Rolling Out Jumbo Sales

Feeling intimidated by those big olʼ jumbo rolls? Maybe it's time to confront your fears. According to Allen Simon, president of Monaca, Pennsylvania-based Datatel Resources Corporation, the jumbo rolls sector presents more opportunities for distributors and resellers now than it has in the past, due to key mergers and acquisitions among the major directs.

"The traditional suppliers of this product—the large direct-selling companies—they're going through a lot of changes," he said. "There's a lot of consolidation going on, and there's an opportunity for distributors to go after this business. It can be profitable."

That's not to say it's an easy task. Big product can mean big problems for distributors and suppliers alike. That's why your pals at Print+Promo turned to the experts. Read on as Simon, along with Gary St. Onge, vice president of sales and marketing for AmeriPrint Corporation, Harvard, Ill., and Rita Fry, marketing and sales coordinator for Phoenix Data Inc., Montgomery, Pa., discuss the ins and outs of the jumbo roll market.

Make the Effort

Simon estimated that jumbo rolls currently account for anywhere from 50 to 75 percent of Datatel's overall sales. He attributed this success to the company's ability to adapt and closely monitor production. Datatel most recently upgraded its video monitoring system, which allows staff to monitor the front and back sides of the printing process and identify and correct any issues in real time.

"We spent a lot of time making sure equipment and presses are prepared to run the product," said Simon. "It's taking the extra effort to make sure that our U.V. systems and our mechanical systems are really running and performing at the top of their ability.

"You can't take a shortcut in making sure that your presses are operating at peak condition," he added.