Retirement… or Lack Thereof!

By Guy Broadhurst, Océ

And there I was thinking that I could retire in a decade or so. Now its maybe a couple of decades at best, all because the financial markets are shriveling quicker than a punctured balloon. You may feel the same way, unless you are one of the lucky few who saw this all coming and started hoarding cash like squirrels hiding food for the winter. But since that’s probably not too many of you, we have to ride out this uncertainty together and make some good out of it all.

As manufacturers, we try to find innovative ways to sell our products. But the gimmicks automakers use, like employee pricing or having a "Truck Month" sale, don't really apply to large digital print engines. So what's a print engine vendor --- or a print provider --- to do?

Optimism should be a cornerstone of our thinking as we look for the opportunities available. As I look out across the landscape, I hear a lot of the same cries from our customers and prospects alike. They say, "I want color, I want to be different and I want to do it for less than I am now. And while we're at it we need to look for some new applications." Meanwhile, there are direct mailers printing newspapers, graphic arts companies printing brochures, ballots and bills on the same print engines, and book printers printing direct mail pieces. All are consolidating applications in ways never seen before in our industry. So much for the SIC codes that companies are being put into, because they no longer apply!

At Graph Expo last week, this optimism was shared by the visitors to our stand. Customers and potential customers alike were asking how our technology could help them address the challenges they face. Nearly all had visions of expanding their businesses with new products and applications and realize they can do more with less equipment if the machines and software they invest in have the flexibility to run many types of applications. From the new Océ VarioPrint 4000 cut-sheet printer to the Océ JetStream 2200 ink jet family, the leading attributes of Océ technology are being recognized as a strategy that offers the most benefits for print providers: scalability, versatility, field upgradeability, and choice without compromise. Transactional print providers were especially interested in the new MICR printing option for the Oce JetStream family. Integrating MICR printing directly into the ink jet engine is an industry first, and eliminates one of the key barriers to wide adoption of ink jet printing. From the interest we saw at Graph Expo, it looks to be a game changer.

Think outside the core

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of looking for applications that are outside of your mainstream core business. In just this past week alone we have seen interest in applications for note pads, newspapers, books, and even wallpaper coming from customers that were clearly looking for new ways to use the equipment at their disposal. These customers are realizing that new applications make good sense, may help differentiate them from competitors, and represent money on the table.

As the 401Ks shrink to 301Ks and even 104Ks, we all have to find a way to do more with less: less resources, space, people, equipment and money. Of course, there is still money to be had, although you have to lift a rock or two to find it. But innovation is just around the corner if you look for it and ask questions. For example, we can print personalized envelopes and put a roll of paper on some specialized finishing systems to create complete self-sealing letters for a single individual. If you use your imagination you're almost certain to discover profitable new applications ready for the taking. Think about what you'd like to be able to do and then look for ways to do it. You may well find the solution is available. What we have already started to see is that when you find a new idea immediate movement is the key, or someone else will beat you to it.

Don't not do something

There are some people saying that due to the economic woes should transpromo take a back seat? Should we wait until things improve? Instead, I believe taking small steps in the right direction today can help develop transpromo applications for your customers and deepen your own capabilities in that area. With multi-page statements the norm today, there is almost always room to test some transpromo offers for your clients on a limited basis (and with minimal forms redesign) to begin a transition you can execute more fully when the time is right. It doesn't matter if you don't yet have a high speed color printer. Just look at your American Express statement to see a great example of transpromo in black and white. Usually a few pages in, it's simple and effective. I've recently seen other examples that use grayscale photos instead of color. It's not quite as fancy, but as you learn by doing, it raises the bar on what you can offer your customers, and eases the transition to using color images when you're able to add that option. If the steady volume of traffic we had at the transpromo kiosk in our booth was any indication, there are plenty of like minded printers who are taking those small steps and building applications that add value for their customers.

So while retirement is not on my immediate horizon, continued employment for all of us should be a process of finding ways to do more with what we have. We are here to help you work through and implement your new ideas and succeed in our turbulent times.