6 Ways to Drive Your Postpress Company to Greater Profits

The postpress industry has seen plenty of transformation in recent years. Lucky for you that means plenty more opportunities for profit.

But the problem isn’t knowing where you want your business to go, it’s how you’re going to get it there. Here are some of the tricks you can employ when you’re reaching for those higher profits.

1. Go Lean
Think about how you get ready each morning. Most of us have a system: 1) Coffee, 2) Get dressed, 3) Another coffee, and so on. Your system works. It gets you to your goal of being out the door on time (at least most days) and where you need to be.

Now you probably didn’t spend the time analyzing your process and developing this strategic system that allows you to reach your goal using the least time and materials. But you get the picture.

Postpress companies in particular, in a fast-growing, hyper-competitive market, can benefit from Lean improvements.

There are countless resources available on how to develop a Lean strategy. PIA offers Web-based courses on Lean through the Integrated Learning Center in addition to several professional articles on the topic.

2. Automate where you can
Another method to achieve more efficient operations is employing automation. Your customers are demanding quicker turnaround times for their binding, finishing, and other postpress jobs, and many operations are finding it difficult to keep up.

New technology has increased the efficiency of automated finishing equipment in recent years. In addition to faster turnaround times, another benefit of automation is more user-friendly equipment. This means less need for highly skilled operators and more profits you can put toward your bottom line.

3. Mind your customers…
Your goal should be to nurture your existing customer base while also growing it. Focusing on current customers allows you to develop repeat clients and ultimately brand ambassadors who will happily promote your company via social media, word of mouth, etc.