Tom Tabor

Innovative technology and old-fashioned service give independents an advantage. Just try telling Tom Tabor that direct-selling manufacturers have the upper hand in the forms industry. With today's innovative technology allowing distributors to tap into high-tech capabilities, while still maintaining custom-ized service, the attempt would be futile. Said Tabor, vice president of Duluth, Georgia-based Data Supplies, "With the e-commerce applications that are available today, there is no account that is safe for a direct." In the past, direct-selling manufacturers were able to wow customers with their large size and mass-producing machinery. Their ability to handle heftier accounts and eliminate the proverbial middleman was

E-forms are a value-added product about to reach the mainstream By Eric Fiedler FOR YEARS, e-forms were considered a product of the future. For many distributors, the future is now. More than three-fourths of Business Forms, Labels & Systems' Top 100 Distributors sell electronic forms, including nine of the top 10. While most of the larger companies introduced electronic form programs three to five years ago, they say the benefits are just beginning for both their clients and themselves. "People are increasingly ready to take advantage of electronic forms because they now have the necessary infrastructure in place," said Daniel Siadak, CDC, president of RBF in Lansing, Mich.

Large Distributors: Differentiate To Succeed Collateral printing and value-added services top the list of large distributorsÍ survival tools By Misty Byers In a highly-competitive industry one thing is certain„you canÍt survive if you arenÍt willing to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Successful large distributorships are meeting this challenge by increasing services and extending their product bases. Wauwatosa, Wisconsin-based Teuteberg is doing more commercial printing and ña lot more value-added services such as fulfillment and database managementî than five years ago, said Matt Teuteberg, executive vice president. ñInstead of just having forms in a clientÍs pick-and-pack program, we might include all of their literature,