Monthly Archives: August 2009

Glimmers of Hope?

Posted on by

The “word” around the printing industry is that we’ve seen bottom.  Of course, no one is going to bet any serious dollars on that supposition, but there are glimmers.  Although as some scalawag stated (I’m not going to mention names), when your sales are lower than a snake’s belly, any change looks good. 

Are there positive signs?  We’ve seen additional activity on the PIA MidAmerica Job Postings website as members are looking to add personnel.  There are several firms who have shared with our staff that they’re seeing increased backlogs, and a recent PIA MidAmerica survey [July] indicated that about 46% of the responding companies’ backlogs were increasing (35% were seeing decreases).  Yet, that same survey indicated that the market is still very competitive.  46% reported decreasing markups because of competition while 14% indicated there had been no change in markup practices. Regardless, if the word on the street is to be believed, it looks like the summer doldrums are over – and here’s hoping for a good fall season.

The Insurance Lobby

Posted on by

I’m not a proponent for a government owned insurance company, but I still feel that the insurance industry’s juxtaposition between the individual and the medical provider has created more problems, as well as costs for small business employers.  Thus, I was really “surprised” at the tone of the article which was written by Chad Terhune and Keith Epstein in  “Business Week” on August 6th. Continue reading →

Industry Trends

Posted on by

Last month 25 of our industry’s Association professionals met to discuss various issues pertaining to Printing Industries of America and its affiliates.  Needless to say the mood was not entirely up-beat, but there was a sense of cautious optimism.   Everyone recognizes the challenges facing our industry in the economic times we face, as well as the ever-changing world of visual communications.

At the conference, there were two presentations of special interest.  The first was presented by Adobe’s Will Eisley, Director of Product Management for their Creative Suite products.   He re-affirmed Adobe’s commitment to print, but the underlying message was “more change is coming.”  Adobe (as is Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Oracle, HP, etc., etc.) sees a world in which Internet-based communication will be ubiquitous.  Whether it’s on your PC/Mac; PDA; phone, or lord-knows-what, communication will be instantaneous, mobile, and in the “cloud.” 

The other message came from industry stalwart, Stuart Margolis.  Margolis’ accounting firm has over 300 printing clients across the U.S.  Because of the economic and technological changes occurring with the industry, he sees the need for firms to consider the merger/acquisition route so they can a.) increase their sales base or b.) realize the value of their business through a sale.   His recent partnership with Paul Reilly and “New Ventures” is an indication of how strong Margolis feels about this business strategy in our industry.

Our Association also sees a need for members to better understand these options of growing/selling their business.  We have contacted several M&A professionals, including Paul Reilly, Stu Margolis and Charlie Oppenheimer, to develop various articles on merger/acquisition.  This “white paper” should be available to our membership later this summer.