Customer-centric planning is the key to success Innovation is rooted in a new mindset Changing in a changing workplace Direct mail marketing stands out Volume 4 Issue Summer3 2022 FORWARDEYES
Summer102022 VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3 IN THIS ISSUE
1Summer 2022 print illustrated IN THIS ISSUE WE ARE FAMILY A letter from the publisher INK SPOTS Tactics, stats, and trends that matter THE RIGHT STUFF Newman Print expands productivity with Fujifilm’s 5 Meter Acuity Ultra Printer EYES FORWARD Customer-centric planning is the key to success BREAKING RULES Why innovation is rooted in a new mindset CHECKING ALL BOXES How the J Press 750S is helping ASB Graphics give their clients the value they crave CHANGING IN A CHANGING WORKPLACE By Richard Rindo 01 02 03 04 08 12 print illustrated is published quarterly by FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division Copyright 2022 All rights reserved Managing Editor Gregory Pas, FUJIFILM Creative and Editorial Direction Conduit, conduit-inc.comInc. PRESS Komori GL 840 PLATES Fujifilm SUPERIA LH-PL thermal plates SCREENING Fujifilm 175 line Co-Res Screening INKS/COATING Outside cover prints 4/c process HUV ink plus overall Gloss Aqueous Coating. Inside cover and body prints 4/c process HUV ink plus overall Satin Aqueous Coating. print illustrated Summer 2022 We are Family A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER In an age of relentless acceleration, be ing aware of who you are and what you stand for may be one of your most criti cal assets. It affords you the opportunity to adapt and stay agile in a fast-paced world. In addition, it keeps you curious as the world becomes more uncertain and it reminds you to be authentic as re lationships get more challenging. Being aware of who you are creates a positive impact on your community. Lately, we have done a great deal of work on defining who we are and the conclusion is the same as it was decades ago. We stand for you and we believe that the difference between Fujifilm and other organizations within the print industry is that we are commit ted to both who you are today and who you could be tomorrow. While some others are pushing products that solely serve the digital landscape, Fujifilm continues to serve the pressroom of today and the pressroom of tomorrow. That awareness is intentional. In other words, we cannot simply fabricate awareness. It has to be discovered through experience and passion for the people and companies we have served throughout history. Certainly, our pat tern of innovation and the remarkable solutions we offer today could make for a robust definition of ourselves. De fining our company through our deep relationship with you, however, lets us understand you better and imagine greater possibilities overall. Fujifilm’s business is anchored to the traditions of our industry and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our print family. Whether you are an analog-based printer or a digital shop, we believe that the future is based on dynamic collaboration in which a partner like us understands where you have been, where you are, and where you want to go. That is the Fujifilm difference.
Warmest wishes, Mark Friedman Vice President of Marketing, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division
We aim to make a difference in your business and this issue of print illustrated continues that endeavor. In our cover article, “Eyes Forward,” we drive home the concept of being defined by your clients. This piece details how we must simultaneously change our mindset to be customer centric and how to plan around your client’s goals. In our second feature, “Breaking Rules,” we use the article as a platform to teach printers how to jog their minds and their business into an innovation-oriented culture. Enjoy the issue and we look forward to our future together.
We stand for you and we believe that the difference between Fujifilm and other organizations within the print industry is that we are committed to both who you are today and who you could be tomorrow.
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2 print illustrated Summer 2022 INK SPOTS Tactics, stats and trends that matter STAMP APPROVALOF In a world ruled by technology, a great deal of emails end up unread, deleted or marked as spam. When combined with direct mail, however, e-campaigns can stand out. Multi-channel marketing harmonizes touchpoints with a single view of each customer, thereby delivering a tailored and interlocking experience. Direct mail married to email has reported remarkable success. DIRECT STANDSMARKETINGMAILOUT 38% 120% On average, multi-channel marketing and selling in creases revenue by 38%, 120%, and 190% with each additional channel (Shopify) 70%+ Over 70% of consumers say they’d prefer to connect with businesses via various marketing channels (Shopify) 58% 58% of the mail American households receive is marketing mail (United States Postal Service) 454 The average American household receives 454 pieces of marketing mail per year (United States Postal Service) 9% Direct mail had an average response rate of 9% for house lists and 4.9% for prospect lists in 2018 (Data & Marketing Association) 5% Oversized envelopes have the highest response rate: 5% (Data & Marketing Association) 59% 59% of U.S. respondents say they enjoy getting mail from brands about new products (Epsilon) 18% 18% of B2B marketers’ budget is assigned to direct mail marketing and print advertising (HubSpot) 41% 41% of Americans of all ages look forward to checking their mail each day (Gallup) 190%
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Meeting demand and improving customer experience is what Nathan Rathjen, General Manager for Newman Print, says puts you one step closer to closing a deal. Newman Print’s customers need traffic signs, billboards, posters, vinyl posters, banners, specialty signs, etc. When Rathjen and his team are contracted for a job, they must produce high-quality and high-volume products, on deadline. In today’s highly competitive market place, you have to perform consistently. That is why when Newman Print, a divi sion of nationally acclaimed Newman Signs, wanted to bolster its equipment portfolio. Their research lead it to Fujifilm’s 5 meter Acuity Ultra printer, the superwide roll-to-roll printer that is ideal for outdoor applications as well as the high-end indoor display market. As Rathjen says, the Acuity Ultra printer fit into each of the key requirements Newman Signs outlined for its new investment. The printer needed to be re liable, versatile, and have the capability to increase productivity cost-effectively.
THE RIGHT STUFF NEWMAN PRINT EXPANDS PRODUCTIVITY WITH FUJIFILM’S 5 METER ACUITY ULTRA PRINTER
printing on multiple sub strates was another important mark in the Acuity Ultra’s plus column for New man signs. “One of the things that really performs well on the Acuity Ultra is the 3 ounce polyethylene,” Rathjen says. “We assumed we’d have a ton of issues because it’s so thin, slippery and prone to static, but we’ve had no issues with it. The ink seems to cure perfectly, doesn’t crack, and doesn’t scratch.” In the end, as Rathjen stressed, there are advantages to going with a known provider—one that has been a valuable part of your portfolio. “Fujifilm is a trust ed provider. You can count on them to provide an exceptional printing solution and steadfast support that goes well beyond the initial sale.”
Meeting demand and improving our customer experience is due in part to equipping our facility with the right technology.”
“Fujifilm met all of the key criteria,” Rathjen says. “Meeting demand and improving our customer experience is due in part to equipping our facility with the right technology. Compared to our previous printer, the Acuity Ultra has allowed us to increase production and capacity by 40-45%.”
on
Rathjen says the increased printing speed helps position his team to handle high-volume requests from current and new customers, which has helped its business Availablegrow.in3.2 meter and 5 meter models, the Acuity Ultra printer is ideal for the high-end indoor display market, especially for luxury brands where close viewing requires exceptional quality. With its massive format size, multi-roll potential and impressive speed, Acuity Ultra provides the ability to profit ably create customer interior design elements, soft signage, exhibition graphics, point-of-purchase displays, high-value graphic art, backlit displays, and Successfulmore.
THE FUJIFILM ACUITY ULTRA R2 — A LOOK UNDER THE HOOD
The Acuity Ultra R2 is a high-quality, high-productivity superwide platform, available in UV and UV-LED configurations. Engineered with the operator in mind and designed with specially formulated inks to support the printing of exceptional near-photographic interior and printing banners and PVC signage, the Acuity Ultra R2 stands out from the crowd with the combination of ultra-high quality, superb productivity and a groundbreaking return investment in one platform. &
Flexibile & Versatile 3.2m
5m Options UV & LED Curing Options High Quality - 6 Color + White Max Production - Double CMYK 8 Channel Inks that Deliver High Density Uvijet Inks 3.5 Picoliter Drop Size Low Ink Film & Ink Consumption Fujifilm Uvijet Inks Flexible Ink, No Cracking Low Film Ultra-LowThicknessInkConsumption Industrial Machine Build Linear Driven Printhead Carriage Smooth Edge-to-Edge Printing Superb AccurateRegistrationMediaFeed Robust Media Transport System 2-Up / 3-Up Multi-Roll Capability Fast Media Changeovers Industrial UV Curing System (UV & LED) Smart Features Real-Time Quality Control Backlit Inspection Enable Real-Time Water-Cooled Vacuum System THE PERFECT RATIO FOR QUALITY, SPEED & COST-IN-USE
high speed
graphics
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– Nathan Rathjen, GM, Newman Print
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EYES FORWARD
An expert in the areas of innovation, leadership, trust and productivity, Muir has an especially strong passion for customer loyalty and customer-building planning.
Bizucate worked to create distinctly educational coverage of issues and trends in business strategy, manage ment, sales, marketing and opera tions, working to build relevant and informative courses, presentations and campaigns, while carefully identifying the most appropriate channels of com munication. Paramount to the success of all of this, Muir is in tune to what it takes to build customer-facing rela tionships. The strategy, amid a variety of other tenets, is to determine their needs and goals and then create a foundation you can build upon.
Peter Muir, President, Bizucate FORWARD
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“When you hear the term ‘business de velopment,’ you think of ‘What can I do to help you grow your business and/or be successful?’” Muir says. “At the core of that is: What do you know about their business? What do you know about who they are? What they do? Who they do it for? How and why they do it? Where they’re going and why? If you’re doing your job for you and your customer, you’re doing your research. It’s not about selling whatever it is that you sell; it’s about helping your custom er, whoever that buyer is.” It’s thatcustomer,helpingyouwhateveraboutnotsellingitisthatsell;it’saboutyourwhoeverbuyeris.”–
fter 19 years of service within the printing industry and traveling across 26 countries, Peter Muir admittedly had pretty much seen and done it all. When he left to create Bizucate 13-plus years ago, he continued his passion for developing and delivering face-to-face workshops and online courses, sprinkling in long-term consulting projects and passionate keynotes to audiences in all kinds of markets.
EYES
A Customer-centric planning is the key to success
If building a strong customer-centric company seems that simple, it should. But the way Muir sees it is that too many people get caught up in trying to be transactional. What can I sell you? What can you buy? They do not think about that long play. That long play, as Muir views it, rests in your ability to pro vide value to your customer—give them something they cannot get anywhere else. In the “I’ll-help-you-you-help-me” world of relationship building, being able to qualify your worth to each oth er is critical (see “The 7·6·3 Approach to Business “RememberDevelopment”).thatasmuchas you’re qualifying them, they’re qualifying you,” Muir says. “Nobody should want to be seen as the lowest cost. You want to be seen as the vendor that goes above and beyond doing things the way they’ve always been done. Stay on the right path for them and help them to be and think innovative ly. And when I say innovation, I mean improving what exists or creating something new. You not only want to meet your clients where they are, but stay ahead of the curve and help take them further.” Muir breaks down the process into what he calls the 4 C’s: Curiosity, Courage, Context and Credibility. Look no further than the reinvention of Domino’s Pizza, which Muir likes to use as an example of how a brand can refocus its strategy with help from customer input. After taking a deep dive into custom er research, Domino’s found its pizza was tied for last with Chuck E. Cheese. Through a combination of transpar ency, strategy and counterintuitive marketing, Muir says the company rose from the literal pizza ashes. “They took the time to emphatically listen to what their customers were saying. And it was not good. It was things like: ‘Microwave pizza is far superior.’ ‘Worst excuse for pizza I’ve ever had.’
‘The taste of its crust is like card board.’ They not only took three years to redesign the whole process of the pizza itself—the dough, the sauce, the cheese, the toppings—but the owner went on record and said they screwed up, but that they were listening.”
Today, Domino’s stock is trading around 325, up from below 10 before the “cardboard pizza” criticism. All, Muir says, because it showed empa thy and listened. Relationship leveraging The Standard Group has a custom er with hundreds of products that operates more than 70 stores across the country. While one of its regular orders includes product tags, it always is a monumental task to provide Standard with PDFs of all the tags. In order to help streamline the process, the Standard team had to think dif ferently with 10 different product tag designs, hundreds of products and thousands of potential variations. Being able to provide superior pre press was how the printers were able to service the account. But this time, the customer was asking for a shorter production time frame and lower cost. In addition, the customer had invest ed a significant amount of designer resources to create all the PDF pro duction variations. The eventual solution rested in The Standard Group’s ability to leverage variable data templates and digital printing. CMO Thanh Nguyen says all the customer has to do now is upload an Excel spreadsheet with associat ed images and the Standard system automatically builds the product tag templates and generates the production PDFs. “We even figured out how to generate product bar codes automatically. This drastically shortened their production cycle, saved them money and increased tag production by over 6,250% without needing additional resources.”
The bottom line is that the deep er your relationship and the more understanding you have of your customer’s business, challenges and goals, the more valuable you are to them. Building strong relationships with your customers will be more forgiving should you falter, and you will be under less pressure to provide the lowest-cost commodity product.
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Nguyen says The Standard Group buildingRelationshipcan be done one project at a time, but the most resilient relationships are the personalmoreones.”–
Teamwork. By attacking the issue to gether, the problem was resolved—with a significant amount of win-wins to go around for both sides. “Sometimes it’s not all business,” Nguyen says. “Re lationship building can be done one project at a time, but the most resilient relationships are the more personal ones. This can be achieved through consistent communication and active listening to understand your custom er’s business. Helping your customer when they are in a bind is a quick way to become a valuable resource and business partner.”
Thanh Nguyen, CMO, The Standard Group
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7 KNOWS
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Building this type of relationship matters, and when done correctly, sometimes helps a company prove itself in the most significant way. This played out last for Nguyen, in what he calls “the ultimate customer relationship experience.” After one of Standard’s salespeople lost his spouse in a tragic accident, two of his customers drove three hours one way to attend the wake. “They showed their support and drove back that night,” Nguyen says. “Their relation ship was more than just business, but on a deeper, more personable level. I remember the quote by Theodore Roosevelt, who said, ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.’” In the world of customer-centric relationships, no truer words have been spoken.
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7Summer 2022 print illustrated expects its customers to treat them equally and provide quick, detailed and honest feedback. When custom ers know that being open benefits everyone in the long run, they are more open to being honest. “We welcome all feedback from our customers—positive and negative,” Nguyen says. “The ones who are upset never say a word. And there’s no way to win them back. We encourage our sales and customer service team to ask for feedback. We share any cus tomer praise or testimonial with our employees through our daily compa ny updates. Negative comments and quality issues undergo a critical review and correction process, and then they are presented to our customers. We also gather feedback through annual customer surveys and regular annual account reviews.”
THE 7·6·3 APPROACH TO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
6.
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6 REASONS
Helping your customers to be successful continues to be a valued approach to business development and a difference maker in today’s landscape. Taking the time to research a client helps you understand who they are, what they are facing, where they could be going and how you could fit. By identifying potential valued ideas, you build synergy. Peter Muir, President of Bizucate Inc., shares the strategy that works for him. 1. Who they are? 2. What they do? Who they do it for? 4. How they do it? 5. Why they do it? Where they are going/struggling? Where can/cannot I help? WHY 1. Save me/make me money Make me/my organization look good Make my life easier/my organization more efficient Save me/my organization Challenge me/help my organization go beyond Because it’s the right thing to do/it’s required GOOD IDEAS After doing research and developing your ideas, then bring those ideas to customer/prospect/colleague—settingyour you apart from others 2. Helping you grow yourself, your team, your department and your organization at the same time Often using acquisition and retention/making progress themes as a foundation
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John Tenwinkel recalls the day a 4over team member from one of the printer’s die-cutting departments came to plant leadership management with a way to increase productivity. Intrigued by the discussion, the plant manager encouraged him to expand upon his initial idea. The plan was to push the pendulum further, so they worked together on the requirements, eventually crafting a business plan around the concept. After beating the idea up a few times—in a good way—they took the proposal to Tenwinkel, Senior VP Operations.
S WHY INNOVATION IS ROOTED IN A NEW RulesBreakingMINDSET
ometimes, the best ideas are the ones you don’t see coming.
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Just recently, Tenwinkel attended a conference that had zero printers in attendance. He recalls sitting there listening to an array of remarkable stories—and how each of them were similar to the challenges the print industry faces. Some of these paral lels can be found by building stronger relationships with your vendors. “We may know our world really well, but our vendors have customers of different sizes, markets and other lines of businesses,” Tenwinkel says. “Part of being a strategic partner with our company means a struc tured approach reviewing KPIs. It means taking time to help us think innovatively about our businesses and how we can take them both to the next level. This has brought about more than one innovative initiative that our organizations both carve out time and effort to support.” In a perfect world, the innovative culture you build should support new ideas, recognize effort around not just results, but how you do business. An innovative culture is woven within ev ery facet and every role, starting with annual strategic planning from the top, down. If leadership buys into the idea that innovation can drive value in an organization, investment should follow. This includes resources, equip ment and process engineering. That does not mean you have to build an “innovation budget,” but you must be willing to understand that innovation needs to be supported with funding in several ways. “Trial and error need to be accepted,” Tenwinkel says. “Encouragement at all levels to step outside of comfort zones must be your norm. Innova tive ideas could cause short-term costs or capital investments, but if atEncouragementalllevels to step outside of comfort zones must be your norm.”
By the time it came across his desk, the model showed an aggressive four-times improvement in produc tivity with only a modest investment required. More than the idea, which ended up improving productivity by four times in each of 4over’s facilities, Tenwinkel remembers the team’s passion behind their conviction. He approved the funding on the spot, and eventually recognized the team member during a company-wide town hall meeting—fanfare and all. Before long, other plants reached out to discuss the approach. “We collectively celebrated the success of this, and it caught on like wildfire,” Tenwinkel says. “We’ve had numerous innovative ideas that have come up throughout our organiza tion—some have worked, others have not. Not every throw down to second is going to get the runner out, but if you don’t throw the ball, the runner will always take the base.”
– John Tenwinkel, Senior VP Operations, 4over
The lesson here, and there are many, is that the best way to encourage inno vative thinking is to let your employees know that first of all, you want to hear what they are thinking, and second, it is okay if their ideas do not always pan out. Pushing them to think innovatively cannot come with punishment. As the age-old philosophy reminds us, building an innovative mindset starts at the top. It begins when you push your team to continually seek out big ger, better and more efficient ways to get the job done. Tenwinkel believes that when you expand your mind beyond the world you operate in, you open yourself up to more opportu nities. “Aside from being well-read on our industry’s trade publications and attending trade shows, I’ve also looked to other industries to draw parallels to ours. You’d be amazed to see how many of the challenges we face are similar in industries like technology and healthcare.”
11Summer 2022 print illustrated your team doesn’t see the support from the organization, your efforts to encourage an innovative mindset will fail. Innovation can’t just be a buzzword—a culture that develops an innovative approach requires putting your money where your mouth is and being consistent.”
Like every innovative champion, Cece believes that innovation starts at the top, where leadership must not only inspire creative and enterprising ways of doing things, but also continually learn. And not just industry knowl edge, but technology, psychology and all kinds of disciplines that enable a leader to think outside of the box. If you are going to learn, it must be in a strategy and it must be measured.
And here’s the thing to keep in mind: Not all of your employees are going to want to be innovative, but you must give them the opportunity to do so. Try creating an innovation team that meets regularly, learns together and shares insights. Create a place where no idea is a bad idea, and where failure is certain and expected, but learning from it is a must. “Don’t get hung up on the education level of the innovation team members,” Cece says. “Some of the best innovation comes from the people doing the actual work.”
Cece Smith, President/Chief Strategist, Toolbox Studios
innovating, you are falling behind. To build a culture of innovation, it must come from the leadership. There must be willingness to take a risk and possibly fail, and to learn and try again. Creative problem solving or innovation must be celebrated and rewarded. The leader must empower your team to go for it.”
Opening your mind When longtime printer SmithPrint started the marketing firm, Toolbox Studios, the plan was to use as many different types of software to help customize and personalize its cam paigns. The transformation meant that SmithPrint would not just be iden tified as a printer, but as a marketing services Foundedprovider.in1995 by Barney Smith, the company worked on magazines, brochures, business cards and other print products for clients like the San Antonio Spurs, the DoSeum and the University of Incarnate Word. His wife, Cece Smith, runs Toolbox Stu dios as President and Chief Strate gist, while Barney’s sons, Ryan, Matt and Andrew, handle the print side of the Today,business.driven by Cece’s innovative leadership, Toolbox Studios helps its clients spearhead a number of launches and turnarounds as a full-service advertising, media and social content agency. “If you are not
“Innovation is the only way to differ entiate your company. It allows you to add value to your customers and price becomes less of an issue. Print is a commodity if you are not innovative.”
In the end, “beating up ideas” and challenging your team to think through everything and anything is the best way to keep everyone honest and unlock the creative side of what you can—and should—do. To build a culture of innovation, it must come from –learnpossiblytomustleadership.theTherebewillingnesstakeariskandfail,andtoandtryagain.”
ASB Graphics loves to spoil its customers. It is something that Jamie Brisendine loves to point out when talking about his High Point, North Carolina, printing team. Brisendine recalls a conversation with a long-time customer about a project they were working on when the customer said, “There’s no rush on this, so 8 a.m. tomorrow morning would be fine.”
ALLCHECKINGBOXES
It is that type of customer satisfaction and commitment to the process that pushed ASB toward finding best resourc es available. Brisendine says he re searched nearly every digital press option on the market before landing on the Fujifilm J Press 750S. “It was the only one that has been able to check every box I had to consider to make a purchase.”
In 2019, the J Press 750S also achieved ISO/PAS 15339 Master Elite System Certification, plus Digital Press Certifi cation from Idealliance, hitting industry benchmarks in quality, reliability, and repeatability across all aspects of digital printing, meeting and exceeding color matic requirements and having CMYK registration measured as Perfect. If you want a success story to help solidify ASB’s decision, look no further than one of its largest customers, which needed solid color consistency for printing of their swatch cards. The 750S delivered as prom ised. “They will actually have a launch of their swatch cards, and then three months later they will have a relaunch of those swatch cards, each at different quantity,” Brisendine says. “So instead of printing 9,000 and housing the inventory, we now have the ability to produce their cards on demand with color consistency, which will really help level out our production and reduce the risk of overproduction.”
Now they can. As for what else Fujifilm brings to the table, Brisendine says having a partner you can count on is critical. “I’ve always been happy with its service, reputation, everything. The global leader that they are and in so many other markets, I’m confident that Fujifilm will always be around.”
Along with handling such a diverse portfo lio of projects, Brisendine, director at ASB, says the company continues to seek ways to creatively improve the value-add for its customers. “The thing our customers tell us is, ‘We want to use you guys because it’s going to be right; you have done it before, and you always take care of us.’ That’s why they come back.”
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Amused, yet inspired by the comment, Brisendine responded, “It really makes me feel good that you feel like you’re our only client, but unfortunately you’re not.”
SPOTLIGHT
The moral to the story is the strength behind what ASB Graphics’ promise is to each and every one of its customers—a promise that it will guarantee a project’s success, no matter what it is, because ASB is committed and comfortable with the high quality of its equipment and attention to detail. While customers may be able to get their jobs done cheaper someplace else, they know that ASB will get it done right from the jump. Since 1984, the print service provider has been catering to a diverse clientele, making a concerted effort to focus deeply on buying trends leaning toward shorter runs and faster turnaround times. As an in-plant printer for its sister company, ACME Sample, ASB supplies ACME with the printed materials it needs to produce various swatch cards, painting sets, mem os and stack books to the textile and wall covering industry. ASB also is a supplier of custom scorecards to more than 500 different golf courses across the country, as well as a workhorse on traditional commercial printing services for its two main local industries: furniture and photography studios.
HOW THE J PRESS 750S IS HELPING ASB GRAPHICS GIVE THEIR CLIENTS THE VALUE THEY CRAVE
And while finding bigger and better ways to help its clients meet their objectives sits squarely at the top of ASB’s list, finding new avenues of business is equally as important. The J Press 750S will help with that, too. “We don’t know yet what our limitations are, but the plan is to start branching out into a few more markets,” Brisendine says. “There are a lot of markets that we’ve done just because the quantities were too low. We just couldn’t compete.”
The print companies that are committed to business change, learning new skills, and refining and refocusing their priorities when the time comes, will be the ones leading the pack.
CHANGING IN A CHANGING WORKPLACE
It might be a bit of an understatement to say that the way we do our jobs today has changed. Between a pandemic that forced businesses across our industry to pivot in how their employees worked, to the pre-pandemic challenge of attracting a new generation of workers, the times really are changing.
As we continue to grow and learn, building critical skills and competencies for our teams will top every print com pany’s priority list. It is why change is such a powerful ally. As Winston Churchill once said, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”
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LEADERSHIP
In many respects, how and where your employees work comes down to the changes your company is willing to make. And that often comes down to culture. According to the ADP Research Institute’s “Measuring the ‘I’ in DEI” report, U.S. workers who feel strongly connected to their employer are 75 times more likely to be engaged than those who do not feel connected.
The key to business change is to never stop learning and innovating. For us, that includes:
٩ Building an organizational culture that is open to and embraces change
٩ Learning from our operational efficiencies and never reverting to the “old way” of doing things ٩ Focusing on what customers want and need, and using that knowledge to strengthen our abilities to exceed their expectations These are not the print days of old. The industry is defined by an ever-innovative mindset that continues to change how and why we do what we do. Both pre- and post-pan demic, the print landscape will continue to converge. For example, traditional offset printers will continue to transition to digital print, wide format and packaging. Print businesses will continue to expand their capabilities to take advantage of new market trends, satisfy more of their customers’ print needs and respond to world events like pandemics.
There are no words to express how important making those connections are today. As connection is one of the primary drivers of employee engagement, companies must continue to increase their focus on people-centered cultures. There were a number of lessons learned over the past two-plus years. At Fujifilm, our business culture is built to be flexible and to change rapidly. The pandemic pushed us to move our organization to remote operations in a matter of days with limited disruption to our customers. Being able to foster that type of employee connection is vital to employee engagement. Today, we are continually evaluating everything from areas like manufacturing footprints, distribution channels and how we interact with our customers—all of which not only help improve our overall efficiency, but our overall customer satisfaction, too. As business continues to evolve and we move into more of a post-pandemic landscape, Fujifilm is committed to building a “New Normal” work environment—setting guidelines and conditions needed for however the land scape plays out. That means reviewing what we did right and not so right during that time, and continuing to build on the successes.
The key to business change is to never stop learning and innovating.”THOUGHT
Richard Rindo is VP of Sales and Marketing for Fujifilm North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division. Rindo works alongside several groups within the company—includ ing sales, marketing, operations and finance—to enhance analogue and digital/print graphic offerings for print service provider customers and prospects. By Richard Rindo
