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With drupa about to start showcasing our brightest and our best, it’s a great opportunity to reflect on how lucky we are to be associated with such a fantastic industry. For those of us that can reflect back over the past years, and I can assure you I can, I think we would agree we have largely enjoyed a fantastic journey packed full of dramatic changes.Technology is without doubt the primary catalyst to this journey and importantly, it has made most of us the masters of new innovations and adaptations.
Based on the current pace of change, I am sure technology will continue to play a dominant role as we strive to enhance and improve the very essence of our printing and related businesses.
We spend countless hours labouring over decisions to purchase new capital equipment, equipment which we hope will deliver us an edge or a niche in a very competitive market place.
As we labour with our research, our planning, our strategy and most definitely our vision, I wonder how many of us eventually make a final decision influenced by the "cheapest" on offer.
Some people no doubt fall into the pricing trap as the dominant if not only decision criteria, but I’m sure most purchase what they consider to be the best packages for their businesses at prices they are comfortable with from suppliers they are very comfortable with and can trust.
I have always believed the best deal is one where all parties have preserved a level of business respect long after the sale is made or the deal is done.
So it gets personal, we are all in this industry together and we all need each other to prosper and grow as an industry.
Regardless of how big or small we are, there is a need to forge solid relationships with our suppliers, agents, vendors and sub-contractors. Even networking with or using other printers to deliver the best outcomes for our customers must become a fundamental aspect of our businesses. Essentially, everything comes down to the people we want to do business with.
The most important commodity in my company is the culture, both internally on the production floor and in the sales room, and externally with our associated partners and valued customers
In the case of Printpoint, I believe we have developed and continue to do so, an environment where our employees want to be here and our suppliers want to be part of us, not that it is always a bed of roses.
We work together as part of a bigger team charged with a desire to exceed our customers’ expectations and increase our market share.
Some ponder over what is the best equipment, what will cut costs and how can we secure that elusive client, but how many seriously ask some fundamental people questions - what about our culture, is it right, can it be improved?
People are our industry and deserve the same amount of thought and deliberation as the purchase of a new piece of capital equipment. Get your culture right and increase your productivity by stealth.
With margins being eroded and quality suffering as a result, there has never been a better time for all of us to invest in staff to lift the image of our companies and relay positive messages to our customers.
The right culture is grafted, needs nurturing and must be critically guarded from the wrong influences. This takes time but once in place is a magnetic force attracting similar staff and customers to a company.
The more professional we can all become, the better chance we have for attracting the right people with the right attitudes. If we fail to achieve a desired level of professionalism, the opposing scenario will undoubtedly apply.
We all play critical roles, albeit undervalued at times, in the operations of Australia’s and the world’s business houses, ranging from the sole practitioners and "part-timers" through to the multinationals and business goliaths. Most could not survive without at least some support from the printing world.
Let’s not forget it.
