A recent visit to my local FASTSIGNS franchise in Eden Prairie, MN, opened my eyes to the variety of finishing operations that this franchise is tasked with. I also learned of the vast potential that they have due to the sheer number of signage products that they can turn out.
One of the terrific things about trade shows is that they act as a sort of annual reunion where you get to catch up with many of the contacts you have missed during the past year. You may only have a few minutes to shoot the breeze with each one, but you'd be surprised at the insights you can gain in a two-minute conversation.
As the world of print tilts more and more towards digital, MBO and MBO America have had to seriously rethink their game plan. Issues such as the trend towards very short runs, the lack of experienced bindery operators and the need to enter the digital finishing and packaging markets have all weighed heavily on them.
The old-line bindery vendors have been working hard to get their new digital finishing offerings into newer markets, and to establish themselves as preferred partners with the digital press manufacturers. But this is a space that has been adequately filled for may years. These "traditional" vendors will have to prove that they've got some new finishing technology tricks to offer that are superior (and cost-effective) in order to claim their share of digital print finishing.
The inkjet printing revolution is in full swing, with one exception. Newspapers. While many pundits have been predicting the death of the printed paper, I think they're going to be around for some time.
The lower manufacturing costs in China have begun to look quite attractive. While a terrific number of products we buy in everyday life are made there, the presence of both Chinese-made offset presses and bindery systems in the United States have been minimal so far.
After a long career helping to configure fairly complex mailing and finishing systems, I have learned to reduce complexity wherever I can. In an effort to reduce labor input, today's offset and digital finishing systems incorporate multiple components.
Today's cutters, folders, saddlestitchers and binders are extremely "intelligent." This is a necessity due to the need to reduce makeready time, and to compensate for the lack of "old hand" experience in the bindery. In today's digital print environment, training apprenticeships have all but disappeared, and an operator may be thrown into production with a few days worth of training.
No one really expects their machinery to last 10 years because of changing industry demands and the steady stream of new technologies. These are now introduced every few months, instead of years. Make no mistake, there is a "correct" price for every machine out there, and it pays to do your research when determining the market price.
If you're out there selling six- or seven-figure systems, make sure you spend the time and effort to ensure that your proposal clearly explains your system, its advantages and all of its configuration and options. Don't hand your prospect a price list generated by software. They deserve better.
