Print Professional's 2008 Executive Outlook

Additionally, the federal regulations surrounding Medicare prescription pads will spark increased needs for education around our Defensa Security Papers line of products. More documents now require security features, and our Defensa line has three different levels of security—including one with a multi-language void feature—to prevent document fraud.

Overall, we still see tremendous opportunity in the forms industry for strategic growth, and are excited for the year 2008!

Andy Harnett, Treasurer, New Jersey Business Forms

Tomorrow’s weather forecast? Sunny, with rain likely! In other words, our industry forecast [includes] continued uncertainty.

[There will be] continued regional forms and printing plant consolidation[s] with small, long-established manufacturers closing or selling off. [In addition, there will be] continued turmoil in the large directs, with their closing and relocating manufacturing facilities and downsizing their sales and sales support staffs. The opportunity for a manufacturer is to support the resellers as they build sales at the expense of the large, national direct sellers.

The challenge for a manufacturer in 2008 [will be] to continue to offer relevant, worthwhile printed products.

Greg Trebnick, CEO, Trebnick Systems

Consolidations and mergers will highlight the industry. [Also,] China is taking production away from the United States.

This means [the] production of labels and tags, [as well as] usage, will continue to decrease. New equipment is more expensive, and sales and manufacturing efficiencies and effectiveness will have to increase. In a decreasing market, desperate companies do desperate things, such as give orders away at no margin, and cross ethical supplier, distributor and manufacturing lines.

We are currently picking up new sales in China and Japan. Worldwide exposure decreases regional scrutiny, [which] is why ethical lines are blurred. [T]he lowest-cost producer with the highest quality and [best] ethics will survive. History has proven this over and over.

So, if you’re not effective, merge; if you are not efficient, sell.

Joe Foley, President, Corporate Disk Company