Here, leading manufacturers offer their predictions for the new year.
Mark Cupach, director, national sales, Business Stationery, Cleveland
Late 2008 and all of 2009 was a transition from a growth economy to a period of recession; 2010 will represent another transitional phase from recession to slow growth. With unemployment rates forecasted to remain at or around the 10 percent level, business growth will be controlled in a slow upward curve. End-users will continue to rely on distributor and print reseller partners to bring them efficiencies in hard product cost savings and productivity gains via e-commerce and other value-added solutions. A closer relationship between trade manufacturers and software as service providers to improve interoperability challenges will benefit the distributor population.