1. Leader of the Pack
Midlothian, Texas-based Ennis continues to defend its title by clinching the top spot in Print Professional's latest top 100 manufacturers list.
Over the past year, Keith Walters, chairman, president and CEO and his busy staff have added several new accomplishments to their repertoire. For instance, Ennis completed the integration of its e-commerce platform with e-Quantum and launched its distributor storefront program, EnnisOnline. Furthermore, the company's apparel segment saw significant sales growth. Lastly, Ennis aggressively implemented its ERP system into the majority of its manufacturing facilities and hopes to be completed by January 2011.
With the new year only a couple months away, Walters said Ennis already has big plans in the works. "For 2011, we will be expanding our e-commerce offering, completing the construction and setup of our new Alstyle manufacturing facility in Agua Prieta, Mexico, and promoting our new digital printing capabilities," he confirmed.
Despite making such large investments to secure its future, Ennis knows there is another crucial component influencing a supplier's success: independent distributors. "Distributors are excellent salespeople and they know the needs of our end-users, but the number of distributors selling the products we manufacture is declining," Walters observed. "Because of this decline we are working closer with key distributors to target select accounts typically served by the majors. These efforts, along with the addition of new resellers into our industry, are some of our new marketing initiatives."
Walters hopes other suppliers also will see the value of distributors and offer their support to keep this industry afloat. "The biggest problem facing our industry is the 'battle against print' and the lack of an organized effort to promote the benefits of our industry's skilled distributor consultants, leading manufacturers and the solutions we can deliver when our supply chain works together," he stated.
In the meantime, Ennis will keep on doing what it does best: controlling costs, identifying its strengths and weaknesses and finding one key component to differentiate it from the competition.
Stay tuned to find out how these efforts will affect Ennis' number-one status in the upcoming business year.
2. Staying Strong
Huntington, W. Virginia-based Champion Industries holds on to the number-two position on this year's big list. Established in 1922, the company provides its customers with a total solution in color printing, office supplies, promotional products and office furniture.
Champion Industries was founded on the premise that performance equates to results. Over time, the foundations for continued performance and the subsequent results have been developed through strong leadership, a desire for achievement and a commitment to responsibility. The company's ultimate goal is to be a "single source" supplier to the marketplace.
Throughout the years, Champion Industries has strategically grown by means of acquisitions. "These actions have allowed the company to capitalize on opportunities to provide outstanding and notable service to its customers, ethical and considerate attention to its communities and fiscal and social responsibility to its shareholders, partners and families," noted Marshall T. Reynolds, chairman and CEO.
While a long list of companies fall under the Champion umbrella, they all share something in common: a customer-centric business philosophy. This will remain top priority for the company no matter how much power it consumes.
According to Champion's corporate staff: "Our strategy encompasses multiple platforms with a central theme of synergistic acquisitions, capital allocation, revenue enhancement and cost containment. This strategy focus allows the company to capture market share and operate from a position of strength today and into the future."
Looking ahead, Reynolds will take what he has learned and put his knowledge to good use to ensure Champion Industries finds success in all its endeavors. "We will build our future from the foundation of the past and the strategy of the present," he asserted.
3. Step Right Up
Headquartered in Westampton, N.J., Paris Business Products moves up two spots to secure third place among Print Professional's top 100 manufacturers. Under the leadership of CEO Gerry Toscani, the company reported annual sales of $101 million compared to last year's sales of $81.3 million.
Perhaps this can be attributed to Paris' strong growth in its core product lines, including PrintWorks Professional jumbo rolls and perforated and punched papers, as well as DocuGard security products. Or maybe it's due to the success of bringing in several new key account acquisitions.
No matter the answer, Toscani sees even more opportunities for growth in 2011. "Our challenge is to make sure we have better execution of our go-to-market strategies, which include a strong product line and improved understanding of new potential markets," he said.
However, Toscani is aware of the problems taunting the industry. When asked his thoughts on the biggest problem today, he responded: "With the continued decline in demand for paper-based forms and other products, there is increased pressure for lower pricing throughout the market."
He believes this is a result of current over capacity and does not predict improvement until a better balance is achieved.
To ensure Paris Business Products keeps producing positive results, Toscani will rely on a proactive marketing strategy. "Our strategy is to partner with the best companies in our target channels by becoming a strategic partner that adds value as opposed to a transactional vendor emphasizing price," he stated.
4. A Strong Contender
Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based BCT put forth an impressive showing and took the number-four ranking on this year's list.
President Pete Posk shared that implementing the company's repositioning strategy was one of its greatest successes over the last year. "Ten years ago, we were primarily a raised print business card manufacturer, supplying quick printers. Today, we are one of the largest wholesale print manufacturers to the print broker/distributor segment. We have the largest offset four-color footprint in North America, and over the past two years we have added digital capabilities in many of our plants," he said.
BCT's top priority is helping its resellers make more money. The company has outlined a multifaceted plan to ensure this continues well into 2011. Posk explained one of BCT's initiatives is to make print more relevant in today's fast-paced, digital world. He noted the decline in print shipments over the past several years as more companies invest their marketing dollars in digital media.
To put print in the forefront of a digital campaign, BCT began work on incorporating QR code technology into its IT platform more than a year ago. This move creates additional selling opportunities for distributors. "It's an opportunity for our broker distributors to go back to their customers and show them how incorporating QR codes into their printed material will make more effective use of existing digital campaigns and media, such as online training videos or, as an example, ever-changing restaurant menus," Posk stated.
Technology is another area of focus for BCT. For years, the company has provided its brokers with orderprinting.com, a solution for online corporate identity ordering, as a way to support its manufacturing. Furthermore, BCT employs more than 100 technology experts around North America in its various plants that set up end-user customer templates and create branded sites on behalf of its brokers.
"It makes me cringe when I think of distributor/sales organizations spending time setting up templates and websites instead of selling," Posk said. "We are setting up about 12 sites per day for our distributors and most sites are up in a week or less. Distributors that are used to template and site setup being an eight-week process are amazed at how quickly we can deliver."
He added the number of integrations BCT does with procurement solutions such as ARIBA and Oracle continues to grow.
BCT has ultimately achieved success due to its willingness to embrace ongoing technological change—even if it's something as simple as using social media to tweet links to short "how to" videos online. "Anything that keeps us on top of mind with distributors is a good thing," Posk stressed.
5. A Winning Attitude
Butler, Wisconsin-based Western States Envelope & Label rounds out the top 100 manufacturers list, coming in at number five.
Mark Lemberger, president, attributes the efforts and determination of his staff for the company's success. As a result of teamwork, Western States lowered its costs while simultaneously improving product quality and service levels for customers.
In addition to providing the best envelope and label solutions, the Western States' team often gets involved in training its customers' own sales staffs, enabling them to provide the same expertise to their own end-user customers. A wide range of marketing materials assist this effort.
"One of our most recent offerings is our Sample Book, which incorporates a full educational module for customers, postal information, swatches, templates and other useful information. Our Label Resource Guide has been recently updated and provides a road map for our customers to specify the right label for every application," Lemberger said.
He continued, "We are developing a social media presence, participating in trade shows and have an informative customer newsletter called 'Inside the Envelope & Label.' We also keep our customers informed on new product development, new equipment and changes in postal regulations that could impact their businesses."
Lemberger believes overcapacity is a big problem in today's industry. He encouraged both buyers and sellers to change their "volume-based" attitude to a "value-based" attitude. "The most effective and economical way to communicate is through a printed message which is delivered into the hands of a targeted audience. We need to show our customers the value of print and mail," he urged.
Western States does recognize the vastly changing marketplace. However, the company views this as an opportunity and encourages other industry professionals to follow.
"Those of us who recognize the opportunities will be able to help our customers continue to succeed in their markets," Lemberger concluded. "It is an exciting time for everyone, and all of us at Western States Envelope & Label look forward to being a part of that process."