Confabs Track Trends

Industry conferences kicking off the year are offering a wealth of forecast and technology trend information. Print equipment supply group NPES, in a series of first-time regional roadshows, staged printers panels for its members in four cities last month. It will host its annual Print Outlook conference in a new time frame and venue—Chicago, March 27-28—with a new element, a panel of print specifiers talking about “Print's Role in the Modern Media Mix.” (GAM editor in chief, Bill Esler, will moderate.)

In Orlando, the R&E Council of NAPL Digital Smart Factory Forum visited the topic of automated workflows and computer-driven production systems. Speakers included a mix of technology experts and print firms implementing CIM.

Joe Novak, director of technology at Williamson Printing, Dallas, presented a keynote on End to End JDF Workflow. Zarik Megerdichian, president of 4Over, Inc., Glendale, CA, reported his firm tripled in size—sales of $84 million expected this year—after implementing a production model that eliminated steps that do not add value. The company doesn't offer proofs, opting to print to “the numbers” on its Komori presses. The trade printer sells via the Internet only—it does not have a sales staff—and won't take jobs that don't fit its production model.

Michael Murphy, president of Japs-Olson, the $138 million St. Louis Park, MN commercial and mail printer, detailed how his company's investment in computer systems to automate and control operations yielded a 30% increase in productivity. www.npes.org, www.napl.org