By Dr Peter Harrop IDTechEx Second generation printed electronics has arrived and its impact on society will be immense. A major new industry is born. Transparent solar cells will be on watches by year end and vast areas of printed flexible photovoltaics will be available within the next few years. Heliovolt promises a high efficiency silicon-free photovoltaic film in 2007. Polymer alternatives will have lower efficiency but often be lower in cost. Announcements have yet to be made but IDTechEx has identified several companies that will be commercialising polymer solar film in 2007. Light emitting moving colour displays, vehicle and room lighting on
Item level RFID is set for substantial growth over the next decade. A new study from IDTechEx forecasts and explores key markets that will apply item-level tagging, advances in technology and the mass adoption that will follow. Dr. Peter Harrop from IDTechEx summarises this study below. Item level RFID is the tagging of the smallest taggable unit of things – the library book, apparel, jewellery, engineering parts and laundry are examples. Already profitable for most suppliers, item level tags and systems will be the world’s largest RFID market by value from 2007 onwards. Item level RFID tagging will rocket from $0.16 billion in 2006
PRINTING, AS a craft and industry, is remarkable for the fundamental changes it has absorbed, particularly in the last 100 years or so. As a consequence, printers have become more segmented by process—sheetfed and web offset, gravure, flexo, etc.—as well as application—general commercial, labels, packaging, plastics and more. Digital technology is creating further segmentation while also increasing the potential for confusion. It’s become necessary to talk of print-for-pay versus personal and workgroup printing, along with in-plants and CRDs. Added to this are new designations such as industrial printing, transpromo and even direct marketing firm. Such diversity in the process and industry matters when it
PRICE INCREASES, or attempts to implement them, are what’s on tap in the paper sector. Along with raising quoted prices per ton, paper companies could feel renewed pressure to pass along higher energy costs through surcharges if oil prices do climb toward the $100/barrel mark predicted in the most bearish outlook. The Lane Press, in Burlington, VT, put an interesting spin on that latter market development. Under the “Did you know?” heading in its last two “Paper Prophet” newsletters, the printer pointed out to customers that “Lane Press’ close proximity to Northeast paper mills slashes transportation costs and reduces fuel surcharges.” There hasn’t been
In a world of short run lengths, personalization, and fast turnaround, can the industry’s traditional behemoths, commercial and newspaper web presses, continue to compete? Absolutely, according to industry leaders. Companies like Goss International, MAN Roland, and other web press makers are pursuing innovations that can enable web printers not merely to stay viable but to compete vigorously for more kinds of business than ever before. While most web press print production is advertising-driven, changing trends in the marketplace are reshaping the business model. Traditionally, web presses offer significant advantages. They’re extremely fast and productive, and paper cost for a web run can
A New PRIMIR Study Focuses On Print As One Choice Among Others In A Growing Media Pie For decades, print has been the media of choice by media buyers…in fact, they are often called “print buyers” because of the volume of print orders they make. It’s not to say that print is in disfavor today, but there are far more options available to the media buyer coupled with the fact that many are younger and have grown up with computers and electronic alternatives to print. The concern becomes that these younger buyers have a bias to the electronic alternatives, but why? The primary reason is
ESTIMATING AND pricing are the two most indispensable areas of the printing sales process, according to Gary Cone, vice president of Seattle-based commercial printer Litho Craft Inc., and author of the NAPL book “Price Doesn’t Count.” He notes, however, that although printers sometimes use the terms interchangeably, they are definitely not the same thing—and it’s critical for managers and salespeople to understand the difference. “Estimating is a science—a mathematical calculation based on the job specifications and the variables and parameters of the production process,” he says. “It’s a repeatable process, yielding the same—or close to the same—results each time. “Pricing, on the other hand,
THERE DOESN’T seem to be any logical explanation for why people who end up working in printing tend to remain in the industry, often for their entire working careers. It’s surely not due to some chemical brain reaction that occurs in response to the smell of ink pervading a pressroom or the mesmerizing rhythm of high-speed equipment churning out product. Nor is it that these individuals lack the job skills to do anything else. But, when someone gets bitten by the printing bug—causing ink to flow through their veins—chances are they’re hooked for the long haul. That reality helped make it relatively easy for
A KEY element to successfully marketing your business is your ability to craft the right messages to reach the intended audience. These days, that intended audience is more likely to be marketing professionals rather than the purchasing professionals. They own the budgets that purchase our products and they are increasingly likely to be the ones who are making the decisions to purchase those products and services. If you are not calling on them, you certainly should be. And what are they really looking for? I recently came across an interesting survey of Chief Marketing Officers. While the title Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) can
THE PHRASE “Great sales reps are born, not made,” is not true. Show me any individual who has achieved excellence in their professional endeavors, and I’ll show you a person who has worked relentlessly to develop their skill sets for achievement, while also accessing supporting resources. However, what often isn’t seen on the surface are the systemic, contributing factors to that individual’s development and performance achievements. These usually include a coach or mentor, a wide array of support personnel, a supportive culture that includes relentless education and training, and systematic (including constructive and positive) feedback. Turning to the future, organizations should be developing
