clouds of energy consumption, that would be the constraint.
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Colin Graham | 10 Jul 2012 1:20 pm
Terrible decision. Normally I save a few weeks up and read them on long haul flights.
I shall probably not read the e-version.
Bye then........
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Philip Baker | 10 Jul 2012 1:21 pm
The tactile loss of the printed magazine will result in the decline of your publication.
In agreement with many, the only time I really have to read anything is post work.
I often save them unopened for weeks and read them all on the way to HK or LA or any holiday. It has become a treat which I looked forward too.
OK so it’s going and we must embrace change, but we the generation who both to write and respond, will be your diminishing readers. Don't think that the new nerdy generation, who are constantly ethereally wired to their iPods and iphones will participate, they won't. They have far too many other loyalties using their favourite can’t be without toys.
We the older generation understand the need to read extensively and keep aware of the other wider engineering disciplines. By the time the new generation come to understand that, your hit rate will have fallen into the abyss and THE ENGINEER will be history....
All that is new is not good, and the older we get, the more this becomes apparent and inevitable........
Good luck with your wrong decision ……
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Alan Duncan | 10 Jul 2012 1:23 pm
I can only echo the majority and agree that it is a sad day for engineers when we cannot take the hard copy to our canteen to read at break times.
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Nick Cliffe | 10 Jul 2012 1:25 pm
I already spend far too much of my time in front of a computer screen and cannot justify the cost of an iPad for the foreseeable future, so very much enjoy the tactile experience of reading a printed magazine.
In an electronic age which I have fully embraced for the last 17 years, print mags perhaps surprisingly provide a refreshing change as a means of absorbing new information and I believe there will always be a demand for this media. They have an air of permanence which online content can never have and I'm already suffering from info overload via the web. I will continue to subscribe, but only 'on sufferance'.
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R. K. Kulkarni | 10 Jul 2012 1:26 pm
I do not think this is good decision at this point of time, as the computerisation is not reached to almost every one. I would love to read print edition than soft version.
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Anonymous | 10 Jul 2012 1:28 pm
Have the digital version printable as a PDF which will talk care of those who want a printed copy. It should default print in black & white and those who wish to print in colour can select and do so. Have an option to print individual pages or possibly individual articles required. Look at the digital version of the metro newspaper and other magazines for additional ideas.
This should take care of the environment as only what is required is printed by only those who want it. In the scheme of things, the cost of printing on a laser printer in B&W is negligible.
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Graham Taylor | 10 Jul 2012 1:30 pm
I started reading "The Engineer" as a child living above a victorian engineering works and was fascinated by the way metals could be manipulated into different shapes to do all kinds of jobs. I did my time as an Airframe Fitter / Toolmaker with BAC and have always enjoyed reading and sharing the information and ideas put forward in what I have always considered a superb and informative magazine. Unfortunately times change and if The Engineer has to go "Digital" then so be it. I will still read it but will have to forward it to my friends and colleagues who find the articles fascinating and of use in business and also in work and in their leisure pursuits.
We will all miss the hard copy but what must be must be.
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Dale Windridge | 10 Jul 2012 1:31 pm
Jon has explained the reasons “Increasing distribution and production cost” with reduced advertising. It is, either accept it a necessary commercial decision or lose the magazine completely. It is a brave decision and a good reason to get an iPad for those who want to read The Engineer in the canteen.
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Tony Barrow | 10 Jul 2012 1:33 pm
What is important is to keep and even raise the standard of informative content and ways of positively interacting with the "readership" - digital media hence is the way forward.
Please bring back "Brainteaser"
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Scott Cadzow | 10 Jul 2012 1:34 pm
I have found the print copy invaluable to have around the house and office. The nature of print copy is that you are encouraged to browse and be caught by interesting content whereas I find with digital content you seek out stuff you know will be of interest and skip the interesting but not now material. It will be a day marked with sadness when the print copy goes and I only hope that our reading habits on e-book readers, tablets and PCs allow us to return to the casual browsing that printed hard copy has served so well in delivering for the 156 years that "The Engineer" has managed so far.
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Margaret O'Malley | 10 Jul 2012 1:35 pm
I'm very sad to hear of this decision. Over the past few years we have seen a number of other technical magazines go down the same route, and within 12 months they have ceased publication completely.
We are all aware of the increased cost of printing, but going fully digital is not the answer.
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martin | 10 Jul 2012 1:36 pm
What can I say. Can I have a refund?
i pass my magazines to my son, a 16 year old aspiring engineer. I won't renew my subsciption for a virtual magazine.
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Anonymous | 10 Jul 2012 1:36 pm
Dear Engineer Magazine,
I think your Victorian forbears would be both amazed and appalled at the world inhabited by the modern engineer. On the one hand, we live in an age with engineering wonders even we had not dreamt of a few short years ago, yet we live in an age where the Victorian wonders (Railways being the key example) are falling to rack and ruin.
Likewise, I think the internet would be generate immense awe in the Victorian forbears (assuming they could get off facebook and online gaming) but also a sense of dread of it’s impact on society.
As for the magazine, an online issue is really the only sensible issue as people move to electronic media for news delivery and to deliver a sustainable future. It is a shame though. Paper copies strewn in canteens and trains around the country have provided me and engineering colleagues hours of enjoyment over the years and this will now be removed. Lost will be the extended afternoon break in the toilets of engineering companies everywhere to catch up on the latest technological developments – after all, one can’t roll up a laptop to take to the toilets!
All I ask dear Engineer magazine, is that you make it an online magazine and not just a website. It needs to be readable and simple. Don’t load your pages with flashing ads and hundreds of links. Keep navigation useable and logical and keep it in a magazine format where one can read from start to finish. And finally…most importantly – please, please, please, make an IPAD app to download the magazine so frequent travelers can read on planes etc.
Good luck for the future.
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Anonymous | 10 Jul 2012 1:37 pm
The beauty of the print version is the ability to flick from one page to another without being distracted by flashy advertising images. When I receive the e-mail edition I find it constantly irritating that the layout is messy and I cannot read an article without using a link. I am sorry to see it go as a print edition. I hope it will appear as a magazine on the internet and be readable in the same way
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Jim Merrick | 10 Jul 2012 1:38 pm
Its a shame that the print version will cease, as like many offers, its been easy to take to read in the canteen etc.
Unfortunately it is the sign of the times, and with the many types of tablets around, it will still serve its many readers.
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RC | 10 Jul 2012 1:39 pm
I think this is disappointing news. While the web site clearly has some massive benefits, and is a useful tool, the flexibility as pointed out by other readers in terms of taking the magazine home and passing around the family or for 'casual reading' simply is not there. The magazine has inspired one of my sons to study mechanical engineering to BEng level at Uni this year. Printed documents still have a use....please consider pdf publications....
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Mike Boothroyd | 10 Jul 2012 1:39 pm
Sad day. Hard copy is something tangible.
While I'm 63 and admittedly not the best at extracting everything from the Internet, I will still download and read.
It is such a good technological information platform
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Wayne | 10 Jul 2012 1:42 pm
I think it's a real shame to see the print version go. I like to take interesting articles to friends and family and let them read the magazine. My dad particularly likes to read them but can't use a computer very well. I also find letting people read the engineer gives them a better appreciation of the world of engineering. I guess that's the end of that! Having said that i will continue to use the website. Especially if you bring back the crossword.
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