Wisconsin Printers — Serious ’Bout Their Printing
Joel Quadracci, Quad/Graphics: “The reality of today’s marketplace is that consumers have more communications choices than ever. So we must find ways to fortify print’s strength in a multi-channel world. At Quad/Graphics, we’re making print more immediate, more targeted and more relevant to individual recipients on a mass scale by employing industry-leading personalization technology and data expertise. We’re making print more measurable, too, which enables us to show our clients the medium’s overall value.
“Over the past five years, we’ve invested more than $1 billion in capital expenditures to innovate the ink-on-paper medium. Through these investments, we are able to drive down our operating costs by maintaining and enhancing the industry’s most modern manufacturing platform; drive down our clients’ cost structures, saving them money on print, distribution and administration; and offer value-added technology and services that increase clients’ revenues.”
John Berthelsen, Suttle-Straus: “As with many others, we are focusing less on being a ‘printer’ and more on a ‘communications’ company. We are providing our clients with a bundled solution of products and services ranging from e-commerce Websites through distribution services and everything in between. If we were only hanging our hat on printing, it would be laying on the floor.”
James Sandstrom, HM Graphics: “We continue to invest in equipment, taking advantage of the automation and efficiencies that come with it. We also have a very aggressive co-op training program. For a majority of our employees, their first experience to the industry is in our building. Everybody’s been through the same apprentice and training program. It’s worked out quite nicely for us.”
Fuzzy Marek, The Marek Group: “As high quality and quick turns are now industry standards, truly having a full scope of services under one roof sets us apart from many of our competition. From a full range of data management services, direct mail, and a large fulfillment operation to specialty finishing and packaging, it is our ability to be far more than ‘just another printer’ to our customer base that has helped us grow.
