We live in an age whereby Printers do not survive unless they invest in technology, employees juggle many duties and there is an emphasis on being a low cost producer. If a printing company has high prices – guess what? They go out of business. If their presses are 30 years old – guess what ? They go out of business. You get the idea – it’s really not rocket science.

But when we move from the private to the public sector, the dynamics change. “Government efficiency” is considered an oxymoronic concept. We are shocked when someone in the public sector seems to care about our problem, is competent and has a sense of urgency in their duties. That is very, very sad – but even more so, very destructive. The U.S. Postal Service is the poster child this year for a government agency no longer able to survive in the modern age.

Attempts are being made at restructuring, but what is the long term outlook? Yes, they have labor unions to contend with. But they also have other major problems with far superior competition (UPS, FedEx), and a huge volume decline; not to mention a computer infrastructure that is a joke.

For example, have you ever used the USPS tracking system? I have many times – and 90% of the time, the package is delivered while their system still
says “A label has been generated. No further information is available.” That is a workflow process that does not scan often enough (hardware issue?) or a database that never syncs with field data. Either scenario is from a flawed, and broken system. Compare the tracking to their competitor, UPS, whereby they can tell me on my Droid (with their own app) each and every step in the shipment. AND when it is delivered, I can see the signature in an email within 5 minutes after delivery. Now – is it any wonder that UPS Ground is a better choice than Priority Mail?

Have you ever visited a Post Office, and there is a like-new credit card reader sitting on the counter, but you cannot use it? It even has a sign on it that says “Do not Use” . The Postal worker has to take your card and scan it themselves – once again a broken system. AND taxpayer dollars were wasted on a project that did not deliver on its’ promises. Was anyone held accountable for the waste or cost? Why not? In the private sector, people lose their jobs when
millions are spent on failed projects. They actually have to have an acceptable ROI.

Why is the USPS broken ? I think it’s simple – no U.S. government agency can compete in the private sector, where efficiency and competency is required for survival. Capitalism is Darwinian, eliminating waste and rewarding smart capital decisions. Government agencies tolerate waste, bad decisions and Capital project cronyism. It’s not rocket science…

One of the absolutely worst ideas in Sales is to call on a prospect without an appointment. I was on the receiving end today of a bad sales call.The regional representative for an unnamed digital press manufacturer shows up in the lobby unannounced to see me. At the time I was on the phone, had a stack of pricing and proposals staring me in the face, a person in my office waiting to speak with me, a financial report due at 11 and we are short-handed because of employees on vacation during hunting season. The last thing I need is to waste time with an unannounced sales pitch. And to top it off, he says “tell him I am town for the day, call me so we can perhaps meet this afternoon.

Here is what this Salesperson fails to acknowledge or realize:
1. If you are fortunate to have a responsible job in the year 2011, you are doing the job of at least 2 people. YOU ARE BUSY!

2. When you call on a prospect in these circumstances, here is what you are saying: YOUR TIME AND SCHEDULE IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS MINE.

3. “I am in town for the day – call me” WHAT? A clueless comment.

4. He/she damages their credibility in my eyes. If they do not understand why and what is wrong about their approach, how astute are they in any technical matters of a potential deal? Could they possibly provide any expertise we do not already possess as an organization? Do they bring anything to the table or are they as clueless about consultative selling as they are about prospecting?

Respecting your prospects’ time by making an appointment sends a much different message: “I know you have responsibilities on a daily basis, I understand and respect that, so let me be at your disposal when you think you can carve out an hour.”

As I write, I have been on hold with Adobe for 29 minutes…I had a very simple, simple question which I needed answered. In order to get that answer I had to provide my name, software serial number, email address, version of Acrobat X, version of the problem software (Firefox 5). I also had to previously wade through a menu that did everything it possibly could to discourage me from talking to a live human being. When I finally did reach a “warm body”, the usual occurred: first, the impression that I am in a boiler room in Calcutta; then interrogate me for 5 minutes to verify my identity; ask me to define the problem; rifle through papers so they can find a canned script to fire back at me; put me on hold to discuss the problem with their “service team” (code for they are clueless how to fix the problem). Then, after returning to my call, ask me a few of the same questions I already answered. Bottom line: there is no fix for the problem yet. (Firefox 5 does not allow you to create a pdf from within the browser, as it did before with Acrobat X….). He could have simply told me that in the first 60 seconds after I identified the problem, if he was knowledgeable.

In commercial printing, if you “jerk people around” like that, you are out of business eventually. Why? Because I can hang up the phone and call another printer for a price or schedule or design help. Customer Service is very important for survival in this age of printing. In some cases, it is the only thing that separates you from your competition.
What about quality? Everyone prints well these days…
What about service? Deliver jobs in 3-10 days or your shop will quickly be empty.
Price? This industry is so cheap already I am amazed at pricing levels. With technology, prices have plummeted. A job that would have cost $10,000 in 1980 will now cost $3,000. Name me another industry where you charge 70% less for your product and you still survive (maybe electronics?).

Treat your customers well, and they will come back…and your customer service can be the difference maker, and possibly the only thing that separates you from your competitors.

Having been in the industry for 35 years, one tends to see many fads and fashions come and mostly go by the wayside. We have seen foil stamping become a “must use” design feature for high-end coated products, recycled papers spike and plummet in popularity and most recently the advent of certified paper, pulp and wood products. Based on my own observations, it looks like the FSC products are headed in the same downward direction.
I would say there are a few very logical reasons for this.

First, when the heart and the wallet collide in a conflict of objectives, the wallet wins 98% of the time. If a designer or publisher is faced with “being green” or not publishing an issue, they will skip going green. And let’s face it, many publications are barely hanging on by their fingertips, hoping to sell enough ad space to turn a profit.

Secondly, FSC is making it cost prohibitive for printers to continue to pay for an annual audit and certification without the benefit of an increase in Revenue. Once again, if I am going to lose a very small amount of business if I am not certified, why pay the expense in a down economy with predatory pricing?

Thirdly, many customers eyes gloss over when you try and explain how the process works. Other have not even heard of it. So – why should my Salesforce be educating the marketplace, when that should be the job of the certifying body?

The fate of certified papers is still undecided by the marketplace – but its’ prominence is diminishing daily.

Over the last 2 or 3 years, the amount of State and municipal work that is “Set a Side” has gotten out of control. “Set A Side” simply means that you cannot bid on the project unless your business is “small”, minority owned, female owned, owned by a handicapped person or a veteran. In theory this sounds very noble and altruistic to award business to such suppliers. After all, it’s a good thing – right?

Here is who these policies harm when they get so out of control and QUOTAS are mandated by the politicos:

1. They harm the TAXPAYERS. Why ? Because the taxpayer pays much more for printing. There are not enough “set-a-side” suppliers that can provide the thousands of types of printed products without them also sub-contracting and putting a mark up on it. Or, even if the business has the equipment, they operate in a non-competitive environment, which always results in higher prices! Price is no object when quotas need to be filled, and yet in the meantime 42 of 50 States are operating in the red this year-and considering how to make bankruptcy legal.

2. They harm society by BREEDING CORRUPTION. We once lost a nice multi-year contract that was converted to a set-a-side contract when it expired. I was told by the State Procurement official, that “there are quotas to fill”. We had done a great job for over 5 years and yet were left with no chance to bid. A week prior to bid opening, I received a phone call from a “set-a-side qualified” print broker who wanted to subcontract the job to us. I refused, since that was illegal according to the bid specs. He laughed and said he would certainly find 10 printers that would print for him. I told him to enjoy his stay in the state penitentiary.

3. They harm all the employees who work for “non-set-a-side” owned companies.
What about the employees who are not working for a “set a side” company? What about their desire and willingness to work hard and earn a living? They get harmed by enjoying less overtime, having to work reduced work weeks or having wages frozen: because revenue has decreased at their company.

Projects from the private sector are always awarded on the basis of price, performance, value added and quality. It is ludicrous to award them on the basis of class, race, gender. It is another example of a good intention gone awry. It provides no societal or economic redeeming value/benefit, it harms legitimate businesses, and breeds corruption. Our state and federal governments are in crisis situations with their budgets. It’s about time time we got rid of this wasteful and corrupt practice.

After reading this article below, I was not sure I wanted to scream or laugh…or pick up the phone and ask Rep. Corrine Brown if I could have the job of adding Constitutional citations to bills, and I would ONLY charge her $285,000! I would save the taxpayers 50% ! Seriously, this is just another example of our beloved leaders being clueless and downright ignorant of what things cost. In the printing industry, no customer in their right mind would pay $570,000 for 3 or 5 lines of copy per job. In this economic climate, I would do it for free to get the job. And then to claim that there are extra delivery fees ? What ?? Politics and printing have been mixing for centuries….but ask Ben Franklin how much he would pay to set 4 or 5 lines of copy – I bet you he could tell you, which is the difference between the elitist politicians of today and one of our beloved Pennsylvanians: a firm grip on reality, unabashed honesty and the love of country.

Democratic Rep. Corrine Brown said a GOP requirement that lawmakers cite the Constitution in each bill they introduce will cost $570,000 in additional printing costs.The Florida Democrat, who is in her ninth term in Congress, said the extra costs are attributed to “supplies, labor and delivery.”
Democrats have complained about the new House GOP rule, which requires all legislation to include a citation to language in the Constitution that authorizes any bill they introduce. Democrats see the new requirement as an unveiled accusation that the last Congress exceeded its constitutional authority. Brown’s argument seems designed to appeal to Republicans. She argues the new rule will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in Congressional Record printing costs to be paid for by taxpayers. In her extension of remarks attached to the January 7 Congressional Record, Brown said the Republican rule only requires a “perfunctory statement without explanation,” which lessens the value of including the statement in each bill. “Committees need not consider the statement, no Member will ever vote on it, and Senate bills can be considered without one,” she said. Brown reiterated other Democratic arguments against the new rule, including that it is the job of the courts to decide when Congress has overstepped its bounds.
Democrat: Citing Constitution will cost taxpayers $570K By Pete Kasperowicz – 01/10/11 12:07 PM ET

Direct Mail Buyer Pleads Guilty; Accepted More Than $1.8 Million in Kickbacks
November 23, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC—Nov. 23, 2010—A former employee of two Massachusetts-based customer relationship management agencies who purchased direct mail advertising has agreed to plead guilty to charges relating to his receipt of more than $1.8 million in kickbacks, the Department of Justice announced.

According to the charges filed today in U.S. District Court in Boston, Reed A. Richard conspired with others to defraud two of his employers by accepting kickbacks from two direct mail advertising printing brokers in exchange for awarding printing work to companies the brokers represented. The conspiracy took place from approximately January 2000 through at least February 2006.

According to the court documents, Richard, a former director of production at PreVision Marketing LLC who resided in Carlisle, MA during the conspiracy, took the kickbacks during different periods of employment with two separate customer relationship management agencies, which he defrauded as part of the schemes. Richard is also charged with tax evasion for tax years 2004 and 2005 by falsely claiming substantial personal expenses as business expenses on tax returns.

Richard was responsible for procuring direct mail printing services by obtaining competitive bids from printing companies, awarding contracts, reviewing invoices and authorizing payment. According to the charges, he approved invoices knowing that they were fraudulently inflated to include the kickbacks he was to receive. A portion of the inflations were passed from the brokers to Richard as kickback payments.

In order to conceal his role in the scheme, Richard purported to provide consulting services to the printing brokers through a shell company he owned. Richard claimed substantial illegitimate business deductions on his corporation’s federal income tax returns. As a result, he under-reported his corporate and personal taxable income, resulting in a total tax loss of approximately $170,000.

The plea agreement is subject to court approval.

Today’s charge arose from an ongoing investigation into the direct mail printing industry being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s New York Field Office, with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, in Springfield, MA. Anyone with information concerning fraud or tax offenses relating to the direct mail printing industry should contact the Antitrust Division’s New York Field Office at 212-264-9308, visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm or contact the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Springfield Office at 413-785-0090.
Source: Press Release

November 22, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO—Nov. 22, 2010— ForestEthics has released a report said to uncover the Sustainable Forestry initiative’s (SFI) industry-sponsored greenwashing in marketing wood and paper products. Titled “SFI: Certified Greenwash”, the report asserts that the SFI label primarily serves the interests of the timber, paper and forest products industries. Its centerpiece is a two-page infographic depicting the web of influence through which those industry interests dominate SFI.

“Greenwash is deception pure and simple,” said Aaron Sanger of ForestEthics. “Our report exposes SFI’s greenwash, an industry-sponsored scam that threatens our forests, communities, fresh water and wildlife.”

Among the report’s findings:

• Virtually all of SFI’s funding comes from the paper and timber industries.

• SFI’s most commonly used label, the Fiber Sourcing label, requires no chain-of-custody tracking of a product’s content or origins.

• Out of 543 audits of SFI-certified companies since 2004, not one acknowledges any major problem on issues—such as soil erosion, clearcutting, water quality, or chemical usage—that should be the focus of a ‘sustainable forestry’ program.

• In one case, the SFI audit team—which included only two auditors—spent just five days assessing an area larger than the entire state of Pennsylvania. They reported no violations of SFI standards and didn’t identify so much as a single opportunity for improvement.

• Board members representing SFI’s environmental and social sectors include Mike Zagata, former NY Gov. Pataki’s “most controversial agency head”, and Marvin Brown, who this October resigned as Oregon state forester amid accusations that his department conducted and tolerated environmentally-harmful forestry practices.

In March, ForestEthics mailed letters to Fortune 500 companies that rely heavily on direct mail to market their products and services, including companies from the insurance, financial services and telecommunications sectors. Citing public controversy about SFI’s deceptive “green” marketing practices, the letters offer ForestEthics’ expertise to help companies find legitimate ways to improve and promote the environmental attributes of their products.

Source: Press release.

September 21, 2010 WASHINGTON, DC—Sept. 21, 2010—Appleton Coated LLC, NewPage Corp. and Sappi Fine Paper North America, together with the United Steelworkers (USW), welcomed the Department of Commerce’s announcement of final antidumping and countervailing duty margins on coated paper imports from China and Indonesia.
Today’s announcement of final antidumping and countervailing duty margins sets out the tariffs that will be applied to unfairly traded imports of coated paper from China and Indonesia that benefited from subsidies or were dumped in the U.S. market. The Department of Commerce’s action updates the preliminary margins that were announced earlier in the consideration of the case which was filed jointly by the USW and the three companies.

The antidumping margins announced by DOC on imports from Indonesia were 20.13 percent and ranged from 7.6 to 135.83 percent on imports from China. Countervailing duties on products from Indonesia will be subject to tariffs of 17.94 percent and on Chinese imports range from 17.64 to 178.03 percent. If the ITC votes affirmatively in their upcoming injury determination, these rates will apply for the term of the relief. The ITC will vote on October 19 and the transmittal of its views to DOC will occur on November 4.

The companies and the USW filed unfair trade cases on September 23, 2009 with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) alleging that certain coated paper from China and Indonesia had been dumped and subsidized resulting in injury to the domestic industry and its employees. The paper products covered by the petitions include coated paper in sheet form used in high-quality writing, printing and other graphic applications, with a GE brightness rating of 80 or higher and weighing up to 340 grams per square meter.

“Today’s announcement validates the allegations the industry made almost a year ago as to how Chinese and Indonesian coated paper exporters were engaged in unfair trade practices. Correction of the dumping and subsidization by the imposition of duties to offset the margins announced today will help provide some more certainty that a competitive market will exist in these products,” said Sandra Van Ert, president and chief executive officer of Appleton Coated LLC.

Leo Gerard, International President of the USW said, “Last week the International Trade Commission heard from the companies and their customers, the union and elected officials from around the country of the injury that has been inflicted by Chinese and Indonesian coated paper producers who are, to put it simply, cheating. They’ve engaged in unfair trade practices to advance their interests at the cost of production and jobs here in the U.S. Commerce’s decision today further validates their unfair pricing and sets the stage for final action to restore a competitive market.”

“Working together, the companies and the Steelworkers have fought for a fair and level playing field,” stated George Martin, president and chief executive officer of NewPage Corporation. “Today’s action is welcome news for the industry and its employees as they look to a future where they can compete fairly based on the quality of the products they produce, the investments that have been made in new technology, and sustainable forestry practices.”

Mark Gardner, president and chief executive officer of Sappi Fine Paper North America said, “Commerce’s recognition of the impact of dumped and subsidized products sends a message that our government is interested in restoring a competitive market in coated paper. We have presented before the International Trade Commission a clear and compelling case that these dumped and subsidized products have in fact injured our businesses, depriving our employees of enriching jobs. We are hopeful the Commission will recognize that injury in its final determination next month.”

“Our members work hard and play by the rules,” said Jon Geenen, USW International Vice President. “All they want is a fair chance to compete. This decision shows clearly what they’ve been up against in terms of unfair trade practices of the producers they have to compete against.”

“It’s time, once and for all, for us to have the rules of fair trade enforced and the government to stand up for their interests. The domestic industry has experienced capacity reductions and under-utilization resulting in the loss of jobs in communities all across the country. The petitions show that unfairly traded imports from China and Indonesia are a significant contributor to that underutilization of capacity, mill closures and resultant job loss,” said Geenen.

The three companies employ about 6,000 production workers represented by the USW at 20 paper mills operating in seven states.

About Appleton Coated
Appleton Coated, headquartered in Kimberly, WI, provides focused market leadership in premium coated and specialty paper products. The Appleton Coated product portfolio includes a range of commercial printing and book publishing papers marketed under the Utopia® brand as well as specialty and private label products. Known for their performance, aesthetics, and environmental attributes, Appleton Coated manufactures their products in a state-of-the-art facility in Combined Locks, Wisconsin, hosting the newest papermaking machine of its type in North America. For more information please visit our website at www.appletoncoated.com/.

About NewPage Corp.
Headquartered in Miamisburg, OH, NewPage Corp. is the largest coated paper manufacturer in North America, based on production capacity, with $3.1 billion in net sales for the year ended December 31, 2009. The company’s product portfolio is the broadest in North America and includes coated freesheet, coated groundwood, supercalendered, newsprint and specialty papers. These papers are used for corporate collateral, commercial printing, magazines, catalogs, books, coupons, inserts, newspapers, packaging applications and direct mail advertising.

NewPage owns paper mills in Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nova Scotia, Canada. These mills have a total annual production capacity of approximately 4.4 million tons of paper, including approximately 3.2 million tons of coated paper, approximately 1.0 million tons of uncoated paper and approximately 200,000 tons of specialty paper. For more information, visit www.NewPageCorp.com.

About Sappi Fine Paper North America
Sappi Fine Paper North America (SFPNA) is a leading North American producer of coated fine paper used in premium magazines, catalogues, books and high-end print advertising. Headquartered in Boston, MA, Sappi Fine Paper North America is known for innovation and quality. Its brand names, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are some of the industry’s most widely recognized and specified. SFPNA is a division of Sappi Limited (NYSE, JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with manufacturing operations on four continents in 10 countries, sales offices in 50 countries, and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi Fine Paper North America at: www.sappi.com/na/.

About the United Steelworkers
The United Steelworkers (USW) is a North American union headquartered in Pittsburgh that negotiates labor agreements representing 850,000 active workers employed in metals, mining, pulp, paper, timber, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply, energy producing industries, plus the service and professional sectors to include healthcare, municipalities and pharmaceuticals. For more information: www.usw.org/.

Source: Press release.

Perhaps it is a sign of the times. Or, maybe I have not paid attention in the past, but it seems like I am reading about more and more corruption in our industry than ever before. Yes, business is business, and some people are corrupt – period. However new articles are appearing on a regular basis in the trade journals about indictments, arrests, prison sentences handed down. All of these happening in the industry I have been associated with for 35 years, and cannot remember this many illegal activities. For example, just today I read:
“Newton man is sentenced to 3 years in prison for stealing more than $100K from business”
Published: Friday, September 10, 2010, 1:38 PM
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP (Somerset) — A Newton man today was sentenced to three years in prison for taking more than $100,000 from a Somerset County printing business where he worked as the controller. David Hathaway, 51, apologized for his actions and defense lawyer asked Judge Paul Armstrong to give him a suspended sentence for the theft from Toppan Printing Co., a firm located in Franklin Township.
Attorney Drew Hurley insisted his client didn’t take the money for a lavish lifestyle, but to help support his family. They were struggling under debts that mounted when Hathaway was unemployed. “He did so to pay bills, not to go to Atlantic City, not to buy drugs,” Hurley said, adding that his client is bankrupt. “It was aberrant behavior.”

This was on the same page as:
Charges say Frank Russo traded printing business for political contributions
Updated: Thursday, September 09, 2010, 8:28 PM The Plain Dealer
The scheme: Russo traded public business for political contributions, according to prosecutors.
Russo is accused of using his official position, between 2005 and 2007, to funnel nearly $450,000 in county work to a printing company. Damir Blecic is not named, but matches the description of Public Employee 53, an employee in the auditor’s office with an interest in Business 34, described as a printing company located in Garfield Heights.
Critics of the printing transactions have said the work was done at inflated rates, and also noted that the county has its own printing operation. In exchange for the work from the county, according to the charges against Russo, the auditor’s employee contributed an unspecified sum to Russo’s political campaign. The charges also say Russo hired relatives of Public Employee 53 and “made personnel decisions” that benefited them. Those decisions are not spelled out. In addition, the charges say that, on or about May 5, 2006, Russo “caused to be paid” an invoice from the printing company to the auditor’s office for about $10,786.40. Federal prosecutors subpoenaed the printing records in November as part of the public corruption investigation.

I tend to believe we live in times where some will act out of desperation. In the meantime, our industry is getting a tarnished reputation which has nothing to do with us being “tree killers” or “environmental polluters”. We can’t afford this kind of bad press, especially right now…