Gavin Jordan-Smith,
What will your business look like in three years? Chances are it won’t look like it does today.
Just like every other industry, Graphics Communications is in the middle of a sea change for many years. It’s no longer prudent, or productive, to offer just print services. The savvy production printer knows that there are myriad related new services all designed to optimize virtualized workloads across complex IT infrastructures, drive sales, maximize manufacturing efficiencies and decrease operating costs.
In fact, our theme at this year’s GRAPH EXPO 15 asks you exactly that: “What Will Your Business Look Like in Three Years?” With our expertise, there are several business areas that you can expand into:
- Customer Acquisition and Marketing Services. By focusing on Integrated Services, a print service provider can add Marketing as a Service, which encompasses a marketing execution platform coupled with campaign design expertise, creative development and the marketing savvy of a creative agency to provide a complete managed marketing service. The goal being that the print services provider has everything they need to sale and deliver these services.
Through Business Development Services, clients can develop marketing, training and business plans to navigate a changing world and open new opportunity.
Marketing Analytics & Data Mining are emerging technologies that will increase value to marketing departments and help end clients manage their big data.
There are exciting new opportunities in 3D Printing Solutions & Design Assistance. We have partnered with ZVerse, a leader in 2D to 3D print software automation, design services and fulfillment solutions for 3D-printed products. Imagine being able to offer your customers a web-to-3D print storefront that can be co-branded to allow customers to offer 3D printed promotional products, signs, event marketing pieces, and architectural models.
- Job Submission & Managed IT Services. These two unique areas within a print shop are critical to meeting the increasing demands for print services.
All sub segments in the industry, from In-plant to commercial print operations, can offer automated digital web-based job submission that includes cloud and/or on-premise-based solutions.
New service offerings and faster devices create complexities in the IT environments of Graphic Communications clients. Managed IT Services include remote network management, network infrastructure projects, and disaster recovery to securely and efficiently manage all your IT needs.
- Workflow Optimization. Automate and reduce costs with a LEAN Workflow Optimization Assessment that identifies and improves the entire process – from job submission to finishing and distribution – cutting out non-value-add steps and increasing productivity.
With the expertise of our new partners, the Solimar Chemistry® Dashboard can monitor and manage job production lifecycles with complete visibility to the business giving full control of the bottom line to the print service provider.
- Composition and Prepress. Getting the job set up and to the printer is critical to the workflow process. To make the process easier, we have several solutions tailored to the Graphic Communications industry.
EngageIT Variable Data Print is our latest variable data printing solution and it provides a complete marketing service focused on one-to-one direct marketing. As a plug-in to Adobe InDesign Creative Cloud, this integration provides designers’ a familiar tool to create impactful documents.
Konica Minolta’s ColorCare is a set of powerful color management tools that ensure color output is consistent on each device and across all devices. And, Makeready, our new Printgroove Ready provides powerful and easy-to-use tools as part of a PDF and JDF workflow for operators to make quick and accurate changes.
- New versatile production capabilities. Offerings such as the Tecnau Sheet Feeder KM 2250 roll-feed system offer high-end production volume. The new Watkiss Power Square 224 is a cost-effective and enhanced book-making system for digital print applications perfect for SquareBack books, thin books, manuals, catalogs, brochures and pamphlets, magazines and reports.
Our flagship color device, the bizhub® PRESS C1100, is now available with SD-513 – a square-bind three-cut trim full-speed booklet maker attached to an inline device with the ability to create a booklet that comes with a full-fledged finisher unit.
For added value and wow factor, the MGI JETVARNISH 3DS with iFoil creates personalized hot foil stamping on an industrial scale.
And, our bizhub® PRESSC71cf digital label printer opens new revenue opportunities for the mid-size printer or converter. This 4-color, digital, roll-to-roll label press can expand your business into the labels and tags packaging market.
Beyond our production equipment, we are passionate about creating forums for not only graphic communication professionals but also the future leaders of our industry.
We will preview PROKOM at GRAPH EXPO 15. It is an online community launching in 2016 that will offer members educational content, opportunities for business networking and “thought leadership” exchanges. This is where we can share ideas, best practices and the innovation that our industry must undertake.
Because we feel that it is important to nurture the future leaders of our industry, we are a proud sponsor and partner of Education Main Street. As the first company at GRAPH EXPO 15 to support this important initiative during the show, we will bring together career advisors and company leadership at our Education Main Street Booth #667 to speak with and counsel students embarking on a graphic communications path.
Through our commitment to inspired innovation, we will power the Graphic Communications industry – now and in the future – with inspired technology and inspired solutions.
Going to Graph Expo?
Please join us at GRAPH EXPO 15 from September 13-16 at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, where we’ll be showcasing newly announced products, business opportunities and transformative solutions. Exclusive VIP tours will be given throughout the conference at our booth #1913. Stop by to see how we can help your business do business.
