Wide-format Blogs

Fed up of management articles that advise you to be practically perfect in every way? If so, you might enjoy a Harvard Business Review blog by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss (http://blogs.hbr.org/hbsfaculty/2012/02/win-on-service-in-a-tough-econ.html) which urges companies to win on service in a tough economy.

Well the question over what’s happening at McKenzie Clark has been answered, only to raise another over how many more print providers are ripe for the picking. My guess is quite a few. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing for the face of print as it becomes part and parcel of a more integrated ‘solutions’ led industry is it? Let’s discuss.

It’s something of a rhetorical question, but don’t you want a business improvement project that will bring you in an extra £1m worth of work this year? Hollywood Monster claims to have just that, so it might be worth learning a lesson or two from what it’s doing - not least of all by using more apprentices. I know there are print companies that have found this a difficult path to take for various reasons, but it must be worth a rethink…

It was clear from Fespa Digital that UK wide-format printers are very actively seeking ways in which to expand their remit in this competitive marketplace. The 2012 Widthwise Report from Image Reports, due for publication later this spring, should provide a clear picture of the state of the UK/Ireland wide-format sector to help you better position your company and its offerings. A huge thank you to all of those printers who have already undertaken the survey that forms the basis of this report. If you have not already done so, please do so at http://survey.infotrends.com/widthwise.htm

Being in business is inherently risky. Being successful, sustainable and bankable has more to do with foresight than fortune. In life, nothing is certain but death and taxes. In business, it's change. Technology and globalisation are inevitable levers for change. 40% of the Fortune 500 companies in 2000 were gone just ten years later. Who saw the writing on the wall predicting Amazon and Waterstones would report e-book downloads eclipse printed book sales, or how we now enjoy online music, TV, films, news, articles, and information would decimate entire industries? When Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection under chapter 11 in the US, the winds of change swirled and chilled. This may not be Kodak's finest hour, but for the rest of us it’s a wake up call. What risks threaten, if not our survival, then our sustainable success?

How well do you know your customers, and well do they know you? According to Canon’s new Insight Report, not very well. Over 400 print buyers across Europe were asked for their input into this report, which certainly does not focus on wide-format, but nevertheless perhaps reflects the general need for print companies of all types to build better relationships. What do you need to help you do that?

How big a deal is succession planning for family businesses these days? The Forum of Private Business certainly thinks it’s of national importance, so how relevant do you consider it to be in today’s print sector, which was practically built on small family owned firms.

Well done to the Fespa team for putting together a show that has caught the attention of such a cross section of wide-format print producers. If you were there – or still are – let me know what you found most eye opening.

I wonder how many of you are accessing this email in Barcelona where Fespa Digital is about to open its doors. I’ll be pacing the stands and attending seminars to bring you details of the newest products and services, and to highlight the various trends and issues thrown up by not just the exhibitors and speakers, but by you the visitor as you digest all the show presents. So if you see me, stop me and have a word! Widthwise 2012 survey, take part now http://survey.infotrends.com/widthwise.htm

A big thank you to all those who have already responded to my request that you take part in the 2012 Widthwise Survey of the UK and Ireland’s wide-format print sector. But we still need more of you to do so if we’re to match the 200 respondents to last year’s poll – and of course the aim is to collect more data than we did then so we can provide you with an even more substantial Widthwise Report of the findings and the trends they disclose. To take part go to: http://survey.infotrends.com/widthwise.htm

How many meetings have you attended where someone – possibly even you – declared that it was time for innovation? But the reality behind the rhetoric is that, nearly 80 years after the idea of innovation emerged from the researches of French sociologist Gabriel Tarde, we still can’t innovate how we want, where we want and when we want.

Hollywood doesn’t have the monopoly on special effects. Singaporean printer Dominie Press (http://www.dominie.com.sg/) has been winning awards and clients across the world with an approach to print that it calls “creative engineering”. Frayed edges, irregular diecut holes, bullet-holes and burnt effects have all been used to give some pizzazz to traditional printed products. (The company even inserted a blood bag into one book.) Dominie is a litho printer but there’s nothing to stop digital and wide-format printers from learning from its example and devising their own effects.