Business - Knowledge

Flags from one of the country’s top manufacturers have been taken to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro twice recently thanks to gruelling fundraising expeditions by teams from two leading firms.

Hampshire Flag Company supported a team from Snows Group in Southampton, which raised more than £20,000 for a local children’s charity, by donating a 183cm x 91cm flag.

The digitally dye printed flag was produced from knitted polyester, printed on an Dupont Artistri 2020 and featured the Snows Group logo and the team flew the flag when they reached the mountain’s summit.

Snows owns car dealerships across the south and the challenge was undertaken by its group chairman, Stephen Snow, and group board director, Neil McCue. The pair formed part of radio station Wave 105′s ten-day expedition.

Hampshire Flag also provided the flag taken to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s highest free-standing mountain at 5896 metres (19,341 feet), by a team from K2Dental in Fulham.

Zaki and Dominique Kanaan, a married couple, undertook the trek as part of their bid to raise over £6000 for Bridge2Aid, a charity that provides vital free dental care, education and training in Northwest Tanzania as well as a community development programme to help the poor and disabled in Mwanza.

Both Zaki and Dominique are members of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (BACD) and the 183cm x 91cm flag, which was digitally dye printed and produced on a Dupont Artistri 2020, featured the BACD logo.

Graham Wilkinson, Managing Director of the Waterlooville-based flag manufacturer said, “It never fails to astound us how caring, dedicated and daring some of our customers are – and the lengths they will go to in order to raise money for charity.

“Seeing these successful businesspeople give up time, energy and expense to make a difference to the lives of others is an inspiration. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is no mean feat and we are extremely proud that our flags have been taken to the summit twice over the course of this summer,” added Graham, who successfully reached Everest base camp last year.

In response to - and seemingly in complete agreement with - Peter French's article recently published in LFR*, Karen Marshall of Metamark explains why suppliers need to keep their materials in stock...

I read Peter French’s article questioning, ‘Why Is Everything Out Of Stock These Days,’ with interest. From my perspective, as a materials and media manufacturer and supplier, if I were to find myself in a position where I extended to my customers service such as Peter has experienced, I’d be asking questions too.

Peter set about placing his order for an industry staple with the reasonable expectation that he’d actually get the product he wanted. Instead, he was told that it could be placed on back-order and that he may have it in a week or so. Peter’s frustration is vented in his well-reasoned article but the real impact runs even deeper.

Without the materials he needs to print, Peter’s business still has to meet its fixed costs. Wages still need to be paid, something has to keep the lights on, the lease on the printer still falls due on the first of the month. Without materials, Peter can’t produce and he has to let his customers down. Without materials, Peter can’t generate income. What’s Peter to do? Does he need to assume the role of a bulk stockist just to be sure he has the material he needs?

I think Peter’s reasoning about businesses running very tight cash management policies may take him close to the answer his question looks for. The stock’s not there either because the supplier is not spending money replacing it when it’s sold, or the business is badly managed.

Everyone, and we’re no different at Metamark, likes to run an efficient business. There comes a point though where obsessive focus on business efficiencies at the expense of the customer and his needs disastrously undermines the very position you should work to maintain and service suffers. It’s a supplier’s role to keep stock and extend credit. There’s a cost associated with doing that and it’s part of business.

Metamark has what by any standards is an extensive portfolio of media and materials and it sells them in a wide range of formats too. We run our business just a little differently than others run theirs it would appear. If it’s in our swatch or product catalogue, then it’s on the shelves, in depth and ready to supply. We have costs to meet in providing market-wide, timely access to such a large inventory. Whether that makes us more expensive than Peter’s current alleged supplier is a conversation we’d be delighted to have with him. I’m confident that it doesn’t.

Our goal is a very simple one and we’ve been achieving it for years now. We want to give our customers confidence in our ability to supply. We keep huge stocks so they don’t have to. My message to Peter is, you don’t have to put up with poor service - you can change for the better.

About Karen Marshall: Karen is Metamark’s National Sales Manager and has worked for the company for fourteen years. Prior to her appointment as the company’s sales manager, Karen was part of Metamark’s national sales team managing a territory where she gained considerable technical and commercial experience in the materials and print media markets.

* http://www.largeformatreview.com/knowledge/2521-peter-french-asks-qwhy-is-everything-out-of-stock-these-daysq

[photo shows Karen Marshall, national sales manager, Metamark]

Marcus Timson, Director of FM Brooks and co-founder of the recently announced EcoPrint Europe Live 2012 event, argues the case for sustainability and explains why less is more...

Sustainability seems to provoke a strong reaction. Having spoken to many people in the industry, I realise that it is not something everybody is positive about.  However, it definitely provokes a strong response.

Those who are positive about it get excited when talking about the benefits of 'eco'. They tell you about their success stories and how they have grown their business by adopting a forward-looking, sustainable path.

For the cynics amongst us, well they talk about how ‘going green’ does not offer value, how it is expensive and how no one is asking for it.

Well no one was asking for a car when the automobile was invented either. When asked about the innovation of the motor car and how he thought up new ideas, Henry Ford replied tersely that if he asked his customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse. This was a mantra adopted by the late Steve Jobs, who also knew a thing or two about innovation.

But people and buyers are asking for sustainability. The top brands are pledging their production and supply chains to carbon neutral status between 2015 and 2020, so there must surely be an opportunity there? There is, and plenty of businesses are making successful things happen. Leaders move first, then stuff becomes mainstream, that's a fact.

The leaders are moving to sustainability because consumers are moving their buying behaviour towards ethically produced goods, despite whatever the financial markets are doing. InfoTrends research shows that when presented with two products - one sustainable, one not - at the same price, people will choose the 'eco' option. How much proof do we need that it is a big issue?

The reality is that sustainability is still in the early adopter stage and more innovation from manufacturers is needed in order to bring the price issue into line. Print companies need the prices of their products to be close to, or on a par with, the existing options in the market. But the print companies who are succeeding with sustainability are doing so, and charging a little bit more, and still getting the business!

The leaders amongst us are shifting their businesses into alignment with the demand for green; sure, it might not yet be ubiquitous, but soon enough it will be. The trend for sustainable solutions is linked to the fact that our growing population - soon to reach 7 billion people and consuming ever more - is adversely affecting the climactic behaviour of the planet. Most law makers and business leaders know they need to change our mind-set in order to reduce these changes.

Customers, generally, don’t ask for something until it becomes mainstream. But we believe that the ‘chasm’ between the early adopters and the early majority is about to be breached. The top 100 sustainable brands number probably the biggest print buyers on the planet, so their demands will be felt throughout supply chains around the world. Soon enough, like other changes that suddenly become mainstream, green will become 'the norm'.

A key problem for those who sell green innovation in print seems to be the ‘print manager’ i.e. the person that buys print on volume and is measured by how much they buy and the rate they buy it at. They don’t care about the planet, strategy or brand. They care about price. Many clever innovators from the world of manufacturing have told me you need to get around the problem of the price-focused print manager by going straight to the brands and retailers. Many people have told me that once you get the person in a strategic role, who knows that their print must be better produced, stuff happens, and things change, for the better. And the enlightened customer might even pay a little more, because their waste costs are reduced because they don’t have to pay as much landfill costs.

And the other fact is that a holistic approach to sustainability means you save money. Honestly you do. It reduces your energy consumption and your waste and increases your efficiency, your profit and the value of your relationship with your customer. Every excited and passionate professional who has adopted a sustainable path tells me, quite rightly, that people think it costs you money; actually it does the reverse when applied throughout the business as a whole and implemented throughout the supply chain.

To those who don’t believe that sustainability is a big issue, important or likely to give value, go on thinking that. You are probably not reading this blog anyway because the title of it wouldn’t appeal to you. The top 16-20% of our market are 'getting' sustainability, for the laggards, you will have to play a catch up game when the tipping point for sustainability is reached.

For the leaders amongst us, please register to attend EcoPrint. It doesn’t matter if you are ready for sustainability now, or you want to be soon, you are welcome. We are in this together, and together, by discussing, conversing, debating and connecting we can make change a positive thing.

Yours, Marcus Timson

Ps: Laggards are still welcome to attend EcoPrint…

About Marcus Timson: Marcus is a director of FM Brooks - part of the Mack Brooks Exhibition Group - and is the co-founder of the recently announced EcoPrint event.  Formerly sales and marketing director for FESPA, he has extensive experience of event organisation and community building in the print sector. 
The launch of EcoPrint reflects the unstoppable trend for sustainable products, services and practices for eco-friendly production in print.  For more information, please visit www.ecoprintshow.com or www.mackbrooks.com

In his latest contribution to Large Format Review, Peter French - our man on the ground - vents his frustration and asks "Why is everything out of stock these days?"

Here’s a rough overview of a conversation I had last week:

Me: “Hello , can I order 2 rolls of 1600 wide print vinyl please?” 

Supplier: “I’m sorry, we are out of stock at the moment.  I can put it on back order for you...”

Me: “OK, when will it be available?” 

Supplier: “in about a week…”

Me: “what?!”

To my mind, this is nonsense.  Standard 1600 wide white vinyl out of stock with a major supplier?  How is this possible?  And this is not the first time this has happened of late.  What on earth am I supposed to print on?!

This scenario is, sadly, all too common these days.  Only a week or so ago, I needed a 50m roll of standard stock red vinyl from the same supplier.  Again, out of stock for at least a week... 

Today I called our Foamex supplier for 10 sheets of 5mm only to be told that they only had 3 on the shelf and the remaining 7 couldn’t be delivered until next Tuesday.  Now, if I was the only person buying from them I could understand it as I’ve already had 10 sheets this week, but I’m not.  There must be dozens of people like me buying Foamex from them, so how can they run their stocks so far down?

I hear nothing but woe from many other sign makers at the moment, so it’s not just me experiencing these supply shortages.

Recently, I rang a trade supplier of banner stands and pop-ups, only to be told that the item I wanted was out of stock and the next shipment would be at the end of the month. 

Now I appreciate that I can shop around.  I have several suppliers each offering very similar products and normally I can find what I need.  But it doesn’t explain why so much material is out of stock with main suppliers - certainly when they also claim to be manufacturers. 

My theory is that the suppliers are experiencing exactly the same problem as the rest of us in this industry – namely cash flow.  They do not want to take the risk of having too much stock and not enough money in the bank.  Especially in a tough market where some customers are struggling to pay their bills. 

The supplier solution appears to be simply to cut stock levels.  This - to my mind - is crazy as it creates shortages which mean customers then go elsewhere or fail to meet their own deadlines for product delivery. 

The car industry has, for many years, successfully operated the “just-in-time” method of working, whereby stock is kept to a minimum, ordering is automated when levels reach a low water mark, and a cavalcade of logistics lorries keep arriving at the main gate to keep the stock bins full.  However, it takes a computer the size of barn to manage stock in this way – not one man with a clipboard walking up and down the aisles listing down shortages.

The number of times I have heard “We don’t have it in 1370mm... but I can cut down a 1600mm roll... although you’ll have to pay the 1600mm price”.  This is not an answer I want to hear.  I base my product pricing on the yardage of a 1370 roll, not a 1600.  I have enough problems trying to remain competitive these days without having to charge a customer extra or taking the hit myself just because material is out of stock.

If suppliers are reading this, I have one plea to make on behalf of sign shops across the country: Please can you try and keep stock levels up on mainstream products?  This business is hard enough in the current climate, without the need for additional stock-related frustrations...

About Peter French:  Peter has been working in the sign industry for 9 years having spent a lifetime in IT. Specialising in kick-starting businesses, Peter worked in many diverse business sectors.  For most of the time at Signtec he has been at the forefront of large format printing with both solvent and UV technologies.

 

DPLenticular, the supplier of Lenstar™ lenticular material for 3D and multiple changing animation application for the graphic arts industry, has just celebrated its 10th anniversary in business. Founded on September 4, 2001, by Daniel Pierret, DPLenticular acquired a vast experience in the lenticular market and has earned its reputation as a trusted and leading provider of lenticular products in EMEA.

The company started as LPC Europe (The Lenticular Plastic Company of Europe), but changed its name and corporate branding to DPLenticular in 2008. Today, the company is still headquartered in Ireland and has secured a leading position in a unique niche market. DPLenticular offers offset and digital printers in the graphic arts industry the highest quality lenticular sheets, as well as a reliable technical support and customised training services.

Lenticular runs through the veins

Everyone knows them, those nice 3D postcards, posters or other 3D gadgets, but if someone asks you how they are made, most of us don’t really know the answer. Ask founder and current Managing Director Daniel Pierret, and you immediately understand why he is one of the leading experts in this field. “Since my childhood, I have always been passionate by photography. At one time, when I was a photographer’s agent, I discovered that an American company was proposing real 3-dimensionnal photography. I understood that this could be a new standard in the imaging world, and started proposing 3D photography already back in 1994. I remember selling the first 3D bus shelter’s campaign on the European continent. I guess lenticular and 3D runs through my veins, and as such, many people see me a bit as an evangelist of this magnificent technology.”

Combination of sales and service is unique

Throughout the years, many printers relied on DPLenticular to make the move to lenticular printing. Daniel Pierret sees several reasons for that: “We are not the only supplier of lenticular material on the market, but the combination of sales and service makes us unique. In 2005 Gilles Letouche joined the company and Bob Marriott in 2007. They brought solid hands-on technical experience to our team and have been instrumental in building long term relationships with our customers. Lenticular printing is not rocket science, but without initial training and support, it is very difficult to achieve good results. Every printer has to go through the same learning curve, and we help them in acquiring the basic knowledge about the technology. Once they have that experience, they can manage on their own.”

Abundant availability of lenticular stock material

According to Daniel Pierret, another reason for this success is the abundant availability of lenticular stock material. “Most companies reduced their stock levels, but since printers rely on our stock levels to respond quickly to market demand, we did exactly the opposite. We store not less than 9 different Lenstar™ lens designs and a total of 42 different products in our warehouse. Thanks to this large stock in the centrally located port of Antwerp, we are able to deliver our European customers in the shortest delivery times possible. A huge advantage compared to some of the other vendors on the market.”

Collaboration with the main players in the printing market

Over the years, DPLenticular worked together with many different manufacturers of press and print equipment. During drupa 2004, they collaborated with Heidelberg and IST Metz, and at drupa 2008 they had lenticular material printed on many stands like Heidelberg, Fuji Screen, Agfa, Manroland, Presstek, and others. They also work closely together with the main software suppliers as you can see on their website. The 10th anniversary is also a milestone in the successful collaboration with Pacur in Oshkosh WI. Rick Knapp, VP Sales at Pacur, comments: “Ten years ago, Pacur and DPLenticular developed a collaboration with the purpose of promoting Lenstar Lenticular sheet in Europe. This collaboration has been very successful for both of our companies.  We continue to enjoy this relationship and look forward to another 10 years of collaboration.”

Bright future for lenticular print

Promoting lenticular print as a creative way to communicate products and services to target audiences is another goal of DPLenticular. With this in mind, DPLenticular and www.lenstar.org introduced the Lenstar Lenticular Print Award (LLPA) earlier this year. Daniel Pierret: “We looked for a way to encourage and reward companies and individuals in the development and use of lenticular printing throughout the communication mix. The response was overwhelming, and we are already preparing next year’s event, in partnership with drupa. We will also be present at the drupa Innovation Park in 2012, and judging from the many interesting contacts we had at drupa 2008, it looks very promising.” Despite the recent economic letdown of the last years, DPLenticular saw increasing sales figures year after year, supporting the fact that lenticular print is the perfect tool to stand out and generate a strong visual attraction and buying impulse. With this last thought in mind, Daniel Pierret is very confident in the future of lenticular print.

To learn more about DPLenticular and its unique range of Pacur Lenstar™ lenticular sheets, please visit: www.dplenticular.com

HP today announced a new Sourcing Sustainable Print Guide to help marketers and print buyers incorporate printing strategies that help reduce waste.

"While online and mobile platforms have revolutionised the way people access information, print continues to play an integral role in creating multi-channel marketing campaigns that engage consumers and drive brand preference," said Jan Riecher, vice president and general manager, Americas Graphics Solutions Business, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. "The print guide is the latest tool that helps marketers and print buyers adopt sustainable print sourcing practices to meet their business and environmental goals."

Whether for catalogues, brochures, flyers, direct mail, reports, manuals or other publications, the print guide provides marketers with practical advice for making more environmentally friendly print choices. An easy-to-use checklist summarizes the key factors marketers and print buyers need to evaluate in an effort to reduce the impact of their print projects on the environment.

HP is distributing copies of the new Sustainable Print Guide in its exhibit, booth 209, at the DMA2011 Conference and Exhibition in Boston, USA.

For decades HP has been an environmental leader, driving company stewardship through product design, reuse and recycling as well as energy and resource efficiency. HP influences industry action by setting high environmental standards in its operations and supply chain, by providing practical solutions to make it easier for customers to reduce their climate impact and through its research on sustainability solutions that support a low-carbon economy. More information is available at www.hp.com/earth (http://www.hp.com/earth).