Print Management Specialists Better For Customers

In an attempt to control escalating printing costs that can consume two per cent - three per cent, organisations have turned to traditional print outsourcing providers, according to Cavendish.

In an attempt to control escalating printing costs that can consume two per cent - three per cent, organisations have turned to traditional print outsourcing providers, according to Cavendish.

Those providers include sole source print suppliers and transaction-oriented organisations, agencies and outsourcers.

Yet, all too often, the cost savings that organisations expected with those traditional outsourcing options never materialised, added the company.

In the opinion of Cavendish director Colin Thompson, specialist print management service organisations are required.

Thompson said: "Whilst traditional outsourcers were good at counting clicks or tracking hourly creative services, they often couldn't meet the core requirements required to truly manage the entire print process.

That includes adherence to corporate quality and branding standards, on time delivery to end customers, the maintenance of the print management infrastructure technology and cost-effective inventory management, including warehousing, fulfilment and document obsolescence." As organisations became aware of the multiple weaknesses of traditional outsourcing, they also realised they lacked the expertise and resources required to successfully perform all the elements of their own enterprise print management and procurement, he added.

He said that technology enabled print management outsourcing offers a superior alternative to sole source print suppliers that must direct work to their production assets in order to recover high fixed costs.

It was also preferred to transaction-oriented organisations, agencies and outsourcers that lack the perspective and requisite technology to enact and execute a corporate-grade, disciplined print management, sourcing and procurement programme.

"Unlike sole sourced print providers who are driven by their asset utilisation, a specialist print management service organisation is a vendor neutral, information based option able to take advantage of attractive spot-buying opportunities, unplanned needs for rush job capacity and immediate availability for the latest print production technology in a fast-changing supplier market.

Unlike agencies who are driven by the 'creative' and who have little incentive to control costs, whilst typically charging mark-up of a hefty management fee for print, the specialist print management organisation uses agency creative services but employs cost reduction techniques such as design for manufacture and demand aggregation, whilst still providing its customers with complete visibility in to expenditure and understanding how businesses operate," commented Thompson.

In his opinion, a print management organisation provides technology enabled single-source print management outsourcing, which brings new efficiencies and economies to the production, sourcing, storage and distribution of printed materials.

The specialist tailors its outsourcing services to match the specific print process needs of each individual client, ensuring that for each and every job, the customer's costs are lowered, whilst processes are simplified and efficiency improved.

Thompson continued: "A print management service organisation is the only outsourcing service on the market today that combines the convenience of outsourcing with the financial control and accountability of internally managed procurement.

Such a company draws upon a comprehensive, qualified supply base to match the best set of production capabilities to any print job, marketing programme or high-volume contract using customer criteria for price, quality and delivery.

These companies base their operations on information, not the need to utilise capital equipment and they react quickly to take advantage of attractive spot-buying opportunities, unplanned needs for rush job capacity and immediate availability for the latest print production technology in a fast-changing supplier market." He added that they also meet the accountability, visibility and corporate compliance demands of customers by operating as an extension of the customers' procurement function.

Utilising on-site account managers skilled in managing print, a centralised print sourcing and procurement staff and technology, a specialist delivers a complete service that provides the convenience and cost-effectiveness of business process outsourcing with the financial control and accountability of internally managed procurement.

"As a supplier-neutral outsourcer, a specialist print management company can draw upon its comprehensive supply base to match the best set of production capabilities to any print job, marketing programme or high-volume contract, whilst still meeting or exceeding the customer's criteria for price, quality and delivery.

A documented supplier evaluation programme ensures that supplier metrics are tracked for compliance against these criteria," added Thompson.

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