Shamrock Companies, The

High-Tech Is in High Demand
May 1, 2004

Customers' expectations of competent, reliable distributors include offering the latest in business operations efficiencies. Can distributors be successful without technology? To put things in perspective, consider just one aspect of serving today's marketplace. John DeAngelis, president of Hauppauge, New York-based Bradley Marketing, recalls when the typical lead time for most standard products was six weeks. "Eventually, the industry migrated to four-week lead times. Now, two weeks—sometimes even five to 10 working days—is the norm," he observed. "Customers' expectations have risen in terms of having artwork and proofing turned around. They just can't wait any longer, which puts pressure on distributors." To remain

Labels Thrive with Technology on Their Side
March 20, 2003

Labels hold their own as widespread applications become the norm and technology takes them in a new direction. From their inception dating back to the 1700s, labels continue to hold their own in today's technology-driven society. These necessary business tools carry weight with bar-coded and other quick-run designs, and are used on everything from shampoo bottles to heavy equipment. In terms of distributor sales in 2002, labels accounted for $218 million—a comfortable 10.1 percent of total market dollars, according to the BFL&S Top Distributor report of 2002. In an attempt to find out just what keeps this booming industry booming, four executives provided

Direct Mail Stamps Out Adversity
March 20, 2003

Industry experts find direct mail remains robust, despite postal issues and e-mail campaigns. While not representing a major segment of distributor sales, direct mail is gaining clout as a product with significant growth potential. This is true despite postal-hike woes, and economic adversity. Even an onslaught of e-mail direct mail campaigns hasn't stunted interest in the product. As stated by Greg Muzzillo, founder and CEO of Proforma, Cleveland, its the junk e-mail that drives him to welcome direct mail with open arms. "On a very micro level, I get a lot of junk e-mail, and I don't pay any attention to it," said Muzzillo.

Competition Reigns in Commercial Print
March 20, 2003

This stable market niche held strong in 2002 amid tough competition and price wars. Here's a telling story of two men in a camp who are approached by a man-eating bear. One of the men starts to lace up his sneakers and the other man asks him, "Do you really think those sneakers are going to help you outrun the bear?" And the man answers, "I don't need to outrun the bear, I just need to outrun you." Greg Muzzillo, founder and CEO of Proforma, Cleveland, recounted that story when explaining his company's belief that competition is a much greater concern for them than

Basic Forms Still Bring Big Business
March 20, 2003

While some forms are experiencing a serious decline in sales, others are experiencing great innovation. Form sales are not declining as much as they are changing. It's a classic example of out-with-the-old and in-with-the-new. Clearly, multi-part forms are heading for that big collator in the sky. Yet industries such as health-care, retail, insurance and education are giving birth to a whole new generation of innovative form applications. In fact, solution-oriented distributors are discovering that opportunities abound for new form designs that facilitate today's workflow systems, particularly when marketed with value-added services such as on-demand production, warehousing and distribution. To find out how

Promotional Products Gain Popularity
March 20, 2003

Distributors find that promotional products open doors and increase sales. Whether promotional products are used to add value to traditional printing solutions or as stand-alone sellers, distributors are becoming more drawn to them because they have the potential to open doors in an industry that has never even been knocked on before. And even though there are some drawbacks to supplying promotional products—like contending with expensive overhead—many distributors concur that promotional items are becoming a more vital part of their overall businesses. Sales Report In fact, Bob Troop, CEO of The Shamrock Companies, Westlake, Ohio, reported a 25 percent growth in promotional

SOI--Direct Mail Finds Better Direction
March 26, 2001

Intelligent databases provide more focus and desirable results Many distributors agree that direct mail is an ever-popular tool. Customers want to get their messages—whether through ads, surveys or benefit fulfillment pieces—into the hands of potential end-users, and mass-mailing directly to homes and businesses is an effective way to do so. But a mailer is only as effective, and as profitable, as the suitability of its recipients. In other words, significant profits can be lost on wasteful mailings. As a result, distributors are finding ways to better target their customers' markets with the help of new technology. "Anyone can take an item and