ValueCheck! — Alert! Digital Print crashes! More worse than expected!

Open letter from the German Digital Printing Forum spokesman Andreas Weber to all who should take care! 

 

Dear friends of the Digital Printing Forum community,
dear friends of printed communication! 

Since the beginning of 2014, we had much to criticize: 

1. The print industry communicates poorly, not to say lousy … all are more concerned with themselves than with customers and markets. (The only ones who benefit from a good market communication, the online printers grow strong and profitable, succeed in B2B, also thanks to Bernd Zipper, who is doing a good trade-communication via beyondprint.de).
2. Among the manufacturers / suppliers for digital printing technologies are plenty of so-called “managers” in the lead position of the 1st and 2nd levels, who excel as a dilettante — and you should quickly throw them out what is already happening in part (bye bye, Armando) …
3. Publishers as well as agencies don’t believe in print and don’t know how to use digital printing in a proper way. And it will be worse rather than better (except for Calvendo and some others!).

 

And now this bad news (what was to be expected, but still shocking): 

Innovation Primus Xerox loses its core business digital printing machines in the second quarter of 2014, almost one-third of sales.  — Ouch, that is in the billions of US-Dollars! 

Who thinks gloating now, haha, your own fault, should bear in mind that this loss of revenue is not collected at Xerox from other manufacturers. [See: The Decline of Digital Printing Continues. Is Xerox loose its core business? # value # print http://fb.me/2YGiNTqkY ]

The truth is rather that the gigantic multi-billion-euro investments in digital printing systems are in no economically reasonable proportion to the value creation capabilities of most print shops; thus the proportion of digital printing in the total print volume of the print industry keeps marginal (around 15%) and remains constantly low.

 

At a glance: On the current situation of the manufacturers in Germany 

It is clear that for years hardly a manufacturer did a good job to innovate and develope new markets:

— Konica Minolta reached in Germany the pole position (but sold huge amounts of digital printing systems to the customers of the printing industry).

— Heidelberg can take a run again and has now (once again) a new “Digital Strategy”, which could indicate success in two to three years.

— Ricoh grabs it anyway, but is almost invisible and silent, and in the commercial printing market Ricoh’s success relates to Heidelberg activities who just pander Fuji.

— Canon and Océ transform their synergistic success for „shrink art“ and are always invisible and insignificant for the print industry!

— HP Indigo stagnant albeit at relatively high level, but suffers from a fatal and lousy market communication on EMEA level and by the HP Group  in total.

— Landa is the best „money-collector“ and fund raiser without a deliverable product to serve the market on time.

— The classics like manroland and KBA including her partner Kodak are the only ones who look at themselves to be a champion in digital printing.

— Only in the niche markets there are “Lucky Guys”, such as Xeikon, Dainippon Screen, EFI or Domino.

— BTW: The paper manufacturers have already adjusted their business to declining demand. Especially in digital printing in the so-called office and home printing area, the decline is striking; similar is also expected in the commercial printing segment!

 

What does that mean?  For you, for us as a digital print forum community plus for all those print service providers? 

All of us should quickly modify our behavior and go-to-market approach. Now. Not tomorrow!

We need a disruptive approach to say goodbye to all this above mentioned grievances. Suspected to the market, consumers and companies have to get clear and valuable information to what is possible via breathtaking digital printing services (even in combination with social media).

And last but not least: It must be clear, by facts and emotionally believable that innovative in print communications via digital printing will produce clear benefits and profitable growth in any dimension of a business.

A current example as proof that it still goes: The Swedish group Elanders AB, which grows well with digital printing and innovations over the market average; Elanders Germany’s with its facilities in Waiblingen (close to Stuttgart) is able to expand its digital printing center and conquered in the packaging and in new supply chain markets. [See our Value Check-analyzes!, And the interview with Elanders CEO Magnus Nilsson]

Whoever, therefore, wants to get involved to turn things around, has a good chance. 

And can feel free to contact us in digital printing forum. And be sure: Not only the big players like Elanders could belong to winners in the future!

We have launched a series of measures and new projects in the Summer 2014 (keyword Innovation coaching, including ValueCheck! and ValueTalk!). Made for to save what is worth saving about: innovation for the market benefit, coupled with the new go-to-market principles. 

Our believe: It is no longer enough only to compensate or correct what is going wrong so far! Be disruptive by innovation!

I look forward to your feedback and messages.
You are welcome to join the Digital Print Forum Initiative and our Group on XING as well.

Best regards from the Gutenberg City, Mainz,

Yours sincerely

Andreas Weber
//Founder and Spokesman Digital Printing Forum
CEO of Value Communication AG

XING:
https://www.xing.com/profile/Andreas_Weber46
https://www.xing.com/net/prica0432x/ddf/