So, how did suppliers respond to the challenges at hand? Did the protracted recovery from post-recession fallout finally start to speed up? This year's Top 50 Suppliers list offered encouraging results.
Overall, the industry performed well. While some suppliers took a hit, the majority broke even or enjoyed increases in revenue. For instance, top-generator Ennis Inc. reported $533.5 million in sales compared to last year's $517.0 million. Meanwhile, 4over Inc.'s numbers jumped to $115.0 million from $95.1 million in 2012. Such improvements were reflected in total annual revenue from all participants, including companies beyond the top 50. To provide some perspective, the final tally was $2.36 billion, a boost from last year's $2.27 billion, though short of 2011's $2.53 billion total.