Combined Conferences Focus on ‘Change’

He also discussed the relationship between printing and the overall U.S. economy, expressing concerns about GDP growth in the second half of the year. “Every one percentage-point reduction in GDP growth cuts our revenues about $1.1 billion,” Paparozzi noted.

Just as relevant was a “Think Globally, Act Locally” panel discussion focused on foreign competition, especially coming from printers in China. Tips on competing with offshore printers included focusing more on time-sensitive products; offering digital printing with personalization; providing value-added warehousing, mailing and fulfillment functions; increasing plant automation to lower labor costs; and even considering a hybrid onshore/offshore model where you still “own” the customer, but increase your price competitiveness and service offerings by partnering with a foreign producer on some projects.