Partners Make Each Other Look Good
Supply-chain partnerships are crucial for distributors who plan to survive in today's marketplace. Plus, I don't think they hurt the manufacturers.
I recently became an affiliate of the International Business Solutions Alliance (IBSA). One requirement is to give as much business as possible to IBSA member suppliers. This isn't an easy thing to do when a small distributor has spent years building partnerships with manufacturers that may not be associated with IBSA. So what do you do? Abandon your long-time relationships and start over with new suppliers? Ask your non-IBSA supplier to become an IBSA supplier?
I feel as if I've struck a nice balance. I'm currently funneling as much as I can to IBSA suppliers, but I have one supplier in particular who is, quite frankly, too good to me and has been for more than 15 years. I just can't take business from them. A supplier like this makes me look good, delivers on time, helps with education, has excellent customer service and so on. The importance of partnerships is ultra-important, and it would take a lot for me to end that relationship.
Brian Governor
President
P&W Marketing Inc.
An IBSA Affiliate
Youngstown, Ohio
Session in Good Shape
Kevin Landry did a great job leading a dynamic discussion and allowing everyone an opportunity to participate during the "Young Presidents' Roundtable" session at the 2004 Print Solutions Conference & Expo. I would like to see more of these roundtables for young presidents.
Robert I. Connor Jr.
Owner
CU ink Incorporated
Conshohocken, Pa.
Corrections
* Banta Corp., Menasha, Wis., can produce more than 1,500 versions within a short run of 300,000 catalogs, and approximately 900 million books/catalogs a year. The information appeared incorrectly on page 82 of the September issue.
* C.E. Printed Products, Carol Stream, Ill., partnered with the Volo Auto Museum to present the Blues Brothers car at DMIA's Print Solutions 2004 Conference & Expo, Oct. 4-7 in Rosemont, Ill. The information appeared incorrectly on page 88 of the September issue.
* A news item in the September issue of Print Solutions, although technically correct, may have resulted in misinterpretations about the future of Boise Paper Solutions, which is part of Boise Cascade. In July, Boise Cascade Corporation announced plans to sell its paper, building products and timberlands assets to Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP), a private Chicago-based investment group. At the time of closing, expected in early November, Boise Cascade Corporation will change its name to OfficeMax and will operate as a publicly held office products distribution business headquartered in Itasca, Ill. MDP is forming a new, privately held company, Boise Cascade LLC, and will continue to operate Boise Cascade's paper and building products assets in much the same way it is managed today. Boise Cascade LLC will be headquartered in Boise, Idaho, and Boise Paper Solutions will become a part of the new company. The new Boise Cascade will continue using the highly recognized and respected Boise trade name, and will manufacture uncoated free sheet grades, including office papers, printing papers, forms and security papers, envelope papers, and value-added papers.
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