Print
Solutions June 2005
433
E. Monroe
An
Astronaut’s View
So
many business models and strategies
exist in the industry that distributors
sometimes don’t see how
their company fits into the big
picture. Because distributors
base decisions on where they think
the industry is headed, Print
Solutions’ annual Top 100
Distributors coverage, beginning
on page 27, gives an astronaut’s
view.
The
Top 100 companies have two things
in common—all are independents
and all have experienced success—but
that’s where the similarities
end. The rankings list large and
small companies that approach
their markets in a variety of
ways. Some sell niche products
and services in a limited geographic
region. Others sell a range of
products and services to national
accounts. Some have manufacturing
capabilities.
After
reviewing the data and reading
in-depth profiles of select companies,
you should have a better sense
of where your company stands in
relation to other industry players,
whether it’s ahead of the
curve or lagging behind.
Here’s
a look at the average annual sales
growth of Top 100 Distributors
since 1997 (right):
We
noticed a few additional trends:
The 10 companies with the highest
commercial printing sales in 2004
reported a combined $311,213,000.
That figure represents a 27 percent
increase in commercial printing
sales from last year’s top
10 companies in the category.
Promotional products sales also
grew by 10 percent to $297,025,000,
as reported by the top 10 in that
category.
On
the other hand, the paper-based
products category, which includes
stock and custom forms, checks,
letterhead and mailers, experienced
a significant decline. Between
2003 and 2004, the top 10 companies
in this category reported a 40
percent decrease in total sales.
Congratulations
to the Top 100 firms—you
deserve it.
Andrew
Brown
Assistant
Editor
Editor
Wins National Award
Print
Solutions’ Assistant Editor
Preeti Vasishtha has won a national
award for her February 2004 “Path
to Fulfillment” cover story
in the How-to Category of the
27th annual awards competition
sponsored by the American Society
of Business Publication Editors
(ASBPE). The competition is open
to any nationwide printed business
publication. Print Solutions has
amassed more than 85 awards for
writing, design and online excellence
in 16 consecutive years.
How
We Compiled This Feature
We
emailed Top 100 Distributors survey
forms to DMIA members as well
as retired members, trial members
and prospects listed in our database
as distributors. PDF and online
versions of the form were posted
on Print Solutions’ web
site at www.printsolutionsmag.com,
as well as the association’s
E-Weekly newsletter. The deadline
to return the forms was May 2.
If your company didn’t receive
a form for inclusion in this list
and you would like one next year,
please call Print Solutions at
(800) 336-4641 or send an email
to dpainter@PSDA.org.
Average
Annual Sales Growth
