Lexington, KY

Robert M. Williamson, an internationally known educator, consultant, and author of books including Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Lean Equipment Management, has been named keynote speaker for the 2009 Printing Industries of America Continuous Improvement Conference taking place April 5-8 in Lexington, KY. 

THE DOWNFALL of the economy in 2008 has left the printing industry rattled and searching for ways to protect our companies, and even our own jobs. Print buyers have always had to focus on creating value and demonstrating return on investment—and this has only become more important in this shaky economic climate.

BY CHRISTOPHER CORNELL If you spent any time at all in 1998 reading the quarterly reports issued by publicly traded printing companies, you are probably up to your Y2K-compatible eyeballs with the term "record-breaking." But as the year draws to an end, it's clear that the phrase will be remembered as the one that most describes it. In previous years, consolidation was an interesting sidelight to other major events in the graphic arts industry. In 1998, it was all about consolidation. More than $3 billion was spent by larger fish swallowing up smaller ones, and while a few big names led the charge, they