Crouching Tiger, Hidden Opportunities
In order to stay in the game, Hunley said U.S. printers need to wake up to what's going on.
"We live in a global economy and U.S. print professionals need to recognize that," he explained. "A few years ago, only the biggest printers could afford the infrastructure to serve clients globally. Today, mid- to large-size printers can achieve the same level of client service and reach with much lower investment in technology. And, smaller companies can establish strategic alliances with printers in other geographies to deliver the level and volume of service that much larger companies have traditionally done. By establishing a global network, printers can offer their customers a single contact for design or mechanical changes, and production changes can be made globally in seconds. For smaller printers, the future may depend on specialty printing. As large printers move towards national accounts, smaller shops can develop industry-specific capabilities for such things as point-of-sale displays, direct marketing and other small print-run options."