Print
Solutions December 2005
Cover
story
Printing
& Technology Firms Connect
to Increase Sales
IMAGES
BY
ANDREW BROWN AND DARIN PAINTER
Supply-chain
partnerships are evolving. End
users demand single-source providers
for their print and promotional
needs, and technology often allows
print providers to be that single
source. Today, companies throughout
the supply chain seek ways to
partner—not just compete—with
one another. The goal is to create
a streamlined process that delivers
solutions to end users and profits
to partners. The challenge is
improving efficiency without sacrificing
service.
A
Digital Birth
With
print technology from Oki Data
Americas Inc., Degrava Systems
launches a new digital color press.
When
John A. Monteleone and Brian C.
Jobmann prepared to launch a company
that would offer a digital press
for short run, single-pass, continuous
color printing, they had an important
thought: It’s what’s
inside the press that counts.
Monteleone,
president and co-founder of Degrava
Systems, Roswell, Ga., and other
company leaders aimed to introduce
a digital press that produced
photo-quality images quickly and
affordably, worked with a variety
of substrates and widths for labeling
applications, and enabled variable
printing. They felt label converters
that use flexo presses needed
another option because those firms
often turn away short run jobs
and could expand their sales to
include variable printing. Degrava’s
leaders have a background in the
aerospace industry, which helped
them engineer several new features,
including a patented pinch roller
system that provides uniform media
tension for precise color control
and a cutter/feeder that can take
media from rolls as large as 5,000
linear feet into a print engine
that produces excellent color
registration. (XXion Technologies
International LLC, a research
and development firm, integrates
existing and new technologies
for Degrava.)
But
the company needed a print engine
to drive their press, and it turned
to Oki Data Americas Inc., a supplier
based in Mount Laurel, N.J., that
has sold more than 14 million
printers since it was founded
in 1972. Its products marketed
under the Oki® Printing Solutions
brand include color and monochrome
digital printers, serial impact
dot matrix printers and fax machines.
In 1998, Oki introduced the first
digital LED (light-emitting diode)
color printer using Single Pass
Color® digital technology.
(See graphic on p. 27.)
That
technology is imbedded in the
press Degrava introduced in October
at DMIA’s Print Solutions
2005 Conference & Expo in
Orlando, the Degrava DP-8500.
“It’s kind of like
saying Oki is inside,” says
Rich Egert, general manager of
Strategic Business Relationships
for Oki Data Americas. He says
partnering is important to his
company because it doesn’t
sell direct and constantly seeks
incremental business for the firm’s
single-path and LED technology.
“In order to become a strategic
partner, you need to be sure you
create a win-win scenario for
both companies. If you put forethought
into partnerships, they don’t
exist for a short flash. We’re
trying to establish long-term
relationships that are financially
rewarding and enjoyable for both
parties.”
When
choosing a partner for the Degrava
DP-8500’s print engine,
the first thing Degrava assessed
was how to develop a continuous
printer solution. “Oki brought
knowledge of that print technology,
and we basically are taking their
knowledge, expertise and position
in the marketplace to build upon,”
Monteleone says. “We didn’t
have the resources to go out and
build our own print engine from
scratch, and if we did, no one
would buy it because who are we?
The Oki engine is simple and elegant—it
uses a straight-through path instead
of a series of complex devices.
By partnering with Oki, we brought
credibility to our press because
people know about the company’s
quality.”
Monteleone
says Degrava also wanted its flagship
press to have excellent color
management technology built in.
“In brand management, the
ability to have exactly the right
red, orange or yellow is critical,”
he says. “One thing you’ll
often get with a flexo press is
graininess—the color from
one label to another isn’t
the same. Because of the superior
print technology Oki brings to
table, we’re taking advantage
of color management.” The
Degrava DP-8500 prints at 600
d.p.i. and comes with a RIP processor
that accepts image files from
any network, Monteleone says.
“The fact that we can vary
images, text and bar codes and
print variable data in a stream
makes the equipment very attractive
because it offers flexibility
that companies don’t have
with traditional printing technology.”
Applications
for the Degrava DP-8500 include
short run and variable prime labels,
hang tags, bottled water labels,
compliance labeling, point-of-sale
products, direct mail, photo IDs,
invoices and forms, and drum labeling.
Degrava sells its press to printing
firms and end users.
“We
want to bring digital technology
into the reach of most companies.
They don’t need to spend
seven figures to get into this
business,” says John Farris,
Degrava’s vice president
of new business development. “We’ve
seen a convergence in our industry
over the last few years as traditional
printers move into digital printing.
We hope to open all kinds of opportunities
for customization of short run
printing.”
“Degrava
has a blend of attributes, including
a wealth of printer experience
and an advanced engineering background,”
Egert says. “That’s
a unique blend, and they’re
very creative and knowledgeable.
They’ve been an amazing
partner to work with.”
“We
think we’re on the doorstep
of a sea change in the printing
industry,” Monteleone says.
“A lot of people have been
doing digital printing for a long
time, but still a huge segment
of the printing world is printing
traditionally. We’re not
saying that’s bad, but efficiencies,
flexibility and size issues are
making strong business cases for
people to investigate digital
technology and make purchases.
We think we’re well-positioned
for that move.”
Oki
Data Americas also benefits from
the partnership, Egert says. “We
could just battle it out with
our primary competitors in the
trenches by spending more marketing
dollars, but by partnering with
companies like Degrava, we’re
going to gain knowledge in new
spaces and place our technology
in new markets. The average print
broker wants access to new ideas,
concepts and cost points. We can
help them achieve that, and they
can lead us into new markets.”
A
Perfect Match
Choosing
a business partner that’s
right for your company is a critical
decision. A successful partnership
can bring in profits, but a bad
one can magnify the risk of failure.
Stever Robbins, CEO of consulting
company Leadership Decisionworks,
North Cambridge, Mass., says when
looking for a business partner,
you should:
1.
Look for a business that complements
yours.
The two companies should offer
to their customers more value
jointly than when they operate
individually.
2.
Examine skills and experience.
Consider partnering with a company
that has an expertise in some
area, particularly one where your
company can improve.
3.
Investigate the background. Ask
for references to find out the
company’s strengths and
weaknesses.
4.
Communicate effectively. One
reason why business relationships
fail is because of the partners’
inability to discuss problems
and raise uncomfortable questions.
Ensure that both you and the partnering
company can discuss such issues.
5.
Find out if your goals match.
It’s difficult to work with
a company that has a vision different
from yours. Once you know you
have similar goals, find out if
you agree on ways to achieve them.
