Where your jobs come from?

[motormount]

I was thinking that the late five years the majority of our jobs comes from print brokers and ''media agencies'' and we no longer have to do with the final customer.

I could estimate that on the ''good times'' before agencies took over an amount like 70% of our jobs was given straight from the final customer, while now i think is less than 30%...

I'd really like to hear how the others are doing, if it's not any problem.

Thanks in advance!

 

[MailGuru]

We're just the opposite. While we do some trade work for other printers and a few agencies, most of our jobs are direct with the end user. But then, our mix is probably much different than yours. We're primarily a "mailer", who, just happens to digitally print what we mail. Our applications are very complicated "niche" applications, heavy in variable images and data, which necessitate the writing of programs and systems to produce and mail the printed pieces.

 

[arossetti]

I hate dealing with middle men. They have to show some worth to their client so they try and beat up the printer and earn their points.

 

[motormount]

I hate dealing with middle men. They have to show some worth to their client so they try and beat up the printer and earn their points.

Can't tell who's beating harder, those who know the trade or those who doesn't...

Anyway, i'm more interested how small/middle size shops ( less than 30 people ) are doing, i'm assuming that more and more printing is assigned to printers through these channels.

Is there any kind of ''research'' done on this, so i could read some numbers?

 

[ID13]

We're a small shop, 4 total employees for a newspaper and commercial print. It's heading that direction for us too, probably get 35% straight from the customer and the rest is brokered to us. When press operators at other newspapers in the area retire, they usually decide to send the work out rather than hire someone new. Works out well for us.

 

[motormount]

One could say that this might have to do with the fact that shops of this size can't afford to have sales department - boss is sales,production manager and the courier sometimes - but on the other hand on the '' good old times '' small shops were organized ( ) the same way.

I don't like it at all, it's like your company is taken over but the new owners don't really care how to keep it running, just to make the most they can out of it till it collapses...

 

[LKCSMO43]

We are a medium size shop, 40 employees or so, we have 40% of them working on our mailing side and about 40% on the printing/finishing side 20% do both. I would say about 97% of our jobs are all direct from customer, we rarely deal with middlemen. There are a couple printers we do extra work for, and there are a few things we have to be the middleman for and contract out because we don't have the capability.

 

[motormount]

Thanks all for answering, to be honest i was expecting more answers but it may have to do that this kind of questions may seem a little suspicious to some.

Is there any ''formal'' research, you know ( like how much paper is printed anually etc ) so i could have a picture of what's going on in bigger and healthier markets than Greece's?

Thanks again!

 

[davarino]

There is a very simple dynamic here: if you wish to keep your machinery running, someone has to be selling.

Someone devoting his/her major efforts to production must work with someone who devotes her/his efforts to selling and service.

A sales-oriented organization is much less money to begin and maintain than a capital-intensive organization such as a print shop. Expect to see many more brokers and a few more trade shops.