Strength in Numbers

Corporate culture in 2007 can be summed up with a few signature words and phrases: downsizing, outsourcing and maximizing while minimizing. Of course, the printing industry has been experiencing these changes firsthand for years. To retain a competitive edge as companies across the board are swapped and sold, distributor networks are angling for successful approaches on an increasingly uneven playing field, aiming to maximize client satisfaction, quality control, and most importantly, profits. At the same time, corporations seek to efficiently expand market presence with branding, marketing and promotional campaigns in creative, standout ways—translating into new and challenging printing jobs and an increasing demand for high-quality work at low costs. As a result, distributors must continue to uncover creative ways to weather the industry storm, and break with the past by developing new professional alliances.