OPI APP OCT/NOV 2022 B

Focus: The state of independents

In November, the independent dealer channel (IDC) in the US and its numerous partners and stakeholders will descend on Las Vegas for Industry Week ’22, run by dealer cooperative Independent Suppliers Group.

The turnout should be even higher than in the event’s inaugural year in 2021, as COVID concerns continue to diminish and people feel more comfortable travelling and attending large gatherings again.

So, as the pandemic slowly disappears into the rearview mirror, how is the IDC faring in a market still getting to grips with trends such as hybrid working and the shift to online, not to mention the current macroeconomic and supply chain issues?

FEATURE: CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT

When the OPI team got together to discuss – at great length – who’s in and who’s out of the Top 100 in 2022, a couple of points came up time and again. The first one: end consumer demands are changing.

What they want in their working lives, in product terms, has gone way beyond office products, even the broader term of business supplies. Workplace solutions and services is perhaps an apt description.

Secondly, the pool of companies they procure these products from has grown immeasurably, and with it, so has the wider, addressable supply chain.

CONTENTS

6 Tribute

Memories of Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth II

21 Focus

What’s the state of independents in the US?

OPI asks some of the leading lights in the IDC

28 Feature Who’s who in our industry in 2022? OPI reveals all in this year’s Top 100 list

38 Category Update

Geopolitical headwinds continue to disrupt the stamping sector, but the category shows itself to be highly resilient

42 Advertorial

Work from anywhere with confidence – that’s ACCO Brands’ mission

44 Category Update

The mailroom and packaging sector: still adjusting to a changing business environment

48 Research

As hybrid working evolves, asynchronous working is coming

REGULARS

5 Comment

8 News

14 Green Thinking News

52 5 minutes with...

Janet Eshenour

54 Final Word

Colin Campbell

The OPI team

EDITORIAL

Editor

Heike Dieckmann

+44 1462 422 143 heike.dieckmann@opi.net

Deputy Editor

Michelle Sturman michelle.sturman@opi.net

News Editor

Andy Braithwaite

+33 4 32 62 71 07 andy.braithwaite@opi.net

Freelance Contributor

David Holes david.holes@opi.net

SALES & MARKETING

Chief Commercial Officer

Chris Exner

+44 7973 186801 chris.exner@opi.net

Head of Media Sales

Chris Turness

+44 7872 684746 chris.turness@opi.net

Digital Marketing Manager

Aurora Enghis aurora.enghis@opi.net

EVENTS Events Manager

Lisa Haywood events@opi.net

Event Programmer

Sophie Carus sophie.carus@opi.net

PRODUCTION & FINANCE

Studio

Joel Mitchell joel.mitchell@opi.net

Finance & Operations

Kelly Hilleard

kelly.hilleard@opi.net

PUBLISHERS

CEO

Steve Hilleard

+44 7799 891000 steve.hilleard@opi.net

Director

Janet Bell

+44 7771 658130 janet.bell@opi.net

Executive Assistant

Debbie Garrand

+44 20 3290 1511 debbie.garrand@opi.net

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COMMENT

Seeking stability in times of change

Office

Focus7 House,

the time you read this, it may seem ages ago since the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in early September. And while the outpouring of grief and the intensity of mourning from the world at large has subsided somewhat, her legacy will remain prominent for a very long time (see pages 6 and 54 for industry tributes)

By

Whatever side of the monarchy debate you ’re on, few would argue that The Queen was a symbol of stability and resilience and this is something to aspire to.

Stable is not a word I would use to describe our (almost) post-pandemic sector. Panic and chaos may be gone, but we are still a long way from stability – within our industry per se and even more so when factoring in macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges.

Resilience? Oh yes, there ’s plenty of that around and this issue of OPI illustrates it aptly. Take a look at our two category updates, for instance – stamping and mailroom/packaging (pages 38 and 44) Two highly adaptive sectors.

The independent dealer community –in the US certainly – is, by and large, a very resilient bunch

Holding up well too are many operators which fall under the broad ‘ workplace solutions ’ umbrella – 12 of them are highlighted as part of our 2022 Top 100 feature (page 28) . They ’ve all done something special to earn their place on this list.

Not surprisingly, a sizeable proportion of these Top 100 candidates are independent dealers – a section of our industry often hailed and maligned in equal measure. True, overall numbers are diminishing, but as my colleague Andy Braithwaite found out for our special Focus feature, the independent dealer community – in the US certainly – is, by and large, a very resilient bunch (page 21)

But there ’s also the realisation that, to return to a state of stability, things need to change – perhaps quite drastically. I, of course, refer to the topical issues of product breadth, cost of goods, data and content which dealers constantly grapple with.

In the past few months, OPI – on numerous platforms – has talked to vendors, technology providers and resellers about how they see our sector evolving, with the above issues in mind. Dare I say it’s time to get the wholesalers’ views? We’ll be in touch!

HEIKE DIECKMANN,

In thoughtful REMEMBRANCE

Queen Elizabeth II touched many aspects of our lives, both personal and professional. Industry peers fondly recall their memories

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Aged 96, she had spent an unprecedented 70 years on the British throne, during that time witnessing an incredible amount of change in all corners of the world she visited.

As people from around the globe and of course the UK paid tribute remotely or in person in the aftermath of her death, our industry too looks back on its involvement with the monarch.

Simone Hindmarch, co-founder and Managing Director, Commercial Group

It was a surreal moment walking with my brother Arthur into Buckingham Palace in 2018 for a reception held by Her Majesty in recognition of winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category.

Commercial was founded in a one-room office in 1991 and there we were, less than 30 years later, about to be recognised on behalf of our amazing team.

We grew up with parents who were staunch royalists, so Arthur and I looked at each other as we walked through the gates and said in teary-eyed unison: “We hope they can see us right now.”

To win an award with the Queen’s insignia on it meant so much to us personally, but also to every one of our colleagues. We take great pride in the fact we were the first organisation in Gloucestershire to win in the Sustainable Development category.

Our story is minuscule in the grand scheme of all Queen Elizabeth II did, but it has meant the absolute world for our whole organisation to display an award in her name with such pride for the past four years.

From obtaining Queen’s Awards, British Honours or Royal Warrants (see also Final Word, page 54), the memories and reflections OPI received were heartwarming and clearly much cherished. OPI CEO Steve Hilleard had the privilege of meeting Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace in 1998, shortly after OPI was named a recipient of the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement.

He describes it as an “unforgettable experience”, a sentiment shared by many who had the opportunity.

Graeme Chapman MBE, formerly with ACCO Brands, Kingfield Heath and Office Friendly

Several of my friends had often joked that if I carried on my yearly charity fundraising, I would get a ‘royal gong’. So when I received a letter from Buckingham Palace asking me if I would accept an Honour from Her Majesty, I thought it was a joke engineered by one of them. Fortunately, my wife convinced me it was genuine.

I had the privilege of receiving an MBE in the millennium Honours, amid all the wonderful pomp and pageantry of Buckingham Palace.

The Queen was friendly, charming and gracious, putting me at ease during our conversation. She said we had something in common in that we had both recently been to Japan. She asked me for my reflections and whether I had enjoyed it.

It made me smile to imagine the contrasting settings. The Queen and her entourage residing in a Japanese

Former Lord-Lieutenant Dame Janet Trotter presenting the Queen’s Award to Simone Hindmarch

palace while I was sleeping in a tent in the snow in -10̊C on Mount Fuji, being sponsored by the Pilot Pen Corporation to climb the sacred Japanese mountain for BBC Children in Need in the depth of winter.

My wife Ruthy and two sons Phil and Tim were able to witness me receiving this honour from our longest-serving monarch, and afterwards wander around parts of Buckingham Palace not open to the public. The 29 February 2000 is a day I will never forget and I count myself extremely lucky to have experienced it.

Steve Bull, CEO, Floortex

The passing of Her Majesty is a tragic loss for the UK, the Commonwealth and the world.

We received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International

Trade in 2015 as a result of outstanding overseas sales over the previous three years. We were and still are so proud and excited to have gained this unique recognition as it was a testament to the huge effort the whole company had put in for many years. It has spurred us on even more to further consolidate our global position.

To be invited to a prestigious reception at Buckingham Palace was an honour, as was meeting The Queen and other members of the Royal Family. It was certainly a day we will always remember.

Mark Wilkinson, Regional VP, UK & Ireland, ACCO Brands EMEA

We are honoured as a company to be able to look back on a number of cherished memories with Her Majesty over the years. The first was in 1976 when George Drexler, Rexel’s founder (back in 1939), was awarded an OBE for his services to export.

Then, in 2008, Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by his Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, officially opened our Derwent factory – the new premises for The Cumberland Pencil Company which had been manufacturing pencils in Cumbria for over 180 years. Rest in peace, Your Majesty.

Margaux Lefaucheux, Brand Manager, AF International

In 2016, HK Wentworth Group, which comprises the Electrolube and AF International brands, received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade in recognition of its outstanding global exporting success.

It was a fantastic moment for every employee when a ceremony was held at our Leicestershire head office. A crystal bowl marked the occasion which was presented by the Lord-Lieutenant of the county, the Queen’s local representative.

I personally was very proud to win the Queen’s Award; it spoke volumes about our success in export and other areas of the business. As many employees as possible were included in the presentation event, and the Queen’s Award has since played a part in the further growth of our business.

The Queen was a much-loved figurehead who clearly devoted her life to the service of others. AF International and Electrolube wish to express their deep sadness at this great loss.

Phil Jones MBE, Managing Director, Brother UK

I was fortunate to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2011 when Brother UK won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development.

It was a great honour to visit Buckingham Palace alongside other winners to receive the award and meet The Queen.

Editor’s note: In 2016, Phil Jones was awarded an MBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours list, recognising his services to business.

Top: The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh photo with a black ribbon in Stationers’ Hall Left: The flag with the black cravat outside Stationers’ Hall

Queen Elizabeth II with David Sharrock, former Managing Director of The Cumberland Pencil Company

Papermaker Sylvamo, meanwhile, has agreed to buy another of the Finnish company’s production sites – the one that makes Stora Enso’s Multicopy brand of office papers. Sylvamo will pay €150 million for the uncoated freesheet (UFS) paper mill in Nymölla, Sweden. The integrated mill has two pulp lines and the capacity to produce about 485,000 tonnes of UFS on two paper machines.

M&A at Stora Enso and Sylvamo

Stora Enso has announced the acquisition of De Jong Packaging Group in a deal worth more than €1 billion ($1 billion). The transaction is still subject to works council consultation and regulatory approval, but is expected to close at the beginning of 2023.

The addition of De Jong, a leading player in the European renewable corrugated packaging segment with expected revenues of around €1 billion this year, will more than double

Stora Enso’s corrugated packaging capacity and give it an entry into the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and UK markets for this product segment.

In line with its strategy to offload its cut paper business and four of its five paper production sites, Stora Enso has also signed an agreement to divest its Maxau site in Germany and all related assets to Schwarz Produktion. The acquirer is part of retail giant Schwarz Group, owner of the Lidl and Kaufland banners.

VOW expands dealer services

VOW Wholesale has launched an enhanced suite of initiatives as part of its service offering to resellers.

Managing Director Adrian Butler said VOW recognises that it has been an extremely tough period for resellers over the past few years and is determined to support them. The new supportive measures include:

• An incremental growth rebate to facilitate improved commercial terms to help soften cost of goods increases and allow resellers to gain up to a 30% rebate on incremental purchases in the traditional and facilities categories.

• The re-introduction of timed dealer drops in the morning to provide service flexibility. These will give qualifying resellers the option to receive deliveries at a time that then

allows for better planning of onward delivery with their own vans.

• Improved order tracking through the commencement of end-to-end scanning for all deliveries made via Truline. This development provides complete visibility of all orders within VOW’s Self-Serve Portal through real-time tracking.

• VOW Specials for bespoke product sourcing, whereby customers can raise a request via VOW’s Self-Serve Portal, which is then handled by a dedicated team to source and quote on non-stocked items.

Butler said: “We have listened to the feedback we have received, which has helped us identify some crucial steps towards a more sustainable and collaborative future for resellers, VOW and the industry as a whole.”

Sylvamo’s plan is to integrate Nymölla into its own global paper business, and the location’s 520 employees will be part of the transaction. TreeToTextile, the sustainable textile fibre company, is not included in the deal, although it will continue operations at the site.

Sylvamo referred to Nymölla as a “strategic bolt-on acquisition”. It certainly gives the vendor a better balance in its European and global operations following the decision to exit the Russian market earlier this year. Including Nymölla, Sylvamo will have a UFS production capacity of around 2.5 million tonnes, split into 39% Latin America, 34% North America and 27% Europe.

This transaction too is expected to close no later than in the first quarter of 2023, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

Green light for Fujitsu-Ricoh deal

The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) has not blocked the majority sale of Fujitsu’s PFU scanner business to Ricoh. In April, Ricoh agreed to buy 80% of PFU – which has annual sales of around $1 billion – for $645 million. The deal had been expected to close on 1 July but was delayed as a review by the JFTC took longer than expected.

Both companies confirmed that the sale would go ahead and the transaction was consummated on 1 September.

The Nymölla production site in Sweden

HP Inc concludes Poly deal

GSA moves ahead with marketplace project

The US General Services Administration (GSA) recently issued a request for proposal (RFP) for its online Commercial Platforms (CP) initiative, which is potentially worth billions of dollars.

The GSA has been working on an e-marketplace concept for almost five years as it seeks to provide efficiencies in ad hoc spending for commercial off-the-shelf items. In August 2020, a proof-of-concept phase began involving three contractors: Amazon Business, Overstock Government and Fisher Scientific.

Significantly expanding its hybrid work offering, HP Inc has completed the acquisition of workplace collaboration solutions provider, Poly.

Bought for around $3.3 billion, HP forecasts the deal, first announced in March, to be accretive to earnings in FY23 post-merger. Providing videoconferencing equipment, cameras, headsets, voice and software, Poly helps HP tap into office meeting room resources for hybrid working and collaboration – a segment predicted to triple by 2024. In addition, Poly is expected to help drive innovation and scale in two of HP’s key growth areas of peripherals and workforce solutions.

In terms of leadership, Poly CEO Dave Shull will join HP Inc as President, Workforce Services & Solutions, starting 1 November. Meanwhile, Andy Rhodes will manage HP-Poly as General Manager, Hybrid Work Solutions & Peripherals.

Rhodes, who joined HP in 2018, has formerly headed the company’s commercial Personal Systems business and built the global peripherals organisation. He will continue to report to HP Personal Systems President, Alex Cho.

BOSS outlines route ahead

UK trade association BOSS held its Members’ Day in September, with CEO Amy Hutchinson outlining four core pillars to grow engagement and membership. She said networking and recognition, support, development and thought leadership would provide the bedrock for BOSS over the coming years.

The day started with the AGM, BOSS Chairman Simon Drakeford providing an association update and then welcoming new board members – Integra Business Solutions CEO Aidan McDonough and YPO Finance Director Julie Hawley.

Earlier this year, the GSA provided an update on this pilot stage of the programme, revealing that, in the 12 months to 30 September 2021, 20 federal government agencies had placed 45,000 orders through the marketplace, spending a total of $11.7 million.

Following a request for feedback on the proof-of-concept, the GSA is now preparing to award full-blown CP contracts. In September, it issued an RFP for operators of “commercially available online platforms that can provide the government with B2B online shopping capabilities”.

There’s a list of requirements that must be met by bidders. One of these is owning, operating and managing an online commercial platform that is widely used in the private sector and has sales with multiple federal government agencies and their cardholders.

Interested parties had until 30 September to submit their proposals. They will be judged based on four factors: platform capabilities, prior experience, a performance work statement document, and a live test demonstration.

The GSA is planning to award multiple contracts. Each will be for a minimum period of 12 months, with four further one-year extension options.

MPS firms acquired

Canada-based Valsoft, a company specialising in the acquisition and development of software firms, has bought Italy’s MPS Monitor and Euroform in Denmark, thereby entering the managed print services (MPS) space.

The two companies are globally recognised as providers of innovative, integrated and secure remote monitoring and management systems available to the print industry. Both have close partnerships and collaborations with all the major players in the printer market.

The keynote speaker was Vicky Pryce, Chief Economic Advisor at CEBR, who guided the audience through the impact of the economic crisis on business. This was followed by a panel featuring industry executives discussing what this means for our sector, upcoming issues, potential future opportunities and the role BOSS can play to help.

Valsoft’s new MPS Vertical business will be led by Nicola De Blasi who, while maintaining his role as CEO of MPS Monitor, will also take on the same position at Euroform.

Vicky Pryce

Prima Software announces merger

ON THE MOVE

ECI names CMO

ECI Software Solutions has hired Chip Coyle as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Coyle will be responsible for building on ECI’s global marketing and demand generation strategy, overseeing its execution across the Americas, EMEA and APAC, and reinvigorating the ECI brand.

UK-based Prima Software and Foresight Technology have merged to deliver enhanced business intelligence (BI) reporting.

Foresight Technology was founded over ten years ago and its solution, VantagePOINT, delivers advanced reporting solutions to some of the largest resellers in the UK. Founder Terry Thurgood will be joining the Prima Board as BI Director and will manage the PowerBI development team in the creation of a new reporting module within the Prima back-office system.

VantagePOINT will be added to the Prima Software product portfolio and rebranded as PrimaVANTAGE. As part of the merger, Chris Geer and Dan Thurgood will also join the Prima team.

ODP to sell corporate HQ

The ODP Corporation (ODP) has agreed to sell its corporate headquarters in Florida. The business products group – which includes the Office Depot retail business in the US – said it has reached a definitive agreement for a sale and partial leaseback of its Boca Raton-based location.

Upon completion of the sale – which is expected by the end of this year – ODP said it “expects” to lease a portion of the building’s office space from the new owner and continue to occupy it as the company’s headquarters for a minimum of two years.

In 2017, ODP (then still known as Office Depot), acquired the site for around $132 million. At the time, CEO Gerry Smith said this strengthened the company’s financial position “by reducing ongoing expenses and providing sustained value in the property”.

ODP did not reveal how much it had sold its headquarters for, but said it will provide additional details of the transaction when it has closed.

Changed role for Lyreco’s Chochoy

Long-standing Lyreco exec Marc Chochoy became Group Marketplace Director at the beginning of September and is now in charge of the reseller’s new online marketplace, a development which is focused on selling sustainable products and services. It’s so far gone live in Italy and will be rolled out into other markets soon.

More hires at OT Group

The UK & Ireland’s OT Group has bolstered its management team with two appointments.

Taking on the role of Head of Digital Solutions is Paulene Samuels, who has moved to OT Group from Office Depot UK, where she spent almost 16 years, most recently helping with the consolidation of Office Depot Europe’s e-commerce team.

Meanwhile, Emma Foster, as Business Solutions Manager, will spearhead OT Group’s goal to take its online product range to three million SKUs – a key part of its Crown Commercial Service framework contract and its wholesaling ambitions with Spicers.

New hygiene leader at Essity

Don Lewis, President of the Professional Hygiene division at global hygiene company Essity, will leave the company by the end of 2022. He has been with the supplier (including when it was known as SCA) for the past 20 years and became President in 2016.

Pablo Fuentes will assume the role, which will now also include responsibility for Latin America Professional Hygiene, from 1 January 2023. Fuentes has been with Essity since 2006, becoming Latin America President in 2016.

Chip Coyle

Paulene Samuels

Don Lewis

Emma Foster Pablo Fuentes

Marc Chochoy

Martin Bentley passes away

OPI was very saddened to learn of the death of Martin Bentley, a popular figure in the UK office products industry in the 1980s and 1990s. He passed away on 23 August, aged 76, after a battle with ill health.

Bentley joined the industry in the mid-1970s, working under Graeme Chapman at ACCO UK – where he soon made a name for himself as a creative marketer and presenter.

After 12 years at ACCO, Bentley moved to leading contract stationer Dudley. He spent another dozen years there before being appointed Managing Director of dealer group Officeteam Europe – a role he only occupied briefly before resigning over a difference of opinion on the direction of the business.

“Martin’s zest for life and enthusiasm rubbed off onto many he came across,” Chapman told OPI. “He had a unique and effective way of communicating […] and will be missed by many.”

FedEx to close stores after revenue miss

FedEx has said it is taking “aggressive” cost reduction actions, including the closure of five corporate office facilities and more than 90 FedEx Office locations. The Office shutdowns represent about 5% of the total store network.

The decision for these measures came on the back of the shipping firm’s preliminary Q1 results and trading outlook for its 2023 financial year (which began on 1 April 2022), issued in mid-September.

It said that first quarter revenue of $23.2 billion was $800 million below its previous forecasts. $500 million of this related to the FedEx Express reporting unit, which was particularly impacted by macroeconomic weakness in Asia and service challenges in Europe, the company said. The remaining $300 million shortfall was from the FedEx Ground segment.

ON THE MOVE

New marketing role at Office Choice Australian dealer group Office Choice has appointed Marcia Allan to the newly created role of General Manager of Marketing, charged with enhancing its current practices and philosophies to improve efficiencies and dealer competitiveness.

Management changes at Egan Reid Egan Reid Group, one of the UK’s largest independent dealers, has announced that former Spicers executive and ZenOffice Managing Director, Bruce Davie, has joined the business.

Davie will work alongside Charlie Reid as joint Managing Director, driving the business forward in a new chapter. Martin Reid and his brother Andrew, who have run the business for several decades since taking over from their late father Jack, will take on the roles of Chairman and CEO, respectively.

Quill President departs Sergio Pereira, President of Quill, has left the Staples Inc-owned online reseller, after 14 years. He joined as CMO and became President of the $1.2 billion business in 2013.

Nectere names new MD UK dealer services company Nectere has appointed long-serving Operations Director Mike O’Reilly as Managing Director, with incumbent Paul Musgrove taking on the role of Chairman.

“It is now time to restructure the Nectere board to provide the range and depth of experience we require to continue our positive growth into new product categories and to maintain our leading-edge systems,” said Musgrove.

Ninestar recruits in Germany China-based Ninestar has opened an office in Germany with a raft of new appointments. Scott Odom – who previously worked at Clover Imaging Group EMEA – has been named Director of Sales and brings with him more than three decades’ experience in sales, marketing and manufacturing in the xerographic and IT industries.

Alongside Odom, additional team members joining Ninestar Europe will be Ralf Megerlin, Uwe Engel, Paula Marques and Tinde Nemet.

Marcia Allan

Bruce Davie

Mike O’Reilly

Sergio Pereira

Scott Odom

Interaction reveals CSR charter

European office supplies purchasing alliance Interaction has launched its first Q-Connect Ecological and Social Responsibility Charter. It outlines how the organisation has built its CSR and ecological credentials over the past 15 years and where it is heading. Interaction is repositioning its Q-Connect brand around sustainability with a focus on the entire supply chain. Its plans centre around three pillars, with each of them also incorporating the relevant United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The three pillars are:

• Valued people: this component comprises providing quality education, enabling people to discover and reach their potential, and ensuring gender equality.

• Meaningful products: this pillar revolves around responsible production and consumption and taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. It will include initial targets of reducing single-use plastic in packaging, using packaging in the most sustainable way and reducing Q-Connect’s ecological footprint by onshoring where possible.

• A better planet: attaining a better planet will mean assisting life on land and below water. Initial targets here encompass encouraging suppliers to make their production more sustainable – with the help of the BEPI self-assessment tool (Business Environmental Performance Initiative) – and, at a later stage, demanding improvement in terms of sustainable production from suppliers.

Lyreco expands electric fleet

Lyreco has invested £2.3 million ($2.6 million) in the expansion of its electric van fleet in the UK, taking the number from 17 to 67. A total of 50 new Ford E-Transit electric vans have been purchased to join the firm’s existing 17 Renault Master Z.E. all-electric light goods vehicles.

The Lyreco EV Fleet is now planned to be deployed across 13 of the firm’s 24 regional distribution centres (RDCs) in the country, in areas including Dartford, Edinburgh, Manchester and Oxford.

The vans at the Lyreco National Distribution Centre site in Telford will be charged by electricity generated by the reseller’s own renewable energy solar panel-powered charging stations.

Lyreco has invested more than £124,000 in charging infrastructure across the RDC network to ensure that vehicles are charged taking advantage of REGO (Renewal Energy Guaranteed Origin) electricity. Plans are currently being put in place to install charging stations at Lyreco’s remaining sites in 2023.

Joint paper cup recycling programme

Stora Enso and packaging company Huhtamaki have launched an industrial-scale recycling programme for paper cups in Europe. Called The Cup Collective, the initiative – claimed to be the first of its kind in Europe – aims to recycle used paper cups on an industrial scale.

Starting in the Benelux region, paper cup collection bins will be available in restaurants, cafés, office buildings and transport hubs in the Brussels and Amsterdam metropolitan areas.

The Cup Collective hopes to recycle half a billion paper cups in the first two years and, as it is designed to be scalable, has the capacity to significantly increase recycling volumes in Europe.

The programme has issued an open invitation for partners from across the supply chain to get involved in working towards a systemic European solution. While it is initially funded by Stora Enso and Huhtamaki, the plan is for the initiative to become self-financing over time.

Mondi tackles plastic pollution

Mondi is among the 80+ organisations – including fellow business supplies companies such as 3M and Kimberly-Clark – to announce a common vision of a circular economy in which plastic never becomes waste or pollution.

The newly launched Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty brings together stakeholders along the plastic value chain to accelerate global action to end plastic pollution in the environment and oceans.

Convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the World Wide Fund for Nature, the coalition plans to develop ambitious policy recommendations, engage with treaty negotiators, and build confidence in the business community on the benefits and necessity of an effective global plastics agreement.

It aims to provide a clear voice in the discussions to find solutions to end plastic pollution and will remain active until the multilateral negotiations on the treaty conclude in 2024.

Thomas Ott, CEO of Flexible Packaging at Mondi, said: “Global challenges such as plastic pollution require global answers. Mondi is proud to join this international coalition because we understand that collaboration is vital to drive progress at scale.

“With our approach of ‘Paper where possible, plastic when useful’, we advocate a holistic approach to sustainability, which is in line with the vision for a circular economy for plastics.”

Through its sustainability framework MAP2030, Mondi has committed to making 100% of its packaging and paper solutions reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 (currently 78% based on revenue and applying Mondi’s Path to Circularity Scorecard criteria).

Manutan extends environmental and social impact offering

European MRO and business supplies reseller Manutan has developed an innovative system to help choose products according to their environmental and social impacts. The approach consists of providing comprehensive information for each product considering five impacts: resource conservation, waste reduction, limiting carbon footprint, users’ health and well-being, and social inclusion.

Customers can identify responsible products with the dedicated logo or by filtering their searches according to the impact(s) that interest them.

The following categories are currently included: cleaning products, bin bags, indoor waste sorting bins, cardboard boxes, protective packaging, workshop chairs, standing stools, stationery and office supplies, and protective work clothing.

Kimball releases ESG report

US-based contract furniture vendor Kimball International has released its 2021 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report – Crafting a Sustainable Future. The report concentrates on five focus areas: environmental management and sustainable products; investing in people with personal development; diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; product quality and safety; and responsible supply chain management. Key goals for 2023 include:

• Reducing combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by the end of fiscal year 2030 from a 2018 baseline.

• Obtaining zero waste certification at three facilities by the end of fiscal year 2025.

• Driving accountability on its supplier expectations, with a set goal to achieve 90% of strategic suppliers signing the Kimball International Business Code of Conduct by the end of fiscal year 2023.

• Hiring diverse talent and enabling it to meet or exceed racial/ethnic representation in the communities served.

• Maintaining its strong culture of ethics and integrity, and increasing visibility in measuring performance, with a set goal to achieve a completion rate of 95% in Ethics and Compliance training for enrolled employees year over year.

TD SYNNEX partners with Treedom

Technology distribution giant TD SYNNEX will plant trees on behalf of all its global co-workers. As part of the company’s first anniversary celebrations – SYNNEX and Tech Data merged in September 2021 – it has partnered with Treedom, a tree-planting platform that funds agroforestry projects, to create a TD SYNNEX forest.

Treedom will plant a tree for each of TD SYNNEX’s 22,000+ employees around the world and will add to the forest one new tree for each person who joins the business. At the outset, the forest will offset close to 5,000 tons of CO2 throughout the trees’ lifespan.

Sustainability award for Ninestar

China-based print giant Ninestar has been recognised for its environmentally friendly products. The company was presented with the 2022 Green Sustainable Development Contribution Award at the International Green Zero-Carbon Festival in Beijing in August.

Ninestar was honoured as a key performer and contributor to helping economic transformation and upgrading, sustainable development, and creating a green, zero-carbon future.

By the end of 2021, 5,808 of the company’s products had been acknowledged by the attestation of Chinese environment mark. In addition, 1,851 Ninestar products received Energy Conservation Certification while 37,343 products comply with RoHS and 35,755 items conform to REACH.

The company said that last year, it had collected, recycled and remanufactured approximately 20 million toner cartridges and 18 million ink cartridges.

In early November, the independent dealer channel (IDC) in the US and its numerous partners and stakeholders will descend on Las Vegas (NV) for Industry Week ’22, run by dealer cooperative Independent Suppliers Group (ISG).

The turnout should be even higher than in the event’s inaugural year in 2021, as COVID concerns continue to diminish and people feel more comfortable travelling and attending large gatherings.

ISG has around 800 members, which is a sizeable chunk of the OP dealer community in the country; although OP is now something of a misnomer given the wide range of products most independents sell these days. ISG itself has been welcoming resellers from other industries – including contract furniture, education and reprographics – as it, too, diversifies its membership.

As for the overall size of the IDC, it is difficult to put an exact number on it. Wholesalers such as Essendant and S.P. Richards are thought to have around 1,300 customers, which may be a useful ballpark figure.

So, as the pandemic disappears into the rearview mirror, how is the IDC faring in a market still getting to grips with trends such as hybrid working and the shift to online, not to mention the current macroeconomic and supply chain issues?

Few people, if any, have a better understanding of the IDC than David Guernsey, a visionary in the sector for over

50 years. Guernsey – the dealership – is part of the Pinnacle group of larger dealers, while Guernsey – the CEO – was recently instrumental in the creation of another entity. The Supply Chain Investment Group is a consortium which aims to improve the competitiveness of the independent channel in a post-pandemic world.

RETURN-TO-OFFICE CHALLENGES

From the perspective of larger dealers across the US, Guernsey points to the slow return to work in large metropolitan areas. In Washington (DC), for instance, which his dealership serves, return-to-office percentages are a measly 38%.

While figures vary around the country, the common denominator is that big cities are suffering the most when it comes to office occupancy, something he attributes to “high-rise buildings and politics”.

Guernsey has a wide panoply of customer types, from car dealerships to government and schools, and the CEO notes a strong correlation between consumption and the number of people in the workplace. And the ‘home’ workplace doesn’t weigh heavily.

“I don’t know a lot of dealers that are having real success with the at-home market,” he says. “You can sell to that home customer; the problem is the orders are very small, and the expenses associated with delivering to those locations are difficult. I’m not aware of a dealer able to do this profitably.”

What kind of footing is the US independent dealer channel on and what are its main challenges and opportunities? OPI’s Andy Braithwaite asks some of the leading lights for their thoughts

David Guernsey

Guernsey has some interesting insight into what companies are doing to provide their employees with supplies for working at home. In many cases, not a lot. His team surveyed several dozen customers, and it turned out only a handful actually reimburse staff for supplies such as ink and stationery used when working from home.

“The way they look at it, employees are making savings on items such as clothes and by not commuting – they don’t need to spend money on gas, so can buy their own supplies,” he explains.

Guernsey believes more people will move back to the workplace again at some stage. Studies have shown that productivity drops off when staff are working from home, something which is going to be a concern to employers, he asserts. “I think they’re going to force workers back into the office on a more substantial basis than exists now.”

Another person with vast experience in the IDC is AOPD Executive Director Mark Leazer. His organisation represents a wide range of dealer sizes, from the $5-$10 million mark to over $100 million in revenue.

“Overall, I would say dealers that have come through the pandemic are doing pretty well,” he states. “There are pockets of struggle and some challenges we have to figure out, but the channel is on a pretty good footing.”

He adds: “It comes down to dealers doing what we consider the right things: investing in technology, staying on top of cost of goods, and finding creative and unique ways for their sales reps to get in front of customers. These are the dealers that are performing well; several are even ‘blowing the doors off’!”

He also points to diversification as one of the keys to success. Furniture, in particular, is an area which has had “tremendous growth” recently, linked not only to a return to the office, but also to customers reimagining their workplaces as a way of retaining staff. He further highlights one AOPD member that has got into the towel laundry business, serving athletics teams and school districts.

“Who would ever have thought of doing this? This whole pivot has extended deeper into some categories than we might have dreamed of a couple of years ago. I really am proud of dealers that do this type of

thing, because it shows the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit independent, locally-owned operators have.”

It’s good news for vendors too, especially those which have diversified their own product mix or focused on specific sub-segments. Acme United is one such operator and has noticed wider adoption of its portfolio.

“Independent resellers have migrated into a whole lot of other product areas,” CEO Walter Johnsen notes. “Today, first aid and safety are the largest segments in our company. We have plenty of dealers selling first aid items that then benefit from the refill business, which is basically an annuity. It’s a built-in, repeat sale and something dealers have figured out.”

DOES SIZE MATTER?

But is there a big difference between larger and smaller dealers in terms of how they have been able to adapt and cope with financial pressures and market trends?

Mike Tucker is Executive Director of the Independent Office Products and Furniture Dealers Association (IOPFDA), which has around 600 members representing various channels in the IDC. He does not believe smaller resellers are struggling in relation to their bigger peers. “I’m not hearing that,” he states. “They’ve got a pretty solid customer base, and I think they’ve adapted the ways they need to service it.”

Scale, of course, can benefit bigger businesses which, Leazer argues, has helped larger independents in the US to better manage price increases. “They’ve got staff to stay on top of this,” he highlights. “Smaller dealers have people – often even the owners – who may wear multiple hats. When you have price increases coming at you monthly, as opposed to quarterly in the past, it’s harder to deal with. Some dealers have struggled to get cost increases implemented in a way which keeps their margins healthy.”

With the members of ISG in mind, CEO Mike Gentile admits that, in some cases, the healthier balance sheets of larger dealers stood them in better stead. “However, I don’t want to minimise or take away from the results of the small-to-mid-sized dealers,” he adds. “They have exhibited an impressive level of resourcefulness, and most of them were able to pivot very quickly, particularly by introducing new product categories, increasing their direct buy and utilising their sales force more effectively.” (For more views from Mike Gentile, see page 24)

Barry Lane, VP Sales of Commercial at Avery, also points to how dealers in the US have made strategic and structural changes

There are pockets of struggle and some challenges we have to figure out, but the [independent] channel is on a pretty good footing

Mark Leazer

For the purpose of this article, IOPFDA Executive Director Mike Tucker canvassed opinion from the organisation’s membership –dealers, distributors, suppliers and service providers – about the current status quo of the IDC. Here is a summary of their responses:

The positives

• Forward-thinking dealers are stronger – they have found new categories to offset OP declines, and better understand the ‘cost to do’ side of business.

• Staying on top of price increases and recognising that customers now expect them.

• Remaining nimble, adding ancillary products and expanding into new markets via acquisitions.

• Rethinking sales roles and compensation plans.

• More reliance on technology and data in decision making.

• Continuing to provide great customer service.

• Making processes more efficient and better communicating with customers.

• Emphasising local sourcing and essential business status.

Room for improvement

• Many dealers are stretched thin because of challenges in hiring and retaining employees.

• Keeping up in the digital world and stopping leakage to marketplaces.

• Dealing with small orders; household deliveries are a struggle.

• Resisting the urge to be everything to everybody.

to their business models. “I’m impressed with their willingness to shake up the decades-old ‘feet on the street’ sales model in favour of a more advanced combination of technology and inside sales, for example,” he says.

For Guernsey, keeping his eyes on the sales ball has been a key theme on a number of levels. It has included retiring a few salespeople who were no longer productive and hiring younger reps, for instance.

He explains: “In some cases, sales folks were on what I call a ‘glide path’ – riding their OP volumes and the income which comes with it until they retire. It’s a problem because they’re not selling new categories and supporting customers as well as they should.”

This ‘glide’ mentality can lead to a lack of new business, something which is potentially exacerbated by the generation gap between these experienced reps and younger buyers. “We need people who are prospecting and opening up accounts,” affirms Guernsey.

Tucker agrees it is a “tough transition” for reps who may be in their 60s to adopt new ways of working. “A lot of successful salespeople have built up large books of business and relationships that are almost like family,” he states. “When they are happily farming and mining what they’ve developed over the years, getting them to accept something like a new CRM system is not easy.”

Adapting to novel ways of communicating with customers and prospecting for business goes hand in hand with those transition challenges. As Leazer notes: “Several dealers are trying to figure out what to do about lead generation. Not a lot of people have been knocking on doors and making cold calls because of the pandemic.

“But how should they market online? What software should they use? What’s the best technology? There are obviously many different avenues to explore and some of them are quite expensive. Dealers are adapting to that.

Some have decided to go to more inside sales which has, in a few cases, meant outside reps are falling by the wayside. There’s still a fleshing-out period going on in terms of how dealers go to market with their sales forces, and this will evolve going forward. I’m not sure anyone has come up with the ‘secret sauce’ yet and peer sharing can play an important role here.”

OPPORTUNITY ABOUNDS

The ‘sweet spot’ for the IDC has traditionally been mid-market customers – a profitable segment that has increasingly attracted the interest of larger resellers over the years. As the likes of Office Depot and Staples deal with their own challenges, is there a renewed opportunity for independents to strike back? Guernsey certainly thinks so.

“In our market, there is a shrinking number of competitors and those left have changed dramatically,” he notes. “The sales forces at Staples, Office Depot and WB Mason are very different today than they were pre-pandemic. And, in many cases, they’re not out ‘touching’ the customer.

“[An inside model] is fine as long as you can be responsive to customers’ needs. We are finding this is not the case and there are customers which are not enamoured with the levels of service they are receiving. It’s definitely an opportunity, so we need to be out there hunting that business.”

Lane believes independent dealers are still the bedrock of the OP industry with “more opportunities than ever before”.

“More than at any other time in my career, I am impressed with the exceptional, cross-functional talent in executive and leadership roles. If we take the time to listen, learn what this new generation of leadership is thinking and saying, and apply the wisdom of their parents or grandparents, it’s a powerful combination – which positions these forward-thinking dealers favourably against all forms of competition.”

Mike Tucker

Having said that, complacency is not an option and there’s plenty of work to be done. “The benefits of reducing complexity, streamlining administrative processes, optimising resources and eliminating worn-out legacy practices should be taken more seriously. And it should start with us, the manufacturers, and our wholesaler friends,” Lane argues, issuing a strong call for action.

“I repeat what I referred to at the OPI Global Forum in Chicago earlier this year. Looking squarely in the mirror as I say this, many of us created the current pricing model which exists today. I believe structural change needs to be discussed, debated and implemented.

“Avery wants independents to be strong, profitable and competitive, and to remain an important segment of our customer portfolio.

I suggest we take our legacy of strong and effective collaboration and have a forum where we discuss ‘what is right’ versus ‘who is right’. And dealers need to weigh in and voice their level of interest in exploring the options.”

STEPPING UP TO AFFECT CHANGE

He concludes: “My suggestion is grounded in one basic principle: to step up to our current multichannel reality and implement change. In the process, we allow dealers to compete and grow, while selling our brands in a highly competitive consumer environment.”

Challenges and opportunities have been part and parcel of the IDC for generations, and there will certainly be much for the current crop of leaders to wrap their arms around during Industry Week in November.

A BRIGHT future ahead

Independent Suppliers Group (ISG) CEO Mike Gentile discusses the current state of its membership and looks ahead to this year’s Industry Week.

OPI: Mike, what are your thoughts on the overall health of the independent dealer channel (IDC), especially with all that has happened over the past couple of years?

Mike Gentile: I think in a very peculiar and unanticipated way, the pandemic served a purpose for the IDC and our entire industry. Everyone talks about the need to change and wants to see it, but with one major exception: most people do not want to change themselves; they would like everyone else to do it for their benefit. Life does not happen that way. If I want to improve my health, I have to do it myself; I cannot depend on someone else.

Dealers needed to find ways to become healthier – having a stronger balance sheet, reducing their direct operating expenses, creating added value to their end-user customers. All of those things were led by behavioural change.

For example, many dealers were forced to sell product categories they had never even shown an interest in before. They were also obliged to evaluate the effectiveness of their outside B2B sales model. Several concluded that the traditional outside sales rep model

no longer made sense. No one was working in an office, so there wasn’t any need to see a sales rep. Additionally, most reps weren’t really prospecting or even servicing active customers. Many dealers looked closely at their operations to see what they could do to streamline processes.

Overall, the pandemic forced long overdue changes which were previously ignored but were suddenly required. Understandably, some ISG members were challenged in addressing all of the above, but most of them, with our help, were able to pivot and do what had to be done. COVID-19 essentially forced us to look at things differently. More of the same – MOTS –– just did not work anymore.

OPI: You said most dealers took action? MG: They took significant action, and we see it in our numbers. We launched a campaign called Buy Direct Sell Brands, and we are seeing our direct buy purchases from key manufacturers increase.

Not that we do not believe there is a role for wholesale; of course, there is. The wholesalers in our industry provide tremendous value in terms of logistical support and product availability. However, for dealers to gain greater control over their margins and operating profit, they need to strike a healthy balance between buying direct versus wholesale.

Barry Lane

Mike Gentile

We developed a number of programmes to assist them in achieving that. Many of our key suppliers that do not subscribe to the MOTS philosophy I’ve just referred to helped us.

They asked what they could do and we responded: “How about expanding your product offering to the IDC? Let us sell product you normally do not sell in this channel. You sell it to the mass market, so let our members buy it. What does it matter if the wholesalers do not stock the SKU? Our members know how to special order. Freight has gone up, we understand that, but let us look to develop more creative drop-ship programmes.”

Therefore, these suppliers now have a number of new initiatives within our Buy Direct Sell Brands campaign that have resulted in increased direct buy purchases.

OPI: That is a positive because one of the things we have been talking about for years is the narrow breadth of products dealers are able to sell. What about the online content for these growing ranges?

MG: You’re giving me a headache early in the morning! But seriously, it’s one of my biggest concerns. I have made a couple of promises in areas where I would like to try seriously improve – e-content is one of these.

I previously talked about ‘Dealers’ Digital Dilemma’, and we are making progress. There are technology providers in the industry now that weren’t around years ago when Mike Maggio (as President of TriMega) and I tried to implement a strategy. The objective was to provide our members with additional products and the respective e-content loads which are not in the wholesalers’ files.

There is clearly end-user demand for those products; the only reason they’re not in the current wholesalers’ load is something I call the ‘wholesalers’ paradigm’ – they will only build and disseminate content to dealers based on what they stock, not on end-user demand.

Our competitors do not go to market with that philosophy. They – Staples, Office Depot, Amazon, etc – build content based upon demand. However, we’re making progress with a number of new entrants into our channel, and are beginning to have renewed discussions with the wholesalers and third-party vendors. This can be a win-win-win.

OPI: Where do the wholesalers fit in here?

MG: The wholesalers are critical to our success and fit in by agreeing to load the content of product categories they do not currently stock and empowering their customers – our members – to be able to go to market with a much broader offering. That will make

the dealer healthier. At the same time, if there’s demand, the wholesaler could then merchandise and stock and distribute the product. Everyone wins!

We are competing against behemoths out there, and our members are doing it with one hand tied behind their backs. But people are looking at the bigger picture now. I am confident that, with the collaborative discussions we have been having, we are getting there.

OPI: Would you say your membership is in a stronger position now than two years ago?

MG: Definitely. I know this from the results of ISG’s key strategic objectives – we measure everything. Our membership has grown, and Direct Buy purchases have increased. We have added over 30 additional suppliers during the past two years. Our group membership is more diversified than ever, which tells me people are finding value in ISG.

OPI: Hybrid working – what does it mean for independent resellers, in terms of serving their customers?

MG: I call it WFA – work from anywhere. People are working from their cars, tents, beach homes or wherever there are. It is here to stay. What percentage? Who knows. It is going to change constantly based on the economy and the operational needs of companies as well as their ability to recruit and retain talent.

Our industry has to continue to evaluate what the hybrid environment has done to product demand, in terms of packaging, price points and assortment.

OPI: How could your members reach this WFA customer more easily?

MG: Well, one of the benefits of them attending Industry Week is they that will be able to network with other dealers and share ideas and best practices. Something the pandemic did for us as a group was get us closer to our members actually. It forced us to interact more frequently, albeit virtually, with them through programmes like ‘Discover Your Next Move’ and our SMART (sell, market, attract, retain, train) supplier series.

For dealers to gain greater control over their margins and operating profit, they need to strike a healthy balance between buying direct versus wholesale

OPI: We are living in an inflationary environment, and there is talk of a recession. Is that a concern?

MG: It is. We are not seeing it as dramatically as perhaps some people are projecting, particularly in the contract furniture business. We continue to experience supply chain issues, especially with technology products.

As interest rates go up, will that force downward pressure which could increase unemployment rates, decrease discretionary spending, and put more emphasis on cost controls? Possibly, but we’ve managed through many of these cycles.

OPI: What about buy local? Supporting local businesses was in the spotlight during COVID. Is it an opportunity going forward?

MG: Yes. We have a session called ‘Buy Local, Support Local’ during Industry Week to help members implement innovative strategies in their region. Their local presence is one of the most important assets dealers have.

OPI: What is happening with M&A? I am not aware of a lot of acquisitions within the independent channel.

MG: We do see ISG members acquiring other ISG members. There has not been much M&A activity from Staples and Depot. Discussions are taking place, but the industry is in a recovery phase, with very specific challenges.

OPI: Is this good news for you, especially in areas like national accounts?

MG: Absolutely. Our members are able to recruit talent where it makes sense. We have seen it in our EPIC Business Essentials national accounts programme, particularly with our public sector contract with OMNIA Partners, our healthcare contracts with

Premier and CHAMPS and our most recently awarded GSA contract.

OPI: Something that was discussed at the OPI Global Forum in May was the issue of pricing and vendor programmes. Is it a thorny issue?

MG: This is where the Buy Direct Sell Brands strategy makes sense. If a dealer wants to have greater control over its cost of goods and margins, the best strategy is to buy from manufacturers and support their brands.

Vendors would like to have more direct relationships with dealers, and we try to encourage that. Here again, it is a question of finding a healthy balance between the manufacturer, the wholesaler and the dealer.

OPI: We are also seeing more manufacturers selling direct to end consumers. What is your view on that?

MG: This question sums up many issues I have referred to. If manufacturers can’t reach the consumer that they design and make products for because of ‘channel obstacles’, such as dealers not having easy access to content or product, then what choice are they left with?

If people are complaining about manufacturers selling direct, then it is because they are not delivering creative solutions to reach the end user themselves. Dealers must find ways to demonstrate their value, so a customer isn’t left with a ‘choice’ to just point, click and buy direct from a manufacturer versus everything a local dealership offers.

OPI: Finally, what’s on your to-do list for the next 12 months, Industry Week aside?

MG: As I said, trying to bridge the technology issues we have in the IDC is right up there. I sincerely would like to create more synergistic and collaborative relationships with our wholesalers and with AOPD. We have done that with Industry Week by combining our one-on-ones with AOPD.

We hope to continue to do this in 2023, and to further broaden the membership base of ISG through acquisitions and alliances.

If people are complaining about manufacturers selling direct, then it is because they are not delivering creative solutions [...] themselves

Change is the ONLY CONSTANT

Let’s start with some stats. Last year, we had an unprecedented 22 new entries in our Top 100; this year, it’s one more still – 23. Compared to pre-COVID, only 59 personalities remain from our 2019 list – a sure indication of how a global pandemic affects change.

That’s not to say 41 operators or individuals have disappeared – this is most definitely not the case. But when the OPI team got together to discuss – at great length – who’s in and who’s out of the Top 100, a couple of points came up time and again.

The first one: end consumer demands are changing – what they want in their working lives, in product terms, has gone way beyond office products, even the broader term of business supplies. Workplace solutions and services is perhaps an apt description.

Secondly, the pool of companies they procure these products from has grown immeasurably, and with it, so has the wider, addressable supply chain. This is down to many reasons: breadth of portfolio, availability, price, ease of transaction and convenience as well as speed are only some of them. The Top 100 needed to reflect both those evolving circumstances.

BROADENING HORIZONS

Just as the progressive operators from our ‘traditional’ industry have been branching out into adjacent categories to serve existing as well as new customer segments, so ‘outsiders’ are increasingly muscling in – and doing so successfully.

It is our remit to highlight those players that are making an impact. This is why you will find in this year’s list, in addition to candidates from prior years, not only incoming leaders of already well-known and established firms in our space – think Costas Gerardos, Anders Larsson and Mike O'Reilly, for instance.

Instead, there’s also a selection of entirely new organisations and their heads. Conrad Electronic, OptiGroup, RS Components, Unite and eBay are such newbies.

STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD

The following pages cover the whole spectrum. What these individuals and companies have in common is that they are doing something special. It could be highly accomplished family succession – there are several examples of this – outstanding revenue growth organically and/or through acquisitions, e-commerce excellence or successful penetration into this industry.

Of course, this is just a mere snapshot of the whole Top 100 (see page 36 for the full list). But it aptly illustrates two core issues: the absolute necessity to have young blood first coming into our sector and ultimately leading it; and the irrevocable importance of e-commerce and all aspects of digitisation.

Any operator addressing these challenges successfully will likely reap the rewards.

As our industry evolves at pace, so does the Top 100 list of personalities who shape it. Diversification in all its guises is the name of the game

It is our remit to highlight those players that are making an impact

2021 marked the transition of sisters Amie and Belinda Lyone into the role of co-CEOs of Australia’s largest family-owned B2B workplace supplies company COS.

The pair succeeded their father, Dominique Lyone, who moved into the position of Chairman after founding the firm 45 years ago. Since then, COS has been on an incredible growth path for the past decade, which has included several acquisitions such as the purchase of Lyreco Australia in 2018 and the country’s second-largest independent dealer Quick Corporate Australia which COS bought last year.

The sisters both took jobs outside of the business first at the start of their careers, but have amassed decades of experience at COS since. Their complementary skills set them up perfectly to lead the dealership into the future. This year, the duo has strengthened its position in the education vertical with the purchase of JI Office & Education, with ambitious plans to grow further both organically and via acquisitions.

“We believe our purpose has never been more relevant – keeping Aussie workers healthy, safe and productive,” say Belinda and Amie, especially following the coronavirus crisis.

KENNETH BORUP, CEO, LOMAX

It’s been a busy year so far for Danish e-commerce office supplier Lomax under the leadership of CEO Kenneth Borup. Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2022, Lomax is on the verge of another milestone event with the planned acquisition by French operator Lyreco.

The deal – currently in the hands of the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority – is not expected to close until Q1 2023. But even then, the plan is to initially remain independent in terms of both resellers’ brand portfolios. The idea, said Lyreco CEO Greg Liénard, is to “learn from each other and see what works best for our respective customers”.

Lomax’s achievements over the past few years have been quite remarkable. It has posted CAGR of 32% since 2019, driven by an influx of new B2B customers – primarily in the SMB segment – excellent client retention with very low drop-off rates and increasing spend of those clients. Total sales last year stood at €125 million ($124 million).

It speaks to the success of Lomax’s digital transformation that it attracted a buyer

“COVID represented a challenging time in the B2B space as working from home became the norm. However, COS identified an opportunity to support the essential workers of Australia during the pandemic and has focused on helping its customers return to the office through pivoting our product ranges across platforms.”

As a family-owned business, COS is investing in Australia for the long term. Leading the path to net zero, the dealer has the largest solar farm in the industry and has begun an electric van trial in its Canberra fleet.

The family is also passionate about giving back with a transparent philanthropic commitment through the Lyone Foundation, which supports Australian charities focused on human welfare. In 2023, it will celebrate ten years, with over A$13 million ($8.4 million) donated from COS.

From left: Amie and Belinda Lyone

of Lyreco’s calibre, an operator which, incidentally, is not known for its e-commerce prowess. Once a traditional mail order company, Lomax now attributes more than 90% of revenues to its online activities, driven by a leading e-commerce platform.

In terms of customer base, there’s little overlap, meaning that, if the deal is approved as anticipated, Lyreco will be able to cover the full client spectrum in Denmark, from one-man bands – completely outside its realm at present – to large multinationals. As Borup says: “It’s a good fit because our two companies are different and complement each other. Whereas Lomax targets the SMB market through e-commerce, Lyreco goes after the bigger players and the public institutions with contract sales.”

With Lomax likely coming under the Lyreco umbrella, there’s arguably a sense of déjà vu for Borup, who has been with the company for 23 years, serving the last five of those as CEO. But he started his career as a trainee at Danish office supplier Barfod in 1997 – bought by Lyreco in 1998!

UDO BÖTTCHER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, BÖTTCHER

Böttcher is a company that continues to impress – with excellent financial results, outstanding credentials as an employer and a real thirst to invest and become even better.

Over the past year, under the continuing leadership of Managing Director Udo Böttcher, it’s delivered on all of the above expertly. In Q1, the German online reseller announced a sales increase of 16% for 2021, bringing revenues to €580 million ($576 million) – another record year.

Fully aware that this level of success is in no small measure the result of dedicated performance and commitment by its staff – and also addressing soaring inflation – Böttcher rewarded its employees with significant salary increases across various pay scales.

Already recognised as a company which offers above-average remuneration as well as other employee benefits, attracting talent is always high on the agenda. And that’s never been more important than this year when Böttcher completed its €100 million expansion project, in the process recruiting a further 80 staff to its previous tally of 600.

It was in August when the online reseller formerly inaugurated its highly automated new facilities which add more than 90,000 sq m (900,000 sq ft) in warehouse space and 7,000 sq m in offices. With a typical turnaround time of one hour – from receipt of order to ready for dispatch – Böttcher is aiming to ship 120,000 parcels daily from the new site, in addition to another 30,000 from its existing premises in the same town.

COVID-19 has been a well-documented enormous catalyst for the phenomenal surge in online shopping. And while Böttcher has hugely benefited from its early-mover advantage, it’s also seen capacity constraints, speeding up the need for additional space.

It hasn’t hindered quality and service, however. In a recent survey that investigated customer satisfaction of online shops, Böttcher was among the top-rated in the ‘office’ category.

SÖREN GAARDBOE, CEO, OPTIGROUP

Headed by CEO Sören Gaardboe, OptiGroup has been blazing along the acquisition trail in recent years. Having joined the firm in 2006, Gaardboe became CEO in March 2019, having formerly occupied the position of COO.

Following a new strategic approach adopted in 2016, the Northern European packaging and facilities supplies wholesaler has successfully transitioned from a traditional paper wholesaler to a modern B2B distributor. This has been achieved through organic growth, acquisitions and divestments that no longer fit with its long-term aims.

Since the start of 2021, the distributor has bought nine companies, four of these occurring this year. The purchases cover the breadth of the group’s three divisions –facility, safety and foodservice; packaging; and paper and business supplies. They have expanded its presence in its home country of Sweden, as well as in Norway, Denmark, Hungary and Benelux. The company now has well-established brands in 16 countries. Revenues currently stand at just over €1 billion ($994 million).

There has also been a change of ownership. In late 2021, private equity firm FSN Capital took over OptiGroup – it was previously owned by Altor Fund II and Triton Fund II since 2008 and then also by RoosGruppen from 2017.

To continue its growth and development – partly geographically and partly by making its offering broader and more sustainable – the group has identified several strategic focus areas. These comprise sustainability, digitisation, cash conversion, acquisitions and synergies, organic growth and leading customer offerings.

Some key objectives include growing own brands to 30% of sales within the facility, safety and foodservice division; e-commerce to account for over 50% of orders; and operating cash flow in relation to adjusted EBITDA to amount to 90%.

COSTAS GERARDOS, CEO, PLAISIO

Costas Gerardos has been working at Greek reseller Plaisio since 2003, starting as a salesman. In 2017, he became joint CEO and, aptly supported by his father George Gerardos, for several years worked in tandem with the company’s founder and industry veteran. George Gerardos moved to the Chairman position at the beginning of 2021, at the time handing over all day-to-day operations to his son.

Plaisio has long been known for its multichannel focus, interest in digitisation and appetite for continuous investments – not a common combination in the Greek market. And for that progressiveness it’s once again been reaping the benefits in a hugely challenging climate. For the financial year ended 31 December 2021, Plaisio reported sales of €437 million ($435 million), up 23.2% from the previous year – or 18.2% excluding the effect of subsidised sales under the ‘Digital Access’ programme. EBITDA increased a robust 49.6% to €19.9 million.

According to the CEO, the positive results – after an almost two-year pandemic period –

ELINA PIENIMÄKI, CEO, WULFF GROUP

Wulff Group CEO Elina Pienimäki is one of just 12 female personalities in our current Top 100. It’s a number that’s gone up significantly since we first published this list in 2000, but nevertheless a somewhat sad indictment of a still hugely male-dominated industry – and something we, at OPI, will be paying more attention to in the coming months.

Pienimäki joined the Finland-based reseller in 2019. Since then, she has certainly made her mark on the company, internationally speaking perhaps mostly so with the purchase of Staples’ Finnish operations in May 2021. Attracting much press coverage at the time, the deal was regarded as a real scoop, with Wulff paying a mere €6 million ($6 million) for the operation, including €1 million in cash.

As Pienimäki said in the Big Interview with OPI (see OPI July/August 2022, page 18): “Was it a bargain? It was the price we were willing to pay for that company and the price Cerberus Capital was willing to sell it for.”

Integration is due to be completed by the end of 2023, with Pienimäki referring to the process being ahead of schedule at present. And more M&A is highly likely in all countries where Wulff has a presence – Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

were due to two main reasons. Firstly, the existence of a highly advanced logistics and e-commerce infrastructure which was firmly established long before COVID-19, thereby positioning the reseller well from the outset.

Even more important, said Gerardos, was the collective effort of Plaisio’s entire team throughout the pandemic, irrespective of individuals’ positions and often carried out in very difficult conditions. It was rewarded with a bonus payment to all staff which amounted to a total of €1 million.

And there’s no stopping the Plaisio machine: a further €10 million are currently being invested by this impressive operator.

Pienimäki is well placed to execute the reseller’s strong focus on further acquisitions. And they will be much needed given its ambition to reach €200 million in sales by 2026 – more than doubling current revenues of €90 million and equating to an annual growth rate of 15-20%.

In terms of customer base, there are two specific target audiences. One is served by its Contract Customers and the other by its Expertise Sales division. Contract – typically large corporate customers, government and public sector companies – is all about delivering a wide range of workplace products to customers. Expertise Sales, meanwhile, is more to do with Wulff’s active and strong sales force and a sales channel that operates locally; this division is also less transactional and more service orientated.

INGO SCHMIDT, MANAGING DIRECTOR, PLATE

When Ingo Schmidt took the top job at German reseller Plate in January 2021, he was tasked with filling the mighty boots of his father who sadly passed away a month later.

Dieter Schmidt had led the company for over 50 years and as such, it was no surprise that the succession, though coordinated and planned, created some ripples which took a while to smooth out. Throw a global pandemic into the mix and those ripples could easily have turned into a tsunami.

This, however, was not the case under the leadership of Schmidt Jnr, not least because of Plate’s deeply-rooted stability as well as strong customer loyalty. The latter, says the operator, has been particularly important most recently given ever-growing inflation and an energy crisis which is putting intense pressure on so many businesses.

Revenues remain stable at approximmately €90 million ($89 million) despite the loss of some customers which couldn’t weather the COVID storm and its ongoing aftermath. In terms of product demand, Plate continues to benefit from pandemic-related items – masks

DR SEBASTIAN WIESER, CEO, UNITE

Dr Sebastian Wieser founded Germany-based B2B e-procurement platform Unite (formerly Mercateo) in 2000. Since then, the company has grown from the initial four people to 700 employees in 15 countries across Europe, with revenues of more than €400 million ($397 million) in 2021.

Mercateo embarked on the process of rebranding and integrating its two operational sides – Mercateo and Unite – at the end of 2021 to the new corporate name Unite. Mercateo is utilised for spot buying, framework agreements and volume purchasing etc, while the Unite networking platform – launched in 2017 – is designed to create relationships including negotiations on pricing and services. It also incorporates the Unite B2B network which directly connects suppliers with buyers.

Dr Wieser was one of the early players in e-procurement in Europe. He began his entrepreneurial journey after a previous career as an IT Strategy Consultant for McKinsey. His goal was to provide a scalable platform for e-procurement where buyers and sellers could transact transparently and sustainably, based on a strong, collaborative network.

Several features have proven incredibly important – from dynamic pricing to

and test kits, for instance – that compensate to some extent for considerable reductions in some categories.

Paper is one of these due to spiralling price increases as well as accelerating digitisation. As the year progresses and moves into winter in the northern hemisphere, political agendas in Germany will likely dictate a greater importance of temporarily subdued COVID products again, according to Schmidt.

On top of this, Plate is heavily pushing existing, but previously marginal categories – in terms of customer awareness – such as hygiene and furniture.

One of the challenges the dealer constantly has to overcome is the lingering, and likely ongoing, prominence of homeworking within its core target audience of mid-sized businesses. It creates a considerable percentage of discretionary spend that goes to a variety of online operators.

It’s not a lack of ability by Plate to serve the homeworking employee, says Schmidt, but often a lethargic employer attitude towards solving the discretionary spend problem.

the Mercateo Procurement Portal and the BusinessShop solution.

With its platform, Unite offers a 360° approach to provide access to the right goods at the best price, especially during times of unpredictability.

“Global markets remain impacted by the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues. We’ve given our buyers and suppliers a reliable B2B platform with a strong ecosystem and network. This is in high demand in today’s volatile market environment,” says Wieser.

A new business component – Unite Financial Services – was launched at the end of last year in Estonia, with operations due to start in Q4 2022. This subsidiary is designed to provide financial services to Unite’s platform users.

MARK FISHER, CEO, ENVOY SOLUTIONS

In October 2020, Mark Fisher was named CEO of Envoy Solutions, a US distributor and solutions provider in jan/san, foodservice, packaging and marketing execution. It was the same year that Envoy Solutions was established, the result of North American Corporation and WAXIE Sanitary Supply formalising their partnership with FEMSA, a global leader in production, retail and logistics.

Under Fisher’s leadership, the firm has rapidly grown its geographic footprint from coast to coast, multiplying its revenues with the acquisition of 20 distributors. The most recent purchases include Florida-based Janitor's Closet, Knight Marketing in New York and HT Berry from Massachusetts.

He says the multibillion-dollar operation is redefining distribution by leveraging

LAUREN JONES, CEO, THE SUPPLY ROOM

Founded in 1951, The Supply Room is currently the second-largest independent dealer in the US and the biggest in the state of Virginia. A third-generation family-owned and operated business, it is furthermore a SWaM-certified (small, women- and minority-owned) supplier.

Lauren Jones took on the CEO role at the beginning of 2019, four years after joining the company. She has overseen the rebranding of its Lawrence Environmental division to the Facility Operations unit and introduced a new department that focuses on medical sales.

This year, The Supply Room has been focused on acquisitions. The first, in January, saw the purchase of Source Office & Technology, a significant player in the Denver, Colorado, market. Founded in 1990

DENNIS RIFFER, CEO, AFFLINK

A first-time entrant to the Top 100, sales and marketing organisation AFFLINK has earned its place in our list through its growing importance in the business supplies industry.

An expert in supply chain management services, it connects suppliers from a wide range of industries – packaging, janitorial, safety, foodservice, office products and MRO –with independent distribution specialists.

Under the leadership of CEO Dennis Riffer, AFFLINK has forged strong relationships with our sector, notably with Independent Suppliers Group. The alliance began in 2017, with both parties keen to strengthen it further as diversification becomes ever more important.

the strengths of regional companies on a common platform of world-class products and services. “Our mission is to make facilities cleaner and more sustainable, people safer, and operations more productive, every day.”

Through its differentiated business model, Envoy Solutions provides clients with an expanded product portfolio at national level while maintaining the highest standard of customer intimacy locally.

In 2022, the company launched its exclusive brand, KleenLine, in new markets across the US.

Envoy also has a strong focus on community-building initiatives. Earlier this year, it introduced its Adopt-a-School campaign, cleaning buildings and providing janitorial supplies for over 22 schools across the US.

by industry peer John Givens, Source is a key asset for the dealer, marking the expansion of the business outside of its mid-Atlantic region. It continues to operate under its own name as a division of The Supply Room.

A purchase closer to home builds on the company’s jan/san expertise. Beach Chemical and Paper, a veteran-owned facilities and foodservice reseller headquartered in Virginia Beach, was bought in August.

Says Jones: “As The Supply Room navigated through 2022, strategic acquisitions have been a major part of our growth strategy. While there have been numerous challenges, especially related to supply chain and workforce stability, we are excited for our company’s collective opportunity heading into 2023.”

Riffer has over 30 years of experience in the field of supply chain management for global corporations, having served as General Manager for Kimberly-Clark and Director of Global Accounts for Scott Paper before joining AFFLINK in 2003.

His plans for the group are ambitious – he wants to grow the business fivefold in the next five years. A tough ask, he admits, considering the industry is still navigating the choppy waters of ongoing mergers, acquisitions and post-pandemic supply chain issues.

But, with a proactive and forward-looking attitude, it’s eminently feasible, he believes. One of the most recent initiatives Riffer

has spearheaded – in response to increasingly devolving B2B buying habits – is the creation of an AFFLINK-powered marketplace.

The Elevate Marketplace offers an endless aisle of everyday items to at-home employees and microbusinesses. Given its extensive network of over 200 suppliers, competitive pricing is core to this online storefront and regarded as a vital differentiator.

KENNETH SWEDER, CEO, BRADYIFS

Another new entry into the 2022 Top 100 list, it was less than two years ago that Brady Industries and Individual Foodservice (IFS) merged to become one of the largest independent jan/san supplies and foodservice distributors in the US.

The deal came about following private equity firm Kelso & Company acquiring a majority stake in IFS in October 2019. Kenneth Sweder, then CEO of Kelso-owned speciality tool and fastener distributor SouthernCarlson – incidentally now owned by Kyocera – was appointed Chairman of the board at IFS. In July 2020, he became CEO.

A few months later, in December 2020, Kelso/IFS acquired Brady Industries, significantly boosting both businesses’ activities in terms of customers, combined facilities, distribution footprint, product portfolios and geographic diversification.

This is another hugely acquisitive operator which is reaching into the business supplies space. Under Sweder’s watch as CEO of the new BradyIFS entity, he has overseen eight acquisitions, expanding the company’s reach across the country and enhancing its core categories of jan/san, packaging and foodservice supplies.

The latest purchase, made in July, was New York-based Hill & Markes, a reseller of jan/san, industrial packaging, foodservice, farm and office products to various market segments around the US. The addition of Hill & Markes to the fold has pushed BradyIFS’ annual sales to more than $1.3 billion.

Other acquisitions this year include two New Jersey-based firms – Camden Bag and Paper and SupplyitAll – while BradyIFS also expanded its presence in the Southeast with Georgia-based Associated Paper.

AUSTRALASIA/SOUTH AFRICA

Trevor Girnun Managing Director, Waltons

Nick Grayston Group CEO, The Warehouse Group

Sarah Hunter Managing Director, Officeworks

Adam Joy CEO, Office Brands

Peter Kelly CEO, Winc

Amie & Belinda Lyone Co-CEOs, COS

Craig Noyle & Gary McCluskey Directors, Inovocom

Brad O’Brien CEO, Office Choice

NEW Anne-Marie Sutton CEO, NXP

NEW Paul Yardley Managing Director, GNS Wholesale Stationers

EUROPE

Adriano Alessio General Manager, In Ufficio Andrew Beaumont Managing Director, Exertis Supplies

Tim Beaumont Managing Director, Nemo Office Club Carlos & Rafael Benavides Managing Directors, Comercial del Sur Dominique Bernard Managing Director, ADVEO Laurent Bertrand CEO, Lacoste Dactyl Bureau & École

Peter Birks CEO, Ryman

NEW Kenneth Borup CEO, Lomax

Udo Böttcher Managing Director, Böttcher Robert Brech Managing Director, Kaut-Bullinger Jeanette Bresitz Managing Director, Office Friendly

NEW Ralf Bühler CEO, Conrad Electronic

Rui Carvalho CEO, Firmo

Richard Coulson CEO, Complete Simon Drakeford CEO, EO Group

Frank Egholm CEO, Office Depot Nordics

Dr Benedikt Erdmann Chairman, Soennecken

Dan Fati CEO, Dacris

László Fehér Managing Director, Corwell

NEW Sören Gaardboe CEO, OptiGroup

NEW Costas Gerardos CEO, Plaisio Xavier Guichard CEO, Manutan

NEW Per Hansson CEO, AllOffice Steve Haworth CEO, EVO Group of Companies Joe Hemani Chairman, Westcoast José Hernández Sanchez General Manager, Carlin

NEW Kai-Uwe Heuer & Axel Hennemann Managing Directors, Büroring

Arthur & Simone Hindmarch Managing Directors, Commercial Group Andrew Jones CEO, OT Group

Danièle Kapel-Marcovici CEO, RAJA Group

NEW Anders Larsson Managing Director, RKV Greg Liénard CEO, Lyreco

NEW Pete Malpas President EMEA, RS Components

Aidan McDonough Managing Director, Integra Business Solutions

Michael Müller SVP Vendor Management, ALSO Group

Patrick Murphy CEO, Codex

NEW Mike O’Reilly Managing Director, Nectere

Vaida Pacauskienė Managing Director, Officeday

Bruno Peyroles CEO, Bureau Vallée

Elina Pienimäki CEO, Wulff Group

NEW Johann Pintarich CEO, Office World Group

Nicolas Potier Managing Director, Bruneau

Laurent Proy Managing Director, Alkor Group Ferdinando Rese President, Errebian

NEW Andreas Reuter CEO, Schäfer Shop

Richard Scharmann CEO, PBS Holding Hans Schmid President, Printus

Ingo Schmidt Managing Director, Plate Jean-Yves Sebaoun Managing Director, Fiducial Office Solutions

NEW George Steur Managing Director, Staples Benelux Miroslaw Szydlowski Managing Director, PBS Polska Arnold Theuws Managing Director, Quantore

Jan Van Belleghem Managing Director, Interaction

Frank van Zanten CEO, Bunzl

Thomas Veit Managing Director, soft-carrier

Francesco Villa General Manager, Buffetti Group Michael Voll CEO, Despec Nordics

NEW Andreas Wielgoss Senior Director eBay Motors, Business & Industrial, Fashion, Lifestyle and Luxury, eBay

NEW Dr Sebastian Wieser CEO, Unite Maria Zesch CEO, TAKKT

NORTH AMERICA

Jaime Alverde Losada CEO, Office Depot de Mexico

David Boone CEO, Staples Canada Harry Dochelli President & CEO, Essendant Tony Ellison CEO, Shoplet.com

NEW Mark Fisher CEO, Envoy Solutions Sean Fleming CEO, Distribution Management Alexandre Gagnon VP, Amazon Business Mike Gentile CEO, Independent Suppliers Group David Guernsey CEO, Guernsey Matthew Hebert CEO, Office Partners

Kevin Johnson CEO, Warehouse Direct Lauren Jones CEO, The Supply Room

Yancey Jones & Mike Maggio Executive Chairman & CEO, S.P. Richards

NEW Charlie Kennedy Co-owner, Kennedy Office John Kenworthy CEO, Storey Kenworthy Ian Landy President, Basics Office Products

Mark Leazer Executive Director, AOPD

NEW John Lederer Chairman, Staples Inc

Sid Lerman President, The Weeks Lerman Group

DG Macpherson CEO, Grainger Denis Mathieu CEO, Novexco Leo Meehan CEO, WB Mason

NEW Mark Miller President, Eakes Office Solutions Mike Motz CEO, Staples US Retail

NEW Dennis Riffer CEO, AFFLINK Gerry Smith CEO, The ODP Corporation Jennifer Smith CEO, Innovative Office Solutions

NEW Ken Sweder CEO, BradyIFS

Jason & Robert Tillis, President & CEO, Imperial Dade

NEW Alan Tomblin CEO, Network Services

Cautiously OPTIMISTIC

For a while, the outlook was promising for global stamping manufacturers as they emerged from pandemic turmoil, with sales bouncing back and commerce returning to some sort of normality. But then the Ukraine crisis hit, delivering a host of fresh complications that required immediate attention.

As Franz Ratzenberger, Managing Director at Austria-based COLOP, explains: “Of course, COVID-19 had a big impact on our business. We supply products to over 130 countries worldwide and sales were hit in every region, sometimes dramatically. That being said, most markets recovered very quickly, with Europe and the US currently back above 2019 levels.

“Everything was looking fine until the Ukraine conflict developed. For Eastern European countries in particular, the stamp is still an important office tool. However, virtually overnight, sales in Ukraine and Russia plummeted to zero.

“Naturally, COLOP is meticulous in observing all the rules around supplying Russia. It’s vital this conflict ends as soon as possible – not just from an economic perspective but, above all, because of the many friends we have in the countries concerned.”

Gerolf Heldmaier, Director of Sales and Marketing at German metal stamp vendor Reiner, tells a similar tale. “The global political situation is very serious,” he warns, “and it’s difficult to assess how we can continue to support all our specialist dealers and whether we can remain active in every region.

“Sales of Reiner hand stamps, often requested by state authorities or for industrial use, have been decreasing for years, with a further 10% fall over the past 12 months. The situation is different for marking devices, where revenues are stable, although the consumption of print cartridges has declined by 5% overall since the start of military action in Ukraine.”

Austrian manufacturer Trodat has a more positive story. According to CEO Roland Rier, the company has recovered well from the challenging times caused by COVID. “We are now seeing growth almost everywhere worldwide,” he says. “China is still a challenging place, however – with the continuing lockdowns and restrictions in the country, it still feels like it’s in ‘pandemic mode’.

“As a company overall, we are almost back to normal although some countries, including Canada, have been slower to bounce back. In many areas, we’ve seen the backlog in demand now causing sales hikes, with further promising opportunities in Mexico, Latin America, India, China and Southeast Asia.”

MACRO PRESSURES

The knock-on effects of geopolitical turmoil are adding severe economic and logistical pressures to an already fragile market.

Taiwanese manufacturer Shiny Stamp says the situation has been improving, as people learn to live with coronavirus, but challenges with shipping space and freight rates are still causing problems.

Geopolitical headwinds continue to disrupt the stamping sector, but the category is proving highly resilient in the face of tough challenges – by David Holes

“Unpredictable shipment schedules and staggering transportation costs make production planning much more complicated,” reports Deputy Executive Manager Jimmy Chen, adding: “The unsettled international situation has pushed raw material costs to unprecedented levels and this is having a big impact.

“While we currently have sufficient stock to mitigate the effect, it won’t last for much longer. We’ve also faced exchange rate fluctuations and inflationary pressures which are affecting customer purchasing patterns, making them more conservative in their spending and prolonging buying cycles.”

COLOP’s Ratzenberger admits that while initially the company had struggled to get the necessary raw materials on time, this is no longer a problem. “Having European production facilities has helped here,” he says, although supply chains from Asia are still more complicated than they were.

“Our main concerns now centre on the price of raw materials (mainly plastics), soaring energy prices, sourcing packaging materials and surging manpower costs. Despite having optimised our internal processes, efficiency savings haven’t been enough to fully offset these pressures and, consequently, we have also had to raise our prices.

“We believe we’ve taken a fair approach, with any increases comprehensively explained and plausibly argued. Our business partners face the same situation, understand the issues and negotiate with these in mind. Because our production and delivery times haven’t altered and we announce price rises well in advance, it means we haven’t seen any significant changes in our customers’ behaviour.”

MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES

Having always had long-term framework agreements with its raw material and component suppliers has been a huge help, asserts Heldmaier. “We’ve still had delays in some supply side deliveries but, fingers crossed, to date we’ve had no production stoppages and our customers’ orders have been delivered pretty much as normal. However, the escalation in energy costs for electricity and gas is hitting us hard and we’ve had to introduce a temporary price surcharge on deliveries to offset this.”

At US-based Shachihata –owner of the Xstamper brand – National Sales Manager Martin

Clemente says that, as a vertically-integrated company, it’s fully in charge of its supply chain and manufacturing processes.

“Consequently, we’ve experienced minimal disruption,” he asserts. “Achieving this level of integration is a long-term process and getting started can be costly. But we’ve seen the benefits and it helps to maintain the highest quality and consistency in our products. We’ve also managed to avoid price increases so far, but are monitoring the situation and will see what the future brings.”

The brand new COLOP ‘e-mark go’

NO HALT TO INNOVATION

Despite the many headwinds, innovation in the category continues, with new products being brought to market all the time.

COLOP is introducing its ‘e-mark go’ in Q4. It’s one of the most compact handheld mobile printers on the market, fits in a pocket and is fully portable. Controlled by an app where users can create their own print designs or choose from one of the various predefined templates, it’s easy to handle, user friendly and competitively priced, according to the vendor.

COLOP will also be bringing products to market and extending its range within its new Arts & Crafts division.

Reiner, meanwhile, has introduced a sensor for its jetStamp 1025 sense industrial marking tool which provides a combined 1D/2D code reader. It means that a single device can now be used to scan both 1D and 2D codes and

Everything was looking fine until the Ukraine conflict developed [...] virtually overnight, sales [in the region] plummeted to zero

Stamping

print the content directly onto a document or another packaging element.

This product has been particularly well received by companies operating in the repackaging sector, where a scanned barcode, for example, serves as the device instruction and the corresponding print is then immediately available for customers to use.

Reiner’s handheld inkjet printer – the jetStamp 1025 sense

Czech Republic had already been significantly reduced, but those that are unavoidable are offset by investments in gold standard climate protection projects.”

For fellow Austrian manufacturer Trodat, sustainable management is an integral part of the company’s identity. As Rier states: “In addition to initiatives such as including stamps with environmental labels in our portfolio, introducing climate-neutral products and focusing on energy-efficient manufacturing, we’ve now set ourselves the goal of having entirely CO2-free production by 2040.”

Shiny Stamp also sees growing interest in eco-friendly items, according to Chen: “The company includes a growing percentage of environmentally friendly materials in its products, with ongoing research into how this can be improved further. The inclusion of innovative new manufacturing machinery in our production lines has resulted in the addition of rPET (recycled PET plastic) to Shiny’s most popular models.”

In the US, Clemente reports that Shachihata has implemented a complete Eco Action Plan. “We are creating long-lasting products, many made with a minimum of 50% recycled materials. Moreover, worldwide we strive to make our facilities eco-friendly. One of our sites in Japan, for example, now has a wastewater recovery system.”

FUTURE GAZING

ENVIRONMENTAL PUSH

With economic and political strife currently taking centre stage across many parts of the world, environmental concerns have not been forgotten. But they are certainly experiencing pushback from some quarters.

“We continue to see strong interest and demand for sustainable and ecologically sound products,” notes Ratzenberger. “However, unfortunately, in times of crisis, environmental issues are not always uppermost in some people’s minds. We try to convince our customers it’s vital this issue is taken seriously and that the entire industry must make a contribution, but there are very big regional differences. Europe is definitely a pioneer, with other regions very much needing to catch up.

“At the beginning of 2022, COLOP took another big environmental step forward, with nearly all the products in our stamp range now being CO2 neutral. Manufacturing emissions from our sites in Austria and the

Broadly speaking, the stamping industry maintains a cautiously optimistic outlook despite facing tricky market conditions. It continues to invest in the future with companies looking to extend their reach beyond their traditional bailiwicks.

COLOP, for example, sees North America as ripe for exploring new opportunities and will shortly be reorganising its entire market presence there. “It’s too early to give full details,” says Ratzenberger, “but very soon we will have a strong presence in this region, with the COLOP brand well represented across the traditional stamping, digital marking, and arts and crafts sectors.”

Trodat’s takeover in July of Consolidated Marking – a division of Navitor and the second largest distributor of stamp components in the USA and Canada – also highlights its ambitions in this geographic region.

Here’s hoping a return to some kind of normality is on the horizon. As Reiner’s Heldmaier concludes: “Let’s keep our fingers crossed that international business, local activities and personal relationships will soon be possible again without restrictions – in all parts of the world.”

Unfortunately, in times of crisis environmental issues are not always uppermost in some people’s minds

Work from anywhere –WITH CONFIDENCE

COVID-19 has turned the world of work upside down – forever. For ACCO Brands, global consumer products business with well-known end-user brands, it’s not a question of office, hybrid or work from home. Instead, it’s quite simply addressing the reality of working from anywhere, with an evolving portfolio of brands that caters to all customer needs.

OPI speaks to ACCO Brands Senior Product Manager Brian Klein about GBC – a 75-year-old brand which epitomises the company’s ‘work anywhere’ focus.

OPI: Employees – and employers – around the world have had to adapt to multiple new ways of working. How can ACCO Brands help them do this successfully, efficiently and stress-free?

Brian Klein: We have always been well positioned in terms of helping professionals generate their best work and perform regardless of where they are working. ACCO Brands’ brands and products are dynamic to serve organisations in both an office or work-from-home environment. It’s about having the right products in place to produce professional results.

It’s undoubtedly been a learning curve conveying to our customers that they can have access to the same level of high-quality products in a decentralised environment –such as the home office – as they have in the historically typical office setting.

OPI: Can you give specific examples?

BK: Sure. Let’s take our GBC portfolio of business machines. Employees who are using laminators or binding machines for customer presentations, for instance, need to fully understand they can also create top-quality, professional results with smaller units that are available to them for a home office environment.

It’s similar for document shredders – they may have a smaller footprint in the home

Professional results for any presentation

setting, but they absolutely need to offer the same level of document security as larger departmental office shredders. And this security depends on what type of document needs to be destroyed, of course – it’s a vital consideration in any operation’s data compliance discussion irrespective of where employees work.

OPI: Does the changing workplace environment mean there’s been a fundamental development in the type of products you sell, perhaps particularly as regards size and scale?

BK: No, not necessarily. It’s about having the right products available to produce professional results regardless of where you work.

We’ve actually seen a shift towards high-end, commercially oriented products, as well as smaller footprint items. But the former are being used in different environments now and more outside the large corporate office.

The print services industry, for instance, has been growing at an accelerated pace throughout the coronavirus pandemic. You often have a situation where people are decentralised from the office equipment they typically use. But there’s still demand for large-scale presentation products and the print finishing sector has picked up on this by fulfilling that need.

What it means is that home-based staff may go to their local print fulfilment facility and have those documents created there rather than in their own home or office. As a result, there’s been a strong uptick in GBC’s more commercially oriented products as print finishing businesses have picked up some of the slack in presentation services which pre-pandemic were commonly being handled at an office level.

The healthcare, hospitality and education segments are other verticals which have seen renewed growth in business products such as laminating machines, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Business machines for professionals is what ACCO Brands’ GBC range is all about –wherever those professionals happen to work

Exceptional lamination

results at home or office

OPI: So the products are essentially the same, but your customer base is more varied and dispersed?

BK: Correct. You have the home office environment, often with smaller devices. Then you have office-centric products where you have narrow format lamination, electric binding, departmental shredding and so on.

And finally, you have the large commercial print services segment with production print equipment I’ve just mentioned. GBC’s portfolio is curated to offer professional results regardless of application.

All that being said about the ‘same’ products, ACCO Brands has a very robust R&D pipeline and many of our brands have a market leadership position – it’s strategic to what we do and what we strive for. We don’t just want to participate in a category, we want to lead and influence it.

One of our most recent innovations is the GBC Foton 30 Automated Laminator. As the name suggests, it’s completely automated, meaning you can just put documents in it – like a printer – push one button and it will laminate, trim and cut them for you. It’s pouch-free too, so saves an incredible amount of time.

and technical support – offering access to consumables for our machines is a core component of this, of course.

One thing to bear in mind in this context is that products which are geared toward the smaller home office are inherently simpler to operate than their commercial counterparts.

OPI: You mention the typically smaller footprint of business machines for the home environment. Is overall design a big factor, as in adapting to different customer preferences?

BK: It’s definitely important – everybody loves to have a sleek and sophisticated piece of equipment which blends into their environment. But first and foremost, it has to be intuitive and simple to use from an operational perspective.

However, unlike the commonly black or grey machines for the office setting, we have some small office and home office machines in white and grey finishes which address style and aesthetic preferences.

But GBC is unique within ACCO Brands’ portfolio in that it is focused beyond the mass consumer market. Instead, our target audience is the professional user – it’s just that the work location of these professional users is evolving and we are evolving with it.

OPI: The future of the workplace is a much-debated topic. What’s your view?

Again, healthcare, hospitality and education are great examples of uptake for this product. The added factor of high hygiene standards in these settings makes washable, laminated documents appealing. And because of its footprint, the Foton 30 is ideal for small and home office use too.

OPI: What about the servicing and support perspective – has there been a marked difference? I’m thinking particularly in the home environment.

BK: We believe hybrid work is here to stay. As such, we have to make sure we are able to support our customer base in the best way possible, whether they’re working in the office or at home, creating individual presentation products or producing large-scale projects in a commercial setting.

Customers need to have the tools at their disposal to produce the highest quality of output, all the while feeling comfortable and secure in what they’re doing.

Shred securely anywhere you work

BK: Not fundamentally. We’ve always provided comprehensive customer service

Our mission is to make products for professionals – we want to enable businesses to excel, however and wherever they operate.

It’s about having the right products available to produce professional results regardless of where you work

Keeping YOU POSTED

Market conditions have changed drastically for the mailroom and packaging sector, but the category has shown great flexibility and adjusted its approach accordingly – by David Holes

Suppliers operating in the mailroom and packaging category have been facing a rapidly changing business environment over the past few years. Significant shifts in the way customers and end consumers are behaving, coupled with a transformation in the type of goods being sent by post, have had a profound impact.

A NEW LANDSCAPE

The decline in traditional mail has been phenomenal. 2021 saw a drastic reduction in the volume of addressed letters being sent in the UK (-20%), according to the Royal Mail Group. Although figures showed a slight recovery (+3%) over the first half of 2022, it seems unlikely they will rebound to pre-2021 levels in the near future.

Other countries concur with that notion. Indeed, a report by Copenhagen Economics predicts further falls across the whole of Europe in the run-up to 2025.

For suppliers relying on this segment, the effect has been dramatic. Bong is one of the largest envelope manufacturers in the UK and Europe, and its CEO Kai Steigleder says the business has had to transition.

“The world changes, but what matters is how you adapt. Envelopes are still the core of our business, but we are moving increasingly into light packaging, which includes carrier bags, gift bags, bubble mailers and e-commerce bags for small items that need to be sent by postal or courier services,” he explains. “This has come easily to us as our DNA is in paper conversion and printing, so it feels like a natural extension to our existing business.”

That said, there are issues in the paper supply chain, with current availability insufficient to meet demand. He adds: “This will likely worsen in the foreseeable future, with

us having to compete with other packaging producers for raw materials. We’re not the only ones seeing the opportunities and wanting to grab them.”

PARCEL PROPULSION

Conversely, while traditional mail is declining, five billion parcels are now sent in the UK each year – quadrupling pre-pandemic levels, according to Ryan Higginson, VP & UK/ROI Country Leader at Pitney Bowes.

“This equates to around 14 million each day, or 160 every second. The number looks set to continue to rise too, potentially reaching 7.5-8.5 billion by 2027.

“Traditional mailrooms just don’t have the infrastructure to manage these kinds of volumes and companies are coming to us for solutions,” he adds. “For some, it’s about intuitive software which allows tracking and analytics. For others, the solution is more about hardware – a handheld scanner, for example, so operators can quickly process packages as they arrive; or a parcel locker, so they can place it in a secure location for the owner to collect. Often, the hardware and software work in tandem to transform business operations.”

CUTTING EDGE

On the back of this huge spike in parcel volumes, Acme United Europe has seen rapidly rising sales of the cutters it produces to slice through the plastic strapping and tape used to seal cardboard boxes. “We’ve also

Traditional mailrooms just don’t have the infrastructure to manage these kinds of [parcel] volumes

witnessed a strong switchover from traditional channels to online sales,” notes Managing Director Georg Bettin, “with customers showing a preference for higher-quality products with ceramic blades.

“We have recently had to increase our prices as the rise in the cost of raw materials has been extraordinary. There’s no way we can compensate for this by streamlining the organisation or improving our processes. The weakness of the euro against the US dollar has not made life any easier either.”

While the surge in e-commerce is primarily responsible for the dramatic upswing in parcel post, people are also increasingly prioritising ‘convenience’ over ‘effort’, Avery UK has observed. They now demand faster delivery times, shorter online user journeys, and generally less friction in the whole shopping process, according to Commercial Director Kristine Humphreys.

She admits that although the vendor posted strong growth last year, 2022 has brought challenges caused by the war in Ukraine, with turmoil around global commodities placing pressures on supply chains as well as pricing.

Some divisions continue to perform extremely well, however. “Our professional print service section has seen double-digit growth over the past 18 months. Customers really appreciate the ability to ‘pick & mix’ their desired labels by shape, material and size and then receive them quickly.

“Additionally, with many companies now adopting remote or hybrid working practices – plus an increase in the number of small business entrepreneurs – there’s been rising demand for smaller pack sizes of our traditional packaging materials – some SKUs have grown by 10% or more.”

are now fully embracing digital transformation and reaping the benefits, in the process saving time and money.

Particularly more labour-intensive manual tasks are being automated, asserts Pitney Bowes’ Higginson: “Many of our clients are using document and data capture to digitise workflows, for example, automating the handling, classification and archiving of inbound mail.

“We’re also consulting with our clients on e-invoicing. As this becomes mandatory in countries around the world, many UK organisations are watching this space closely and re-evaluating their legacy processes.

“Small businesses specifically are concerned about rising costs and technology should help them increase efficiencies and save money,” he adds. “We’ve recently launched our next-generation franking machine – the SendPro Mailstation.

“It’s compact, easy to operate and has an integrated 4.3-inch full-colour touchscreen so users can print the correct postage from the device directly onto their envelopes or labels, offering savings on both postage and ink.”

A considerable percentage of employed adults now spend at least some time working remotely. This shift in working practices means operators like Pitney Bowes need to help clients find new ways of conducting certain business operations which would previously have taken place entirely in the office.

“Companies that send high volumes of mail – law firms, financial services companies and local government organisations, for instance – would historically have printed letters and mailed them from their offices,” Higginson explains. “They are additionally often subject to regulatory requirements, meaning the post needs to be delivered by a certain date.

Pitney Bowes’ SendPro Mailstation

Mondi’s expanded MailerBAG range

When you’ve got employees working from home, it’s very difficult to maintain this business continuity and regulatory compliance. Consequently, services such as secure outsourced mail have become popular solutions. Customers create a document on their desktops, it comes directly to us and we manage the printing and mailing.”

THE GREEN ANGLE

Inevitably, the escalating volume of parcels now being shipped around the world has put a sharp focus on the amount of packaging being used and, in particular, its eco-friendliness.

As Steigleder remarks: “Nobody wants to get big cartons filled with polystyrene packing, and transport companies don’t want to fill their trucks with excessively large boxes. There’s demand for packaging that’s light and flexible, provides the right level of protection and takes up no more space than necessary.

“European consumers are increasingly asking for more paper-based packaging, but unless this is handled properly, it can cause problems. Bubble mailers that combine paper with plastic can be more complex to recycle, for example. A superior alternative would be all-paper cushioned mailers, which can also protect items well. However, it’s not as simple as saying paper is ‘good’ and plastic is ‘bad’ – there are better and worse options for each. Sustainability means finding the right combination of materials for the end product.

“At Bong, we’ve developed e-Green, a new range of strong paper mailers for e-commerce which are both recyclable and highly sustainable. They are light and flexible, so easily adapt to the contents, taking up as little volume as possible. They can be used more than once as they have two glue strips which enable the customer to reseal the bag if they need to return the purchase to the retailer.”

A similar concept comes from European paper manufacturer Mondi which has extended its MailerBAG portfolio. These are made from kraft paper and are completely reusable and recyclable. The idea is to protect a product without including too much air, meaning they take up less space in transit.

Another product aimed at minimising environmental impact is the

e-Green paper mailers by Bong

PickPack from Sealed Air. It replaces the corrugated boxes previously used to ship the vendor’s MailLite envelopes, but can also be converted into a dispenser for retail, packing areas and mailroom environments. Composed of four cardboard trays overwrapped with shrink film and an easy-opening tear tape, it has 60% less packaging weight and 50% fewer carbon emissions.

Avery has also seen demand for more environmentally sound products, with its recycled 15-sheet labels showing over 50% growth over the past year – albeit from a low base. “We’re looking at our entire line to see if we can make products more sustainable,” says Humphreys.

New PickPack options from Sealed Air

“This year, we’re relaunching our waterproof labels – they are now made entirely from paper rather than the previous plastic material. We’re constantly anticipating and reviewing demand and continue to explore new materials that will meet the requirements of businesses and office professionals.”

STRONG HEADWINDS

While the mailroom and packaging sector has weathered the COVID storm pretty well, it continues to be battered by the current geopolitical maelstrom.

As Steigleder warns: “The overall economic environment is still tense, with the cost of raw materials soaring and supply chains fragile. Exploding gas and electricity prices, together with industrial unrest and difficulties in recruiting a qualified workforce, add to the challenges. It certainly remains a tough business environment.”

The overall economic environment is still tense, with the cost of raw materials soaring and supply chains fragile

A fine LINE

Hybrid working may still be new in our workplace vocabulary, but the next evolution is already here. It’s asynchronous working – by Michelle Sturman

Most of us were programmed to be face-to-face in an office, five days a week, from 9-5. The fallout from the pandemic and the change to remote and hybrid working has left many businesses shell-shocked as they attempt to reassess how to run a company with a dispersed workforce. Many business leaders still like to cling to traditional office life, while staff prefer remote working.

But hybrid working has also brought new annoyances – think Zoom fatigue and constant digital notifications instead of face-to-face interruptions. And they are continuing to cause stress and burnout.

WASTING TIME

Workplace automation firm Zapier found that most knowledge workers expend more time on tasks not core to their job, reducing their ability to carry out impactful work. The US survey of 1,000 respondents found that 29% invested 4-5 hours a day on their core functions, while 18% only spent an hour or so on them.

Meanwhile, 81% stated they managed barely three hours a day on creative work and 76% achieved only the same amount of time on strategic business per week. Instead, 90% said they spent up to five hours per day checking apps such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

The underlying issue is that wherever we work, we’re expected to be present during the same ‘office’ schedule. In addition, we live in a world which expects instantaneous

Percentage of respondents who said they experienced pressure to be online at certain times

Source: Qatalog & GitHub

communication – a problem exacerbated by remote working as managers can no longer physically ‘keep an eye’ on staff. The upshot is that if it means replying to an email or message at sunrise or joining a video call in the middle of the night, so be it – it seemingly is just the accepted nature of the beast in remote working terms.

FLEXIBILITY IS KEY

A study undertaken by Qatalog and GitHub surveyed 2,000 people in the US and UK about asynchronous working. In Killing Time at Work ’22, 54% of respondents have experienced pressure to be online during certain periods, while the same percentage said their colleagues are stuck in old habits. 63% believe their senior leadership prefers an ‘employees in the office’ culture.

An overwhelming majority (81%) were more productive and created a higher-quality output when there is increased flexibility over when they work. GitLab Head of Remote Darren Murph says: “Presenteeism was never a great way to measure the results of a business. In the post-pandemic world, with the rise of remote and distributed teams, there’s no such thing as showing up or clocking out.

“Work can happen as the sun turns, and the best leaders will reward results over hours. You do that by giving people agency and autonomy by default and coaching the skills to achieve their goals. This paradigm shift will define the workplace of the future.

The bottom line is that to a lot of people, the ‘traditional’ ways of working have never made sense. Some perform best early in the morning or evening; some are extroverts or introverts. A few can brainstorm instantly, but many require time to gather their thoughts.

ALL CHANGE

This is where asynchronous – or async –working takes over. At its most basic, it’s the ability to work to a schedule which suits an individual, allowing for a deeper focus on tasks and projects without constant interruption. The emphasis is shifted to outcome rather than activity.

Async isn’t about people only communicating whenever they feel like it, or staff members never attending a meeting or sitting on a conference call – although a move to async can help streamline and remove all those unnecessary meetings/calls.

Percentage of employees who prefer asynchronous tools such as chat apps and survey forms over one-to-one meetings

Source: Harvard Business Review

Also, well over half – 58% – did not think their company possessed the necessary tools to enable this way of working.

Luckily, there’s a myriad of online and cloud software and apps designed for asynchronous working and communication. There are messaging apps (Slack, WhatsApp and Google Chat) and collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace and Dropbox Spaces. Almanac, for example, is a collaboration platform built specifically for async working.

Also available are scheduling tools (Trello or Smartsheet); project management taskboards (Basecamp, Quip and Asana); visual collaboration whiteboards (Mural and Miro); and intranets like SharePoint and Yammer.

TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION

Collaboration on documentation and workflow software is imperative for async, as it provides easy and instant independent access to all required information when necessary. The use of video is increasing in popularity as a way of communicating asynchronously, and there are plenty of apps like Vidcast to quickly record messages and add documentation.

In fact, according to research entitled Dear manager, you’re holding too many meetings, published in Harvard Business Review, 83% of employees prefer tools such as chat apps and survey forms as opposed to traditional one-to-one get-togethers.

Put differently, asynchronous working means employees aren’t expected to be available at the drop of a hat or work together simultaneously. Communication doesn’t occur in real time, although responses are undoubtedly expected within a reasonable timeframe. It can also reduce the much-loathed micromanagement by assigning extra responsibility and autonomy to an individual.

MAKING IT HAPPEN

Async does, however, require buy-in from the top down and the technology to ensure it runs smoothly. Indeed, recent European research from Sony Professional Displays and Solutions reveals that many businesses have trust issues and need to up their technology game.

Of those surveyed, 61% agreed async would create a better work-life balance and 42% think it is the future. Interestingly, 55% stated they did not believe their employer would entrust them to undertake their duties asynchronously, even under the provision of delivering results and meeting deadlines.

Additionally, pre-recorded meetings and messages using platforms such as Loom and Soundbite, made readily available for team members to play back, are useful components of async. Clear and transparent communication that is documented and available through a shared pipeline is key.

As with most things, there are inevitable trade-offs and async is no exception – potential miscommunication, reduced contact with team members and lack of water cooler moments are a few of the cons. It undoubtedly won’t suit every company, team, employee or situation, and there are umpteen scenarios when synchronous working simply is the best option. A combination of both is certainly feasible. It’s surely a concept worth exploring.

Asynchronous working means employees aren’t expected to be available at the drop of a hat or work together simultaneously

Janet Eshenour

Best way to spend the weekend?

With a nice glass of wine.

Favourite time of the year?

Summer – I love the beach and a pool.

What scares you?

Not having enough money to live comfortably in retirement.

Early bird or night owl?

Early bird. The older I get, the earlier I wake up. Sometimes it’s 3 am. Ugh!

Your worst character trait?

My family says I am a neat freak. They are absolutely right.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?

Desserts. Cheesecake, anything with chocolate, ice cream – any or all of these.

Your favourite film?

The Shawshank Redemption. I can watch it repeatedly and never tire of it.

What skill would you like to master?

Become a better golfer.

What is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?

When we had to put our 14-year-old cat Patch down. Milo is our new addition – we got him during COVID.

Janet Eshenour,Independent Suppliers Group

What is on your bucket list?

Many things – travel to Paris, Greece and Alaska for example. I would also love to go to The Masters in Augusta, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Mardi Gras and the Kentucky Derby.

What song puts you in a good mood?

Just about any song by Queen.

How do you spend your spare time?

Watch American football, visit art fairs, enjoy good food and spend time with family and friends.

CAREER Q&A

Describe your current job.

As VP of Marketing at Independent Suppliers Group, I help our members with their marketing and social media efforts. I also plan our annual Industry Week event.

Your worst ever job?

Years ago, I had a summer job overseeing direct mail distribution in a very hot warehouse. The machines that stuffed the envelopes would constantly jam. Not fun.

If you weren’t doing your present job, what would you like to be doing?

Work at a women’s shelter. You don’t realise how fortunate you are until you volunteer at one.

My Swingline NY Giants stapler.

would it be?

Put greater focus on getting more women involved in the industry. We have Office Products Women in Leadership (see OPWIL members below at an event), but need more active and engaged participants.

Patch

Milo

is vital for all companies in the business supplies sector to have in-depth knowledge of how US companies are now organised. What business supplies items are they buying, where are they buying them from and what do buyers want from their suppliers? Gain this insight from a new report by MWA and OPI and ensure your organisation is in the best position possible to plan for, adjust to and thrive in the future.

Cherished

MEMORIES

When the OPI team asked me for my thoughts on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and my company’s involvement with the Royal Family, I was humbled and delighted in equal measure. I felt compelled to illustrate the depth of our sadness at the loss of our much-loved Queen and also offer our condolences to King Charles III and the entire Royal Family.

It is with great pride that Langstane Press holds a Royal Warrant for supplying Balmoral Estate on Royal Deeside in Scotland where The Queen spent her summer holidays every year. She had a life-long love for her “paradise in the Highlands” and it’s heartwarming to know she spent her final days where she felt so much at home.

THE ROYAL WARRANT

It was on 1 January 1995 I received a Royal Warrant from the Lord Chamberlain which stated that “by command of The Queen I have approved Langstane Press Ltd into the place and quality of Printers and Stationers to Her Majesty”. This was such an honour and since that day we have very proudly displayed the Royal Arms – By Appointment to HM The Queen, Printers and Stationers.

Over the years, we attended many events where The Queen was present. Garden parties at Buckingham Palace, Balmoral Castle and Holyrood Palace, dancing the night away at the Ghillie’s Ball at Balmoral, and of course every year at the most famous of highland games, the Braemar Gathering. I most memorably had the honour of meeting The Queen on two particularly special occasions. The first time was in 2002 at the London Hilton on Park Lane for the

Annual Luncheon of the Royal Warrant Holders Association when The Queen was the guest speaker during her Golden Jubilee. That year, I was President of the Aberdeen Association of Royal Warrant Holders so my wife Doris and I were invited to attend the lunch and a private pre-lunch drinks reception where we were presented to Her Majesty. I also had the honour of sitting at the top table with her on the day.

The second occasion came in 2007 when we were invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the granting of a new Royal Charter to the Royal Warrant Holders Association. Her Majesty welcomed and spoke to us individually and, with her beautiful smile and engaging personality, made us feel very much at ease. We were honoured and privileged to spend so much time with her on a magical evening that we will cherish forever.

She will never be forgotten for her 70 years of unwavering service and will forever be in our hearts. May Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II rest in peace.

Editor’s note: Our sincere thanks to Colin Campbell for this moving tribute and for also including two pictures he took when visiting Balmoral following the death of Her Majesty. More thoughts from industry peers who have had the pleasure of meeting the late Queen or being involved with the Royal Household can be found on pages 6 & 7.

Colin Campbell, Managing Director, Langstane Press

I most memorably had the honour of meeting The Queen on two particularly special occasions