Recessions are Great for Improving the Efficiency of Printing Businesses -Carl Gerhardt

By Carl Gerhardt

I wrote the headline as a question because I assume most of you will heartily disagree. Let’s see if I can make a case for you to reconsider your position. Maybe I can move you to “good” if not “great.” Consider the following:

Companies of all sizes across all industries have been forced to take a hard look at their cost structure and become lean during the past two years. Not too surprising, most business owners and their key managers are reluctant to make the necessary, but tough, decisions required to “skinny” down the company. Some talk a good game about lean manufacturing or Six Sigma, which in the end amounts to little more than lip service.

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Companies:
Allegra Network

Carl Gerhardt Author's page Carl Gerhardt is the chairman of Alliance Franchise Brands LLC, the parent company of Allegra Network LLC and Sign & Graphics Operations LCC, and a world leader in marketing, visual and graphics communications, linking more than 600 locations in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. The company’s Marketing & Print Division, headquartered in Plymouth, MI, is comprised of Allegra, American Speedy Printing, Insty-Prints, Speedy Printing and Zippy Print brands of marketing, printing, mailing and Web services providers. Its Sign & Graphics Division, headquartered in Columbia, MD, is comprised of Image360, Signs By Tomorrow and Signs Now brands of sign and graphics communications providers.

Carl and his wife, Judy, owned and operated their own successful Allegra franchise for nearly 20 years before selling the $2.3 million operation in 2003. He is a PrintImage International/NAQP Honorary Lifetime Member and was inducted into NAPL’s prestigious Soderstrom Society in 2010 in recognition of his contribution to the industry.

Recessions are Great?