Print, Paper And Admin Costs Biggest Concerns

New research has found that print and paper prices, as well as administration costs are the biggest issues facing the print industry.

New research has found that print and paper prices, as well as administration costs are the biggest issues facing the print industry.

The survey released by Claritum, the provider of print management software in the UK, has found that the majority (86%) of decision makers in the print industry see that widespread use of print supply chain management software will increase efficiency across the industry.

The research, which was undertaken at the Pira 2004 International Strategic Print Procurement Conference and Exhibition, found that 89% of respondents believed print and paper prices were of greatest concern, whilst 77% thought that administration costs were.

Other issues highlighted by the research were contract and brand compliance (44%) and wastage and obsolescence (44%).

Other key findings from the Claritum research showed that the majority (82%) of print industry decision makers do not have a direct paper supplier agreement.

Half of those surveyed (50%) stated that depending on the size of company, print management works better with an in-house team, whilst 50% said that purchasing from overseas provides the biggest opportunity for further print supply chain optimisation.

James Samuels, managing director of Claritum commented: "Our research demonstrates that decision makers across the print industry are in agreement that print management software will have a significant impact on efficiency and productivity.

With most companies spending up to 10% of their total costs on printed communication it is vitally important that the industry looks at utilising management information systems in order to access better management information on print spend and improve delivery times.

With print and paper prices and administration costs identified as major issues, the our research has again highlighted that cost is often the most significant factor when delivering print." Claritum now has over 1,000 users amongst print management companies, customers and suppliers throughout the UK and Europe.

The company's new business wins have included an award winning ?20million print group based in the south east of England, and a leading supplier of products and services for professional printing and document management.

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