The Highly Successful prism CONFERENCE
The Future of Digital in the Retail and Graphics Market

Sophie Matthews–Paul, the doyenne of digital developments, gave her incisive comments about the evolution and future of digital printing technology. Key to her message was the rate of change in the industry but at the same time continued rationalisation of equipment suppliers as demonstrated by HP and their recent acquisition of NUR. In 15 years the technology has advanced remorselessly. Sophie spoke of the synergy with screen printing whose special effects could add value to an increasingly competitive market.

With a basic roll fed printer and software at considerably less than £10,000 entry into the market is fairly easy but high speed flatbeds can hit £1.5 million. Up until the "credit crunch" money was available and the market buoyant but competitive. Now things have got much more uncertain, users and suppliers need to be very agile when looking for niche markets that are not just price driven.

There are now printers to suit most applications but choosing the correct machine is crucial. This is not so easy with such a range available. Sophie emphasised the importance of working with designers to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of the process. The newer print heads produce smaller droplets and greater variability in droplet size. Inks are improving with a wide range multi-substrate formulations. The HP "Latex" technology is a real step forward and is available on their new equipment. It answers many environmental and operational questions. Software becomes more user friendly with variable data and versioning commonplace. All this improvement is great for the process and expands its reach. Increasingly however there is overcapacity that is depressing prices. Those providers who innovate and diversify are going to be the success stories.

Gordon Bethel Managing Partner of Leeds based gratterpalm Limited gave his own perspective based on the experience of his clients many of whom are major retailers. His hard hitting presentation highlighted a 14% downturn in consumer confidence, that Christmas would be pivitol and 2009 the toughest on record. Gordon focussed on the effect of Digital Display Technology emphasising that it was not TV with complex moving images but using static images on screen and presenting them as required. Content management was the key. Service providers should incorporate the technology in their portfolios if necessary by forming strategic alliances. He advised all businesses to stop selling and start marketing, provide value for money and aim for continuous improvement in quality. In common with Sophie his mantra was to be innovative, examples of his campaigns demonstrated this innovation.

 

Simon Biltcliffe of Webmart really made people think when spoke on the Future of Print Management. He considered his web based system acted as a catalyst to enable printers to optimise their production. He stated that there was no such thing as "the right price for print" he showed the range of prices quoted for the same job, in one case the variation was 700%! He demonstrated how price was not the main differentiator, emphasising the total product offering from the service provider (printer). His fact packed graphics showed how "Dynamic Pricing" can fill capacity with profitable work. The costing data provided gave the printer real time control of profit. More mind stretching statistics for the profit focussed printer.

Mark Simpson of Simpson Group had to call off at the last minute for he was completing the purchase of Realisis, taking Simpson Group into the £20 Million League. His presentation "Print management-Threat or Opportunity a Printers Perspective" was delivered by the President of prism Peter Kiddell. Mark has print management companies in his customer list. His approach was that of SWOT analysis and how a printer should manage them. Print Management filled a gap of communication and contact management that was lacking in many printers and offered opportunities to fill production but the margins were reduced. The downside was that print was treated as a commodity and a barrier was put between the printer and the end user. However cost of sales for the printer was reduced and they had a quick route to market.

They key points made by Mark were:

Other printers in the audience concurred particularly with the last point. Constantly reducing margins is unsustainable.

Barney Cox Executive Editor of Haymarket Print Group explained the Environmental Threats and Opportunities for the Printer. Barney was able to shed light in the murky waters of burgeoning legislation dealing with Carbon Footprints, Climate Change and both drew questions from the audience. He was able to explain areas for energy efficiency and waste reduction.

He emphasised the selection of the correct materials, such as Dufaylite Ultraboard who exhibited at the conference. Highlighted were the financial packages available from the Carbon Trust that can support "Green" improvements. Voltage regulators that can cut energy consumption by up to 20%. The various standards applicable to environmental best practice were covered and how funding support can be obtained from Business Link. By the end of the presentation we were conversant with all the initialisms and how we could use them to benefit the business as well as the environment.



Steve Lister Business Development Director of Robert Horne Sign and Display really brought Barney's message home. Without flogging the Robert Horne product offering Steve was able to give the audience real time information as to what is happening in the market and how responsible suppliers were dealing with it. He emphasised the block China has put on accepting materials for recycling, with the resultant collapse in prices. Steve explained all the materials that were recyclable and how the introduction of say one sheet of PVC in a bale of polypropylene can wreck any chance of recycling. Landfill costs are escalating and opportunities for so doing reducing. Biodegradability ameliorates but doesn't solve the landfill problem. We are simply running out of holes!

The key issue that Steve highlighted was the question is "Closed Loop Recycled Products" the future. It is an obvious yet challenging proposition. Robert Horne group call it The R3 Plan. It stands for Recover, Recycle, Re-use. Supply "green" media, install waste cages/skips to store and segregate waste streams. Collect using UK specialist waste carriers. Reprocess in UK manufacturing centres which creates a value proposition for their waste streams. This takes out the carbon miles shipping waste halfway round the world and stimulates UK based "green" technology.

All this and much more was discussed at the prism conference. Delegates left brimming with ideas and gained a great deal from networking on the day.