What the Heidelberg and Unisource Partnership Means for Printers

PI: The initial announcement indicated that the partnership would roll out first in the Southeast and then go national at some point next year. Where do you stand with that timeline right now?

DUNN: We actually just delivered our first order yesterday (Nov. 8) right here in Atlanta. And, as luck would have it, it was an emergency order that came in the early afternoon and was delivered later that same day. So, we're starting with the South and really letting the operational performance define the next step. We concluded that we wanted to make sure this would work extremely well as our real value proposition is performance. It's all about having the right product, at the right place, at the right time. We didn't want to fumble, even a little bit, in the beginning.

PI: From a logistical standpoint, is Unisource stocking Saphira consumables in its distribution centers?

DUNN: We think there will be a need for about eight Unisource stocking locations in the United States. Saphira consumables will be stocked like any other product available from Unisource Worldwide. It will be transparent to customers. They can order online or call us, and it will flow straight through. The order will then pass to Unisource's highly efficient system, which determines what delivery truck and what time of the day is required to meet the customer's schedule.

DRAGONE: Unisource's biggest benefit is that our more than 500 trucks can reach 85 percent of North America with next-day service. Our first order was a rush order, and I'm sure there will be many more like that in the future. Our emphasis, as a company, has been on operational efficiency and operational excellence. We're doing similar types of programs with other companies as well, but not on the same scale like we are doing with Heidelberg.