Management

Women continue to make important gains By Carol Katarsky The days when women were just token members of the work force, particularly in management, are long gone. A number of highly qualified women have risen to influential positions in some of the printing industry's leading companies. Despite the very different paths the following women—and many others like them—have taken, they all demonstrate that the keys to success are hard work, determination and a belief in your own abilities. Growing Gracefully Into a New Role When West Coast Business Systems & Supplies (WCBS) was first founded, Bryna Blum, was not in the picture—and happily so. "The business was started by my

Manufacturers continue to shift toward cut sheets and finishing services By Barbara A. Bucci Plain vanilla products continue to disappear from the forms industry's product menus. In order to stay competitive, manufacturers are introducing new products within their area of expertise. Obviously, diversification follows market demand. As end-users demand shorter runs, printed cut sheets, variable imaging, document management and finishing services, manufacturers must deliver. Responses from the Business Forms, Labels & Systems' exclusive state of the industry survey revealed how manufacturers have responded to market changes. Equipment Leads the Way In order to diversify, manufacturers have purchased new equipment or enhancements to existing machinery--notably rotary and sheetfed presses. Of the respondents,

Don't Fight the Future Distributors are riding the wave of a changing industry By Carol A. Katarsky The times they are a-changin'. More so than ever before, distributors are facing a topsy-turvy industry. Mergers and acquisitions--among both suppliers and distributors--continue to bring new dimensions to once-familiar companies. The blurring of boundaries be-tween the manufacturing and distribution segments has changed the dynamics of the industry. And this activity isn't going to end soon. A Slow But Steady Climb With a maturing market and a slowing economy, manufacturers face a rocky road in '99 By Stacey Wenzel The forms industry saw quite a bit of change in 1998. Acquisitions and mergers became commonplace for manufacturers.

Insiders offer their perspectives on this industry trend By Stacey Wenzel Mergers and acquisitions played a major role in shaping the industry last year. Not surprisingly, the first few months of 1998 have shown no signs of the acquisition explosion slowing down. "It's the wave of the future," said George Allman, vice president of diversified operations for DFS Business Forms, Townsend, Mass. Allman should know from his recent acquisition experience. On Dec. 23, DFS announced the purchase of Bridgeton, N.J.-based manufacturer Newshire. "This is part of the demand and drive for companies to become more efficient," he said. In addition, Allman noted another motivation behind many acquisitions is that

Offering new products and services boosts the bottom line By Janet R. Gross Diversification into new services and products kept most distributors growing in 1997 and optimistic for 1998. Although forms still make up about half of distributors' total sales, non-forms products and services are an expanding part of the picture. In an exclusive Business Forms, Labels & Systems survey, 82 percent of respondents said they now offer promotional products. Commercial printing is sold by nearly all surveyed. Bar-coded products are part of the lineup for 82 percent of survey respondents and direct mail services are offered by 58 percent. More than a third offer electronic printing