Postpress Processing Service Strategy - About Binding Industry

(Trade Finishers' Strategies-Binding Matters) Different business environments require different business strategies. For example, different types of binding plants have different business plans and operating methods. Which is right? Perhaps they are all right. In the ever-changing printing technology field today, the best way of expression is unique. In order to win in a hacksaw competition, companies must do their best to promote what they can do and insist on what they have said. The secret of yesterday’s success—service, quality, and reasonable price—now seems to be only the starting point for success. The company must also make necessary assessments of various factors affecting trade, such as geographic location, consumer shopping intentions, strength of management, and the company’s core strengths. It is the right way to use a real advantage to work out a plan. There is a 45-year-old bookbinding factory in the suburb of Boston, a professional binder factory. The plant is a regional enterprise with three postpress lines: perfect binding, mechanical binding and saddle stitching as its main features. The business rarely exceeds New England, East New York, New Jersey and Southeastern Canada. The factory is a company specializing in binding services for the printing industry in the Northeast. It provides folding, cutting, drilling, laminating and other services to support the company's finishing business. Occasionally, the company also accepts a single fold or a single laminating business, but it is not its main business. In the northeastern region, there are several companies that have larger production lines than this one, but the local market can accommodate these professional and comprehensive enterprises. Companies that can give priority to new products will have an advantage in the competition. The plant is the first company in New England to use PUR glue to solve difficult-to-stitch problems, allowing customers to choose a lower-cost binding method than mechanical binding. Although the traditional binding process is still the main method adopted by the plant, the PUR glue-binding business already occupies a large proportion of the company's business. In addition to perfect binding, the company's other two main methods are mechanical binding and saddle stitching. The company is working hard to expand these markets, and recently purchased new collation equipment and an online automatic paper feed drilling unit to increase production capacity. Full-Service Services There is a bookbinding company in central England, which maintains a high rate of development. Unlike the companies mentioned above, the factory does not compete with large printing groups. Because: There is a long distance between various commercial centers, and it is not practical or practical to carry out long-distance transportation between various professional processing plants during the post-press processing. Therefore, the choice of adopting a full-service approach means that all the post-printing processes are carried out in one company. The factory was born in 1985 and has now grown from a company that cuts, folds, and staples to a variety of postpress service providers. No matter what the needs of the local printers, such as perfect binding, mechanical binding, saddle stitching, rewetting gluing, UV coating, die cutting, bronzing, polyester filling, etc., the plant can be completed within the company. Most regional companies that claim they “can do anything” often use obsolete, semi-automated, or even manual mechanical equipment. This kind of operation from cutting, folding to staple business needs the latest various types of equipment provided by the top manufacturers. Expert experts are located in Chicago, where a company recently celebrated its centennial anniversary and adopted another business strategy. The company's main business is to carry out large-capacity, technically challenging folding, gluing and saddle stitching technologies. There is a little enough to indicate its strength, that is, its customers throughout North America, as well as outside of North America. Last year, the plant's business expanded to more than 30 states, four countries and three continents. Anyone who is familiar with the industry knows that a state-owned bookbinding company is quite unique, and it is almost unique in providing some unique products. According to the person in charge of the company, almost every day, people around the world who have technical difficulties or large-scale work projects will contact the company. The company has brought great dynamism to its professional field. Half of its 80,000 square meters of factory building is used for folding. We are proud to have more than 60 folding machines with a maximum folding size of 80” and a minimum spine spacing of 7/16”. The company's five full saddle stitching lines can bind micro products, oversized products (up to 19" in size) and complex products that require up to 12 barriers. In addition, the company has 18 gluing machines. Outsourcing is a major principle of the company's operations. The person in charge of the company believes that outside acquisitions will enable the company to focus on developing its core business without having to disperse its energy by requiring internal work. The company believes that the American-style economy itself includes the external acquisition business model, and the company also operates according to this view. For example, the company once had a fleet of trucks and an internal accounting department. After canceling these internal departments and making full-scale external procurement, the cost of the company has been greatly reduced, and it is now possible to better serve customers. Turning to the issue of transportation, the person in charge of the company stated that the cost of using outsourcing now is lower than the cost of the company's internal organization and installation 20 years ago. Moreover, the company's services are better than before, and problems with various transportation services can be resolved in a timely manner. Use of Trade Means As New England's printing market is not as fast as the Midwest, this company has adopted a more cautious development strategy than the previous two companies. According to the survey, the growth rate in the east is the second lowest in the country - only slightly higher than in the south. Although 1999 was a bumper year for many New England printing companies, the region still lost two binding companies that were strong in the industry: one failed and the other was merged. These changes have greatly affected the company's prospects. This bookbinding factory has a history of 45 years. In order to survive for a long time, the company does not hesitate to increase all growth rates. Last year, under the strict management of the leadership department, the company had a growth rate of 15%. “Stable growth shows that our production is in good condition and we are ready to face all difficulties.” The company’s official said, “Even if our local situation has changed, our business will still come from all over the country. We don't rely on local businesses just like other binder factories.” And it doesn’t hide the direction of the company’s development. “This year we will increase our buildings and continue to install imprinters. Last year we made the third transition, all departments All employees have been added. When our bookbinding business is spread throughout Iowa, we are more convinced that we have made the best choice." Competences/Equipments Although the heads of the three companies have a good understanding of the post-press process development situation, Big difference, but they agree with a point of view: buy the most advanced and most important equipment. Because of the incredibly low unemployment rate that makes it difficult for companies to develop in the labor force, the new growth point can only come from improving automation and improving management methods. Gradually realize that many people want to know why the company can do so much and do it so well. Before adopting a full service strategy, the company decided to authorize some of the leaders to allow them to establish a small company within the company and enjoy autonomy over their unique business. For example, the leaders of this experimental small company can pick their own staff and have the priority of choice within the small company. These leaders can decide who will work overtime and who will help arrange maintenance. Through these exercises, employees generally reflected their passion for overcoming difficulties in their work. After that we did not let the other employees do the same work again. Our operation is: Whoever produces the cars and who has control over their own work. Quality can be guaranteed within our company. The person in charge of the company has been working hard to develop better technologies and production processes so that customers can get better service. The company focused on developing distinctive configurations and large capacity devices. Some companies specialize in providing 81/2X11 double folding and 11X17 three fold products, but this company does not. It is mainly used for horizontal folding, large folding illustrations, multi-fold folding, oversized folding, micro-folding, and difficult saddle-stitch binding, irrespective of regional issues. The person in charge of the company pointed out that as early as the 1970s, the company worked hard to improve its expertise and hired technical experts. And customers are hoping to solve some of the more difficult projects - because if the company can do it, customers will still use advanced technology. With regard to management and customer service, the company strives to improve all aspects of its business, including assessment and customer service, and does its utmost to handle the various businesses it receives. Adding new equipment The company believes that the bookbinding industry can also increase equipment and improve technology without departing from books. Companies often analyze new devices. A few months ago, the company purchased a new collating machine to increase mechanical binding productivity. This decision has brought double benefits to on-demand printers that would not have considered collaborating with the company before. Die-cutting is a business expansion area that is often discussed, but so far the company still chooses to externally purchase these services. Like this company, another company also considered entering other post-press processing markets, but failed because it failed to pass the key qualification exam. Like the services of shipping and clearing accounts, company executives believe that outside acquisitions are better than completing themselves internally. If the customer has other outsourcing business, the company usually let them choose: let the company deal with it or their own outside acquisition. Some customers are satisfied with external acquisitions, while others are not satisfied. Both methods are beneficial to the company. A few years ago, the company realized its need for the die-cutting and finishing department, and even had a post-press department manager without a piece of equipment. Then the company turned to the postpress part and even changed the name of the company to a binding processing company to reflect this strategy. Although the three companies hold different opinions on the one-stop service, their respective sales concepts are the same: they keep their promise. The first company: Going out to understand the market rather than sitting in business, so that customers know that the company will not take over related businesses if it does not have the ability. Establish a good reputation. The second company: Fifteen years of operating experience has taught us that there are many ways to do something and there is only one way to do it wrong. When we promise to do it, we can do it. The third company: Customers think we can accept some ideas and implement them. What we provide is reliability, which allows customers to rest assured.