The Continuing Saga
In February 1996, Print Professional, then titled Business Forms, Labels & Systems, profiled long-run manufacturer Datatel as its “Forms Pro” of the year. At the time, Datatel, based in Monaca, Pa., generated 75 percent to 80 percent of its profits on long-run business, a significant portion of which was attributed to continuous forms. Yet, it was 12 years ago, and paper was still the norm in almost all sectors. Furthermore, we as a culture hadn’t truly been digitized: the Internet wasn’t a must-have at work or at home, nor was it considered completely reliable for information or the passage of personal credit data. But, universal usage loomed on the horizon. In short, the industry profiled in 1996 was most certainly not the industry altered by changing product demand, more affordable printing equipment and the ubiquitousness of Internet-based services.
It was, however, an industry relying on continuous forms for profit. KDM Products, Carpenterville, Ill., for example, opened its doors as a continuous forms converter seven years ago. Phoenix Data, Montgomery, Pa., was established 23 years ago as an independent, custom continuous forms manufacturer. Now, both KDM Products and Phoenix Data are witnessing the waning need for the same product. As with any story of survival of the fittest, companies specializing in forms are becoming creative about adding value, variety and vitality to their product lines to remain competitive.
“During this time, we have added custom forms, laser cut sheets, jumbo rolls, wide-format rolls, retail rolls, snap sets, pads and envelopes to our ... product mix,” said Susan Bennett, regional sales manager at KDM Products. “In KDM’s case,” she continued, “not one product line is 25 percent of sales, [and] through diversification we have been able to soften the blow of the declining continuous forms market, increase our product offering and strengthen our balance sheet.”
Not surprisingly, Bennett attributed the need to diversify product lines to the paperless shift, as did Rita Fry, marketing and sales coordinator at Phoenix Data. “We were able to produce 11", 14" and 17" sizes with one continuous forms press and one collator,” recalled Fry. “Over the years, we added continuous forms presses, and in 1994, we added our first cut sheet press. We now have eight presses and four
collators,” she said.
Clearly, manufacturers and distributors have a laundry list of concerns in an industry where change seems inevitable—not to mention ceaseless. Fry pointed to the alternate, creative adventures in direct mail and promotional products in which forms distributors and manufacturers have to invest in order to maintain profits.
While growth for continuous forms is stunted, other kinds of creativity can also give forms a boost. In
addition to turning a company’s attention and services toward clients’ promotional campaigns, both KDM Products and Phoenix Data have added value to their continuous forms products to make them more appealing. Fry suggested tempting clients with promotional opportunities to catch their wandering eye. “Gas coupons, dollars off or ... gift certificates [are creative ways to encourage sales]. On multiple-part carbonless continuous [forms], show the cost savings of running [them] continuous versus cut sheet due to toner cost,” she offered. Phoenix Data has added consecutive bar coding to its continuous forms manufacturing capabilities.
Where some products may be contributing to a decline in the industry, direct mail is still a safe bet for sales. “Most optimal end-user business sectors for continuous forms would be someone in the direct mail field,” Fry continued, “such as a collection agency or nonprofit organization, [or] companies that would be doing mass mailings ... . These companies have products supplied on continuous rolls and add variable data.” Another strategy for uncovering continuous forms sales is pinpointing business sectors [in which] a technological overhaul isn’t an option at present, such as “manufacturing facilities, service providers, warehousing, retail [and] government installations,” she suggested.
While creativity might encourage certain types of clients to go continuous, Bennett asserted there has been no industry growth for continuous forms. “The only growth in continuous forms usage,” she said, “would be a growing company using more forms—or using roll products.” She mentioned offering five-color UV printing, as well.
In an increasingly paperless society, the saga of continuous forms goes on. But with a dash of ingenuity and the addition of supplemental services, the story of those who sell them doesn’t have to end too soon.
- Companies:
- KDM Products
- Phoenix Data