Supply Chain Disruption in a Pandemic

SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION PANDEMIC IN A

Image Credit: Kornit Digital

Now is the time for a digital workflow. By Debbie McKeegan

In the current climate, the challenges of supply chain uncertainty have forced many of us to both revisit and perhaps move to reconfigure our supply base in order to protect against future exposure and business interruption. But do we need to do more than just seek diversity? Do we not need to radically restructure our manufacturing processes?

As the world’s textile industry looks to resolve the current health challenges, and battle with supply chain disruption, these unprecedented events are going to force a radical reset. Globally the world

is united, and everyone faces the same dilemma. As history has shown, we often need an out-ofthe-ordinary environment to force us to leave our comfort zones; we are all forced out of the comfortable “normal.”

A Sustainable Supply Chain Addresses a New Textile Paradigm and the Future of Production

The current textile supply chain is both complex and global, with an extensive carbon footprint, but that doesn’t have to be the case. The Silk Roads of the past don’t address the needs of an eco-conscious generation, so we need to re-establish new, carbon-efficient vendor chains and move toward sustainable supply. Building a future-safe supply chain will empower flexibility in uncertain times and will become a critical factor in future pandemic business plans across all industries.

Manufacturers, regardless of location, need a new flexible toolbox, built to reverse the negative impact of channel disruption and equipped to flex and meet the demands of a new marketplace. Is it time to think beyond the constraints of your existing production legacy and re-equip?

Digital technologies offer a suite of tools for retailers and manufacturers that harness and deliver the associated benefits of sustainable customized production—the new Digital Silk Road.

As the fashion industry labors to meet the requirements of a new generation of consumers and a demand for product diversity together with sustainability, the traditional stock workflow is no longer relevant; it resides in the past. The current fashion cycle and its supply chain must adapt; it must reset and free itself from legacy production. As an industry sector, fast fashion accounts for more than its fair share of the world’s pollution, ranking second as a global polluter and consumer of the Earth’s natural resources.

In a fast-paced world, we now demand instant

Digital textile printing technologies offer the supply chain reduced inventory and lean manufacturing.

Is it time to think beyond the constraints of your existing production legacy and re-equip?

Image Credit: Kornit Digital

The digital smart factory utilizes a suite of technologies that facilitate “just-in-time” manufacturing. Driven by collaborative data from deep within the supply chain, the manufacturer has access to the technologies and the necessary information to provide flexible, efficient production and generate customized orders, at any scale, manufactured to meet client demand.

supply, forcing many brands and retailers with complex supply chains to hold stock. However, overstocks are bad news for businesses large and small, and must be controlled and fine-tuned to meet demand. On the other hand, out-of-stocks are lost sales. So what’s the solution?

Fulfillment must be managed to secure sales and meet demand, and, importantly, retain the customer loyalty you have worked so hard to create. Customized production and the benefits of a lean, efficient supply chain utilizing digital technologies, release the energy of on-demand production and free the supply chain from burdensome stock.

Real-Time Data Drives “Just-In-Time” Manufacturing and Reduces Inventory and Risk

A digitized workflow delivers real-time information and allows both the retailer and the manufacturer to flex production to meet market demand and supply chain interruption. To do so it must be transparent and unite all stakeholders.

In general, the textile industry has faced up to its accountabilities and welcomes a new, positive era of change and a generational swing toward sustainability. But to change the practices and production processes of the past takes time, while both the industry and the consumer are impatient for change. The supply chain must also adapt to offer best practice and re-equip as required for sustainable supply to meet the industry’s requirements.

The most successful brands are those that offer intense diversity and flexible production, manufacturing in real time, using intelligent metrics; and to do so they operate using digital technologies. Utilizing a digital workflow offers essential control and it reaps cash rewards, with the commercial benefits of efficient production.

The manufacturer must now adapt to a new workflow, one that can and will change the future of textile production, and in doing so, will deliver sustainable manufacturing.

The digital smart factory utilizes a suite of technologies that facilitate just-in-time manufacturing. Driven by collaborative data from deep within the supply chain, the manufacturer has access to the technologies and the necessary information to provide flexible, efficient production and generate customized orders, at any scale, manufactured to meet client demand.

Carbon neutrality is a must for the supply chains of the future. Together with the benefits of speed and ultimate flexibility, near-shore production also simplifies the value chain and offers a reduced

carbon footprint. Reduced inventory, ultimate control and automatic stock regeneration now also reduce the requirement for carried stock, as well as the requirement for large-scale warehousing and, importantly, free redundant capital by taking back control of the supply chain.

Building Digitized Communication Allows Businesses to Take Control of the Supply Chain

Cloud-based solutions support the industry’s growth within both physical retail stores and the virtual e-commerce marketplace and are essential to all stakeholders as they offer real-time metrics that can accurately predict sales. The buyer is now electronic, placing orders into a production mainframe that’s purposely built for customized manufacturing to service accurate demand, on demand.

In a virtual, digitized world, web-to-print solutions offer an automated print workflow, with no human intervention for administration. Stocks, consumables, print orders and shipping are automated, and, importantly, are only delivered into the production cycle when triggered by the sale—print on demand,

by definition, delivered at speed to an online consumer. Third-party fulfillment offers a hands-free production process and meets the demands of the e-commerce marketplace.

As we move forward into a new era of consumer-driven transparency, the fashion industry and its supply base have the technology at their fingertips to deliver a sustainable solution and bring about change. The requirement for sustainable supply and the operational efficiencies of the digital workflow offer the fashion industry new entrepreneurial growth at any scale.

As the current climate now teaches us, we must restructure our supply chains and adapt to new environments, embrace digital disruption, and prepare the textile industry for a sustainable, digital future. ● Read More… Find article at PrintingNews. com/21126906

Debbie McKeegan is the CEO of TexIntel. As a multi-disciplinary creative and renowned digital print pioneer, she holds over 25 years’ experience within the Textile manufacturing industry.

BIG DEAL SALES PROCESS ? WHAT'S THE ABOUT A

Follow these steps to increase sales.

Most sellers don’t want to think about their sales process. After all, it’s more of an art than a science. Sales comes naturally, and every sales situation is unique. Let the sales leaders think about it. The sellers just want to sell. By Lisa Magnuson

So, what are the benefi ts of a clearly defi ned and adhered to sales process?

● A baseline, representing best practices from which improvements and adjustments can be made ● Clarity for sales people, sales leaders and stakeholders ● Common terminology to enable clear communication ● Quantifi able and repeatable ● Identifying sales pitfalls means the opportunity to design “Plan B” to avoid ● A framework to identify triggers or sales accelerators’ (i.e. those activities that accelerate the sales process) ● Basis for automation (the sales process should drive sales force automation, not vice versa) ● Improved close ratios by following a success template ● Predictable sales results – a system that produces results Before we go any further, let’s simply defi ne

a sales process. A sales process is a step-by-step approach to selling that is designed for salespeople. It should represent best practices. The sales process covers initial contact with a prospect through contract and beyond.

The benefi ts may appear “too good to be true” by implementing a sales process into your sales organization, but it really is that simple. If done correctly, there will be lots of upside and no downside.

Here’s where to begin.

Step One: Build the Framework

● Phases or stages ● Phase components ● Phase characteristics ● Pipeline ratios

Step Two: Design the Details

● Best practice activities associated with each phase ● Mark trigger or sales accelerator actions. ● Consider and note common sales pitfalls for each phase. ● Include sales resources and tools for each phase.

Step Three: Integrate your Prospect’s Typical Buying Cycle

● Prospect buying steps ● Prospect activities

● Characteristics of each stage from the prospect’s perspective i.e. what is the prospect doing, thinking and feeling during each stage of their buying process? ● Prospect expectations

Step Four: Measure, Socialize, Train

● Socialize within your sales organization. (Note: this includes all stakeholders.) ● Conduct comprehensive training to install the new sales process. ● Test for quality and quantity. ● Determine the number of prospects needed at each phase. ● Test pipeline ratios.

Step Five: Automate and Improve

● Integrate into existing or new sales automation system (CRM). ● Refi ne.

A sales process includes all the steps that are taken from the time a prospect expresses interest in a product or service, to their acquisition of that product or service and beyond. Sales cycles differ based on various factors such as industry, sales or distribution channel, and the nature of the product or service. The notion of the customer’s buying process is a critical perspective.

We all know that prospects have unlimited access to information and have little time or patience to be sold. Skilled sellers help prospects clarify their needs and provide the right amount of information, at the right time, to enable the prospect to make the wise decision. However, when you add competitors, multiple decision makers, complex buying cycles, external pressures and risk to mix, it gets complicated quickly.

The phases below offer a simple template that includes the most common components of a strategic sales cycle. After you build your unique sales process, you can analyze important data such as close ratios and the average length of the sale cycle.

The sales approach is a careful balance of quality and quantity. It’s important to drive sales activity (quantity) but it’s more important to consistently improve the quality of all sales interactions (quality).

The steps below, organized in phases, form a top level outline of typical sales cycles which can be used as an example. The phases are organized using a planting theme since sales is an evergreen endeavor. Read More… Find article at PrintingNews. com/21126703

Phase One: Opportunity is Unearthed and Examined

● Initial prospect research ● Situational questions are asked and answered. ● Fit is determined - qualify opportunity – can you compete? ● A problem or opportunity has been identifi ed. ● Customer agrees with problem or opportunity ● Customer has resources and desire to solve problem.

Phase Two: Lay the Groundwork

● In-depth prospect research ● Gather account team. ● Determine other resources needed. ● Develop questions to delve deeper into problem or opportunity.

Phase Three: Dig In

● Get to the core of the problem or opportunity. ● Uncover the implications of solving or not solving your prospect’s problem or opportunity.

● Quantify the impact of a solution (gather info for ROI analysis). ● Expansion of customer contacts ● Initial development of strategy ● Gain pre-commitments from customer to continue (next steps). ● Clear action items

Phase Four: Plant the Seeds

● Customer’s goals and objectives are well understood. ● Lots of customer interactions ● Development of fi rst draft of solution ● Alternatives evaluated ● Decision criteria understood ● Decision process understood ● Executive endorsement secured ● Competitive assessment completed and blocks are in play ● ROI developed and tested with customer ● Strategy development ● Differentiation/Win Themes ● Evaluate possible risks and threats from customer’s perspective ● Gain pre-commitments from customer to continue (next steps). ● Clear action items

Phase Five: Culti vati on: Proposal and/or Presentati on

● Understand audience and their objectives ● Be clear on desired outcome or next steps. ● Connect problem to solution to ROI ● Benefi ts tie directly to stated needs. ● Anticipate questions and objections. ● Show evidence of past success for similar situation. ● Seek internal feedback prior to delivery. ● Testing of product or solution ● Gain pre-commitments from customer to continue (next steps) ● Clear action items

Phase Six: Nurture: Commitment to Move Forward

● Address remaining issues.

● Customer decision (agreement, contract) ● Move smoothly to next logical step ● Clear action items

Phase Seven: Harvest: Delivery of Service or Product

● Clear communication ● Implementation planning ● Project leadership ● Add resources. ● Plan for the unexpected. ● Develop key metrics or measurements. ● Focus on providing value and customer satisfaction. ● Clear action items

Phase Eight: Enjoy the Fruits of your Labors

● Celebration of accomplishment ● Analysis of process ● Process improvements shared and incorporated ● Executive sponsor thank you ● Clear action items

Phase Nine: New Growth and Expansion

● Marketing opportunities – testimonials, case studies, etc. ● Referrals ● Develop expansion plans. ● Gather evidence – cost savings, process improvements, ROI actualization. ● Customer satisfaction verifi cation ● Executive contact plan developed ● Clear action items ● Recycle to earlier phase.

Good luck! You will “Ring the Bell” more often when your sellers follow a customized sales process that is built on best practices. ●

Lisa Magnuson founded Top Line Sales in 2005. It has a proven track record of helping companies overcome the barriers to winning TOP Line Accounts. Learn more at www.toplinesales.com.

CASE OF FINDING GOOD HELP

You just can’t find good help these days. But of course we can. I know it’s not easy. It never has been. But today we have more tools than ever, and communication is easier. However, one thing is truly different. We must act quickly and put on a happy face.

We used to put an ad in the paper, collect resumes for a couple weeks, sort them, call for interviews and then, in a few weeks, make a job offer.

That’s changed, especially when we’re fishing in the $10 to $15 an hour pool. These candidates are also being recruited by businesses who will call them for an interview this morning, see them this afternoon, and start them tomorrow. Those willing to work in graphics usually are willing to take more time for their job search, but they won’t wait forever. Speed is of the essence.

What we really want is to post an ad for someone experienced with our equipment or with our software and have three perfect candidates tomorrow. Rarely does this happen, and rarely did it ever before.

So, instead of hiring the first “close enough” candidate and hoping for the best, we need to break down the recruiting process, streamline it and speed it up. Then we must dedicate our time to it instead of waiting until all the jobs are done.

We need to organize our people around functions so you may recruit for a recognized job. Customer service representative, prepress operator, digital press and more.

Search for recruiting pools before you But you have to act fast.

need them and use contacts other employees may have. A recruiting pool could be a local arts store with a help wanted bulletin board. Your employees may have leads on people they previously worked with. Equipment service people and other friendly printers may also supply you with leads. Pick up the phone and reach out to these folks.

Most often we run an ad. Today, we have good success with Indeed.com. But here’s a trick. Act fast. Post the ad on Indeed.com the same day you’re told they’re leaving.

Paint a happy place to work. “Come join this engaged owner in Smith county’s fastest growing digital printing company. Use our latest equipment and updated software.” If it’s positive, sell it.

Also, put a specific pay rate in the ad as well as your benefits. No, not $15 to $20 an hour. List $17. If you put in a range, then you assume they’ll start at the low end and work up. They assume, they can get the top pay and maybe more, so you’re inviting negotiation. List a rate and it’s almost yes or no. If you don’t get what you want, increase the rate.

As for benefits, feature your paid holidays during the year as well as vacations. I recommend two weeks after one year of employment or its equivalent if the state requires you to accrue vacations monthly.

Of course, feature other benefits that you have, such as health insurance and disability. Pretty soon you will see that it sounds like a real job.

And do this as your most important job. That means getting in touch with the candidates on nights, weekends and holidays. And hire the first one who meets all your qualifications. Don’t hesitate. Holding out for the “perfect” candidate will lose you a lot of perfectly good candidates.

Oh yes, we’ve placed a new employee as quickly as 10 days. ● Read More… Find article at PrintingNews. com/21115658

Tom Crouser can be reached at tom@cprint.com for more information on how CPrint International can be of help to you in your business or call his cell 304.541.3714.

this is over. Business travel will bounce back as all— or at least some—of the events that were cancelled or postponed take place. Retail stores with seasonal inventory will take a hit, but those that benefi ted from quarantined shopaholics’ e-commerce sales will come back more quickly.

For people still receiving a paycheck, this has been a good time to save and when they are allowed out again, that will probably be the biggest economic stimulus.

But—not everyone is receiving a paycheck. As businesses have had to close, many have had little choice but to lay off or furlough their staff—and the initial unemployment claims numbers give us an idea of the number of these folks. These recently unemployed can cope with not going out to restaurants, but they do have other bills—rent/mortgage, car payments, utilities, and of course food. Without some kind of assistance, these people are going to have a hard time making it to August, let alone splurging when it’s over. This is all without even mentioning any medical expenses that may be incurred as a result of contracting the virus. This is why the cash payments included in the CARES Act were so important, although for many it will not be enough, especially if the crisis lasts beyond the summer. An important part of the legislation—and, let’s be honest, it should be thought of as disaster relief, not economic stimulus—is that it allows freelancers and gig workers to apply for unemployment. It also expands unemployment benefi ts.

Helping individuals get through the crisis was one of the two biggest priorities of any governmental response to the COVID-19 crisis, as it will allow them to pay their essential bills until they are able to go back to their jobs.

The second big priority is helping businesses, especially small businesses, survive so that those employees have jobs to go back to. Restaurants, bars or any other closed businesses (like printers) have no customers and are receiving no income— and they, too, have bills to pay. So the CARES Act also includes loans to small businesses. Said Forbes: [The] Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of the CARES Act increases the government guarantee of loans to 100 percent through Dec. 31, 2020, for SBA 7(a) loans. The loans are available to companies with not more than 500 employees and those which have below a gross annual receipts threshold in certain industries. Under the legislation, 501(c)(3) nonprofi ts, sole-proprietors, independent contractors, and other self-employed individuals are eligible for loans. 2

When the PPP was launched in early April, there were some problems, which hopefully have been resolved by May.

The keys to the best-case scenario happening: 1. The CARES Act keeps individuals and businesses afl oat until the crisis passes. (A big “if.”) 2. Or, if more relief turns out to be necessary, the government acts in a timely manner to address the problem. (Yeah, you probably did a spit-take there.) 3. And, we don’t jump the gun, attempt to return to normal too soon, and thus trigger a second wave à la 1918. Quarantining is working. 4. On the other hand, we can’t get so fearful that once the threat does appear to have passed, we keep quarantining and refrain from economic activity. 5. A treatment becomes readily—and affordably— available. A vaccine is not likely to be available in less than a year, even though a potential vaccine is about to go into clinical trials. What is more likely is that something mitigates the symptoms of the disease. At present, nothing has been conclusively proven to treat COVID-19 symptoms, despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary. 6. We listen to actual medical and science experts.

Striking the balance between three and four is the tricky part, and six would be a nice change from science à la Twitter.

We are in for a rough ride, but we as an industry are used to rough rides. We’ll ride out the bucking economy (that’s bucking with a b), but we just might be walking funny for a while. ● Read More… Find article at PrintingNews. com/21127064

also proven to be effective.

“It has a very high recall,” Kiss said. “People have never seen a perfect photographic image of a beer bottle on a sailboat sailing past within 50 feet or 50 yards or even half a mile. Done right, and in the right marketplace, like New York, L.A., Miami, Chicago, Pittsburgh, St Louis, San Diego, San Francisco and all the spring break places you can think, these billboards are able to target their audiences wherever they are.”

And it’s not just sailing randomly up and down the coast. PhotoSails can target specific events—and even do a bit of guerrilla marketing. For example, a Coors boat repeatedly sailed past a Heineken-sponsored music festival on the Hudson River, much to the show organizer’s chagrin. PhotoSails also offers businesses the ability to use sponsored boats to entertain clients, hold contests on radio or elsewhere—enter to win a ride on the Coors

Light boat—as well as other promotional opportunities.

“We’re a multifaceted tool, unlike most outdoor advertising signage,” he said.

PhotoSails is able to advertise in any major city that is close to navigable water. And since most cities in the world were originally founded as ports, that’s just about everywhere. And even though sign codes can be fairly strict—and New York City has been unsuccessfully battling floating electronic billboards— PhotoSails has never run afoul of the authorities.

“We have never been challenged legally,” Kiss said.

“People seem to like it. Even when the Coast Guard comes flying up to us at 55 miles an hour and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, we’re about to be boarded for safety,’ what do they do? They pull right up to us, come running out on deck, and start taking selfies.

“We’re a niche media. The worse the economy got after 2008, the better we did. I never understood that, but somebody finally actually explained it to me: when a company is having trouble advertising, they tend to work a little harder to look for something that they can claim to be their own. It’s not just a newspaper ad or an internet ad or a TV commercial. They look for something that can stand out from everybody else.”

In the near future, there might be a lot of people in that boat. ●

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I’ve spent three weeks sequestered at home with my family. I’ve been making the most of my time out of the office as has the entire staff at APTech. When I asked the APTech team what they missed most about being at the office, number one was the chocolate jar in Ken’s office, which was also an analogy for the impromptu conversations that happen when you drop-in on a colleague in their office. We’ve had our fair share of video conference calls, but it just isn’t the same.

Living with the backdrop of uncertainty, economic destruction, shortages of certain goods, displacement of human interaction and death is nothing but numbing. Listening to the brightest minds in the world argue, each with a distinct set of facts, reminds me of the expression, “If you torture data enough it will confess to anything.”

That said, there has been a lot of positivity that has come out of humanity being in this together. There are so many amazing stories of how printing industry members have contributed. And equally important but more difficult stories on how printers have resolved to weather the storm and unfortunately have had to make some very tough decisions. But I also know that many businesses will be born during this time.

APTech is both of those- a legacy business with a plan to renew itself. 2020 was the year APTech was going to be reborn- in fact we planned for it. Timing is great, right folks? Well, in some ways, the timing couldn’t have been better. It might take a crisis like this to defeat the old business model, once and for all. And so too maybe this is the moment where the old printing business model, which is still so prevalent, is finally defeated.

We serve those who print, and cash flow is probably crap right now, and your pipeline is off anywhere between 20-60%. Suppliers are also in the same boat. So, most everything we do is not to just serve members, but the industry. So, the first thing that happened is our pricing model has gone out the window for a while. All of it.

So far, APTech has been leading out in the print industry by transitioning our in-person for pay events to online for free. We have also just launched a new website. So, we think that improving our online user experience and the way we deliver content couldn’t come at a better time. We’re also launching a new executive development program with George Mason University this coming June.

At APTech we’re spending this time in quarantine thinking about the future and working to deliver better, more robust, user friendly content. We hope that what we’re doing will help OEMs and PSPs get closer to their customers to deliver better – not necessarily more. By the end of 2020, we will have developed three new platforms to reach the end user (brand) market around different market segments. And we will be adding more in 2021.

If you haven’t already, adjust your mindset on how to create more value for your clients. And think not about those businesses and industries which will be going away, think about those businesses which are being created.

To learn more about our new programs, access our research and get up-to-date information on industry standards visit www.PRINTtechnologies.org. ● APTECH ADAPTS TO UNCERTAIN TIMES Read More… Find article at PrintingNews. com/21127457 Thayer Long is president of the Association for Print Technologies (APTech) and serves as president of the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF).

For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/21034499