Direct Mail Outlook -- Getting Personal
Various initiatives undertaken by Lehigh Direct, the direct marketing arm of The Lehigh Press, helped position the Broadview, IL-based company for a very successful year. The printer experienced strong new customer development with the addition of nearly 50 new clients, according to Paul Palmer, executive vice president of Lehigh Direct.
"Our exciting new business development can be directly attributed to the leadership and vision of our CEO and president, Ray Frick. Ray has had a major impact in our new business development and operational betterment by being actively involved with customers, suppliers and providers of new technology," cites Palmer.
"We've seen significant growth in highly personalized self-mailers. Package inserts and magazine inserts have also made a rebound," he notes. "We have experienced growth across the board; this is a tribute to our terrific team, many who have recently joined Lehigh, and the substantial investment we've made in new technologies. Lehigh is very well-positioned with highly experienced professionals and the capabilities required to produce a wide variety of high-quality direct marketing products. We will continue to make significant future investments in new technologies."
Big Investments
Lehigh has invested in high-quality heatset web presses, as well as Scitex imaging combined with sophisticated in-line finishing systems, to produce highly personalized, in-line finished components, according to Palmer. Two web press lines currently have it, with plans to add a third press with these capabilities early in 2003.
"Overall, we're being substantially rewarded by the marketplace due to the technology and high quality offered in our overall value proposition," Palmer notes. "We believe that customer service and service intimacy is key to new business development, customer retention and growth."
Palmer credits Ray Frick's ability to respond to customer needs. Frick initiated the Lehigh e-commerce council that has developed new e-business tools that assist customers in effectively communicating with Lehigh Direct via file transfer and distribution monitoring of their products.
