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Solutions June 2005
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story
Top
100 Distributors—Technology
Let’s
Talk About Tech
Distributors
ranked in this year’s Top
100 list recognize that technology
drives growth, helping firms gain
and retain clients. E-commerce
impacts every aspect of business,
from production to customer service
to marketing and sales. Last year,
several distributors introduced
or improved their e-commerce systems.
Many have made technology the
focus of their strategic plans
for 2005.
“A
key initiative for us this year
and each year is to develop or
integrate web-based tools that
will differentiate our company.
The most significant challenge
is selecting web development projects
that will create the best long-term,
scalable solution for our customers.”
Jeff
Scott, President
DocuSource Print Management, Tigard,
Ore.
“Our
best decision was to partner with
one of our major suppliers to
build and host our e-commerce
solutions for our major accounts
and offer online ordering, warehousing
and distribution services. Our
capabilities include securing
clients nationwide. Out-of-state
clients represent 30 percent of
our trade business.”
Jim
Haggerty, President
Diversified Business Forms Inc.,
Luzerne, Pa.
“We
will attempt to control the desktop
of key clients by offering an
integrated, online print management
program.”
Thomas
R. Warnez, CDC, President
Metcom Inc., St. Clair Shores,
Mich.
“We
want to continue to expand and
market online solutions to handle
various segments of printed-material
purchasing and the office-supply
process. Our intent is to provide
our customers with the latest
printing technology, a simple
ordering process and streamlined
billing.”
Matthew
Clark, CFO
DocuMedia Group, Santa Ana, Calif.
“Our
best decision was to integrate
our IntraMedia solution set
that debuted in January 2005.
IntraMedia offers creative web
development services. Our employees
have adopted our
internet-based offerings as the
way to sell in the future.”
Mickey
Lucas, President
Intraform Inc., Sparks, Nev.
“We
have enhanced our e-commerce solutions
and streamlined the process of
bringing our customers online.
We had the opportunity to work
with a national insurance carrier
to craft a solution that crossed
our divisional boundaries, including
electronic document management
and
e-commerce solutions.”
Alan
Bratton, CEO
Global DocuGraphix USA Inc., Dallas
“We’re
approaching the marketplace with
a program that covers all printed
products and related services
such as traditional forms, labels,
filing products, commercial print,
print-on-demand and promotional
products wrapped around e-commerce
solutions and our distribution
center. The most significant challenge
we face is how to continually
invest in technology solutions,
which are essential for today’s
market, and divide the revenue
dollars appropriately among all
stakeholders.”
Jim
Riley, CFC, President
Riley Barnard & O’Connell
Business Products Inc., St. Louis
DMIA
Board Member
“Our
strategic plan is to position
IBF Group as a single source for
our customers and also to encourage
customers to utilize our web-based
ordering solutions.”
Jamie
McCormick, Controller
IBF Group, Boise, Idaho
“We
built a web page for online reordering
and warehouse releases with automatic
reordering information. We partnered
with companies to allow online,
custom ordering of election material
in 2004.”
Kevin
M. Smith, President
PPI Graphics, Canton, Ohio
“We
increased our web services to
offer print-on-demand, fulfillment
and online ordering. We took over
the online ordering and fulfillment
operations of one of our larger
clients, saving them time and
money by using new technology
applied to an old process.”
John
Doering, President
Reliance Group, Farmington Hills,
Mich.
“We
really did well last year by advancing
the integration of online solutions
into our mainstream business model.”
Kevin
Welch, Vice President
Eagle, Orange, Calif.
“Tully-Wihr
is committed to the development
of our e-commerce site. With our
online capabilities, we have been
able to sign a national client.
We’re working with our software
provider to continually develop
our site.”
Douglas
V. Dunn, CDC, COO/Partner
Tully-Wihr Company, Colfax, Calif.
“Offering
a technology-based solution to
a major customer was a key decision
we made in 2004. The company designed
a web-based, print-on-demand forms
library that eliminated many costly
stocking and handling charges
such as forms obsolescence, inventory
loss and damage, and handling
and distribution costs. A challenge
we face is capturing and maintaining
a leading position in technology
in our industry.”
C.
Michael Stewart, President
Voluforms, Jeffersonville, Ind.
