Print
Solutions May 2005
Mailbag
Editor's
note: The following letters are
part of discussions that took
place on DMIA's members-only
broadcast email system.
We're Focused on Printed
Documents
I
enjoyed PSDA's
2005 Spring Management Conference
in Tucson, Ariz. The association's
Member of the Year, Bob Boldig,
gave an acceptance speech that
really made me think.
Upon
seeing the decline in our main
product, continuous forms, we
made a mad rush around 1996 to
diversify our product offerings.
Our sales fell 17 percent from
1995 to 2000. Continuous forms
went from 80 percent of sales
in 1995 to 22 percent in 2004.
We turned a corner in 2002, and
sales began to grow again. In
2004, we were 8 percent off our
peak year.
I
was glad to see that change, but
I wondered if we had lost our
direction from the industry. We
started talking about forms around
here again. As of March 31, sales
of continuous forms have grown
19 percent over this time last
year. I know this growth is the
result of our gaining a larger
piece of a shrinking pie.
Forms
aren't going away; they're
going somewhere else. Boldig said
distributors should consider attending
DMIA's Manufacturer and
Supplier Print Conference, to
be held May 18-20 in Philadelphia.
It has sessions titled "Emerging
Channels Roundtable," "Emerging
Products" and "Emerging
Vertical Markets."
Emerging
channels? I've been trying
to turn this ship, but our history
and culture, having evolved from
the forms industry, forces me
to realize that we're best
at selling value and solutions
in printed documents. Preprinted
documents account for the bulk
of my revenues. Emerging channels?
Try as I might, I can't
seem to diverge from printing
and I don't really want
to. Thanks again, DMIA, for leading
this thirsty horse to water. Someone
please hit me in the head if I
refuse to drink.
Also, I despise the name Print Services & Distribution Association. Every time I use it, I have
to explain that we don't sell digital archival and retrieval
software. DMIA is doing exactly the right thing for its
members, but could we consider a small change to the name? I
suggest the Document Solutions Industries Association.
Steve
Visio
Vice
President
Executive
Data Control Inc.
Springfield,
Mo.
No Excuses, Get Involved
How
can most of us blame the economy
when our individual market share
of the total industry is less
than one-tenth of a percent? The
bottom line is we had it so good
for so long, people have forgotten
how we got to where we are today.
After
looking in my mirror, I asked
myself: What could I do to change
things? The answer was obvious.
We're members of an organization
dedicated to helping our industry
and our company, yet we aren't
taking advantage of all it offers.
We didn't attend CEO conferences
or management conferences. We
failed to submit changes within
our company for publication in
Print Solutions. We stopped trying
to get distributors to join. We
even cut back on the trade shows
we attended. It was like having
a full membership at a country
club but only taking advantage
of the dining facilities.
The
time is now, more than ever, to
become more involved with your
organization. Don't sit
on the sidelines and watch. Attend
a conference, recruit a new member
or maybe even submit your name
to become a Regional Director.
Manufacturers should start asking
people when they call, "Are
you members of the DMIA?"
They should be encouraged to offer
benefits or incentives to those
companies that belong to DMIA.
Otherwise, why would distributors
join?
Robert
Ohr
President
C.E.
Printed Products
Carol
Stream, Ill.
Talk to Us
We
encourage feedback about stories
published in Print Solutions,
as well as in PSDA's
E-Weekly and Independent
Management Report e-newsletters.
Question
of the month: What features make
your operations software or e-commerce
system valuable? Do you wish it/they
included features not currently
available?
Email your insight to bholt@printsolutionsmag.com,
or send a letter to Print Solutions,
433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria,
VA 22301.
