Let's Do Jobs Right the First Time
What happened to the days when our mission was to do it right the first time? Those were the days when almost everyone in the business forms industry designed and manufactured complex forms. Our industry remains one of the finest "business relationship" industries in the world. Our manufacturing plants--DMIA plants in particular--stand behind their work, many times at the expense of their own bottom lines. This should be appreciated and commended.
But what happened to doing it right the first time? For some reason, we still have "time to do it over." We make excuses, accept second best and rationalize mistakes, all the while costing ourselves in real cash and integrity. Some industries have "it's just a job" attitudes, but ours--an industry that thrives on communication--should be above this. We must be different. We need to remain proud and responsible. We need to be an industry that says what it means and means what it says.
"Doing it right the first time" and "say what you mean, mean what you say" are meaningful expressions. I bet they found their roots in costly mistakes. For distributors and manufacturers alike, let's make an effort to stop making excuses and do things right the first time.
Steve Singer, CFC
President
Micro Format Inc.
Wheeling, Ill.
Growing Through Vertical Markets
The hospitality market has been one focus for Ward/Kraft. Though in the past we've printed check-in folios and checkout statements, we've seen further penetration through our plastics division. We now offer magnetic key cards, telephone cover templates, door hangers, privacy reminders and notes pages for nightstands. We also can help distributors provide hotels with a 4-color key cards at substantial savings compared with hotels' existing cards. We also have worked with distributors to offer unique check-in folios (with matching key cards), using pressure seal forms to create the form and key holder. This enables personalization of the check-in folios, and the pressure seal forms open new opportunities for hotel confirmations, cancellation notices, satisfaction surveys and additional billing forms.
A second growth market at Ward/Kraft is distribution firms. Integrated labels on pick-and-pack lists are becoming more popular, and so are other unique form/label designs. Special pattern adhesive designs that accelerate labeling and packing-list applications are growing rapidly because this is a primary area of cost control for distribution companies. Their main savings must come from time and labor reductions. Well-designed applications that save 60-90 seconds can equate to substantial timesavings and reduced shipping errors.
Roger Buck, CDC
National Sales Manager, Forms Divisions
Ward/Kraft Inc.
Fort Scott, Kan.
Gracias, Source Hotline!
Everyone at DMIA always has been very helpful. In a recent situation, however, Luis Gonzalez [a representative of the association's members-only Source Hotline] went way beyond my expectations! He acted as an interpreter on a conference call I set up with a customer in Puerto Rico. I was having difficulty understanding my customer's needs, but Luis solved that. Imagine how impressive that must have been to my customer. Many thanks for a great job!
Randy Worthy
Sales Representative
Woodbury Business Forms
LaGrange, Ga.
Talk to Us
What are the major pros and cons concerning the current state of the document management industry? Email your insight to bholt@printsolutionsmag.com, or send a letter to Print Solutions, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301.
