PI 300 Fast-Track Firm: PCI Embraces Customer-Centric Philosophy as It Builds National Footprint

Even though the broader business effects of the COVID-19 pandemic brought challenges to printing companies of all kinds — the spikes of different variants, supply chain challenges, staffing shortages — the broader trend has been positive. Printing, in its many roles, is back.

For some, the speed of growth between the rather calamitous 2020 and the suppressed, skeptical hope of 2021, was profound. For a variety of reasons, some establishments had a very good year indeed. The focus of our series of fast-track profiles is to understand why certain printing companies performed so well, and how — as high performers — they view the printing industry moving forward. For this reason, Printing Impressions presents its 2022 Fast-Track companies that appeared among the 2022 Printing Impressions 300 list of the largest printers in the U.S. and Canada, as ranked by annual sales. Click here to access the complete list.

The summary of PCI that follows recognizes this company as a “fast- track” firm that has been committed to growth, expansion, and exemplary performance.

PCI | Weston, Florida

Most Recent Fiscal Year Sales: $189 Million
Previous Fiscal Year Sales: $145 Million
Percentage Growth: 30%

Currently comprised of 400 employees, Postal Center International (PCI) is a company on the move. Founded in 1984 as a pre-sort company, which then moved into the printing of statements and bills, the business has expanded into commercial printing and even wide-format printing. PCI President Ismael Diaz says the firm has expanded from its Floridian roots to include a plant in Texas, one that’s opening outside of Boston, Massachusetts, as well as facilities planned for next year in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Omaha, Nebraska. These locations, he says, are not added through acquisitions, but are instead “built from scratch,” and production is defined by the needs of a specific anchor client.

Diaz says adding facilities is part of a concerted change in approach. “We’ve started to look at more of a national footprint.” He spoke with clients that have nationwide reach and saw an opportunity. As part of its effort to expand, the company has been on a buying spree, adding digital presses from Konica Minolta and SCREEN, plus a lot of sorters. “Most of the equipment we’re buying is new, and state-of-the-art to take advantage of innovation.”

A customer-centric philosophy is what makes PCI different from its competition, according to Diaz. “The whole world is becoming more removed from the client,” he says, “but we try to have a human on the other end of the phone — we respond within an hour of receiving a phone call.” This philosophy extends to adding production status visibility for clients. Because they can see the status of their jobs, there is often no need to call unless they have a question. This, he says, is PCI’s biggest value-add.

Looking toward the future, Diaz says he expects the company to open two or three more locations, which will allow it to go after big clients in different parts of the country. Five years out, he sees the PCI having a presence in packaging. With the addition of a diecutter and folder/gluer, he says, the company will have what it needs to begin producing folding cartons.

For the industry overall, Diaz sees challenges from postage rates and the supply chain, including paper, continuing. He notes that PCI has been working to minimize the number of stocks it utilizes, and is also steering customers toward stocks that are more broadly available. The skilled labor shortage is also a challenge, though it has been helped by an internal apprentice program PCI established three years ago.

Diaz says printers of all stripes can benefit from connecting with customers to understand their pain points, and then provide ideas and value-added services. “We need to be consultants to help them save money,” he concludes.