Printers urged to specialise to stay competitive
Simon Nias, PrintWeek, 24 January 2008
Print managers have warned UK printers that they must specialise if they want to boost profit margins and stay ahead of their European competitors.
Nine of the top players in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector concluded that the best suppliers were niche players and that Europe was leading the UK in recognising the need to specialise.
Simon Biltcliffe, managing director of Webmart, said: "Suppliers in Europe tend to have a much better idea of what their niche is. In the UK, people are quite acquiescent and will take any old work. Print firms should start doing a lot less but a lot better, like Europe has done."
Alistair Cane, executive director at Adare, added: "If a company decides to specialise, it may have to lose a bit of short-term revenue, but the opportunity long-term is fantastic because every single print management company would want to put work with them."
