Technical Articles
On Demand Binding Services - The Future Is Now
Published in Quick Printing
by Frank Shear
Every dog has its day. As the new decade begins, the "status quo" types likely will find themselves barking up the wrong tree. For those of us hunting in the rapidly growing on demand segment of the graphic arts industry, our day has truly arrived.
Isn't it odd how job quantities seem to be getting shorter as quality expectations rise? These were once mutually exclusive trends, but aren't any more. Those of us serving the on demand marketplace should rejoice because we've got the hot hand now. If you need more than my word to believe this bold claim, let's take a look at some statistics.
According to the latest Printing Industries of America (PIA) data, the total US commercial printing market grew at an average annual rate of 7.0% from 1996 to 1998. Sound good, right? I thought so too until I noticed that the quick and small commercial printing portions of our industry grew 19.2% per year during the same period. (PIA defines small commercial printers as having fewer than ten employees per establishment.) These groups now account for $14.2 billion in printing shipments, which is about one-seventh of the total US commercial printing market.
If you back out small commercial and quick printers, the rest of the commercial printing industry only grew a modest 5.3% annually during last two years. Therefore, small commercial and quick printers are growing more than three-and-a-half times as fast as the rest of the commercial printing industry. Folks, this is terrific growth! No matter how you slice them, these statistics should be great news for most Quick Printing readers.
Post Press Solutions for the Digital Imaging Industry
Once upon a time, short run printing was a marvel in of itself. High quality short run printing was so rare that binding style and quality hardly mattered. Tape binding, plastic strip binding and peculiar-sized double loop wire binding methods were in their heyday because there wasn't any real competition. Not any more! As the new decade begins, print buyers and end users expect binding and finishing excellence, regardless of run length. Fortunately, machine manufacturers kept their ears close to the ground and developed high-quality binding solutions tailored toward the short run offset, DocuTech and Indigo printing worlds.
Some digital printing systems offer inline perfect binding and saddle stitching. But before using these low-cost inline binding methods, make sure you're satisfied with the quality level. A DocuTech may be the right answer for the printing portion of the job, but you may prefer traditional offline bookbinding for better quality.
DocuTech sheet sizes are just right for some products. Consider a 7"x 9" computer manual. This book size can be digitally printed two-up on a 9"x 14" sheet and trimmed inline to its final 7"x 9" size. But, you still need an offline binding solution to finish the process. When top quality is a must, look for binderies that understand the nuances of the short run, high quality market. Remember, quality is not a given.
If you're a small format commercial or on demand printer, learn what bindery resources are available to you. Outsourcing broadens your product portfolio and helps you win more business. It makes sense because companies that focus on their core competencies and outsource non-core operations are free to concentrate on what they do best. The days of the generalist are over: We are in the age of specialization. Vertically integrated companies, like General Motors of yesteryear, were hampered by their "we-must-produce-it-ourselves" business philosophy. Nimbler companies like Chrysler and Ford reinvented their businesses by shedding operations. After all, why should a car company manufacture its own headlights? Is GM in the lighting or the transportation business?
Short-Run Adhesive Binding
Perfect bound books need to have good page pull strength, square backs and smooth spines. Getting all these factors right used to necessitate using large production machines, such as Kolbus' Ratiobinder. Unfortunately, the lengthy setup time and high machine hourly rates make short run production on this class of machine prohibitively expensive. Luckily, there are now short run perfect binding machines, like Muller Martini's Amigo binder, that make perfect bound books virtually indistinguishable from those produced on a Ratiobinder.
Trade binderies throughout the country have caught a whiff of the on-demand trend and many are trying to decide what to do. Some have already tailored a portion of their services to meet the needs of this emerging market. A few are even offering 24-hour turnaround times and pick-up and delivery at standard prices - something virtually unheard of as recently as five years ago. The trick is getting on demand printers to understand that outsourcing isn't just for large printers. Large graphic arts companies have been used to outsourcing bindery services for years, but small format and on demand printers have had few, if any, quality bindery solutions available to them.
At one time, boutique binding methods, like Otabind™ layflat adhesive binding, were only appropriate for long runs. However, newer processes, like RepKover™ binding, were developed for the short run, high quality segment of the layflat adhesive binding market. Many people are surprised that RepKover makes economic sense for quantities as few as 25 books. If you are unfamiliar with RepKover, you owe it to yourself and your company to discover its many advantages.
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In today's competitive business environment, labor is in short supply. It's no secret that a lot of graphic arts companies are having difficulty hiring and keeping good people. Those with growth aspirations need to choose which strategic opportunities make the most sense for their set of unique circumstances. Companies no longer can assume they'll be able to find qualified people to grow. Today's smart business leaders know their companies can't be all things to all people and therefore target carefully selected product niches. Success lies in identifying and capitalizing on the best opportunities, given a company's core competencies and access to labor.
A Fork In The Road
Earlier this year, the team leaders at my company, Seaboard Bindery, realized we were at a fork in the road. Historically, our equipment mix and company direction was squarely focused on satisfying the bookbinding needs of the mid-quantity bindery market. Our perfect binding equipment includes a Kolbus Ratiobinder and a Muller Martini Panda binder. This combination is perfectly suited for serving mid-sized printers with job quantities in the 10,000- to 100,000-book range.
Since the mid-'90s, our customers have been pulling us in two directions. Some encouraged us to handle larger quantities, yet others wanted us to be more responsive to the needs of the on demand marketplace. Doing both goes against our philosophy of honing in on a niche. Our choice was essentially this: Either we get a second full size perfect binder and go after longer runs; or invest in short run machinery and target the on-demand marketplace. After a lot of discussion, our management team felt that the on demand market represents more growth. Shortly thereafter, we bought a high quality short run Muller Martini Amigo binder. Luckily, the latest PIA statistics indicate we made the right choice.
By no means did we want to give up on Seaboard Bindery's traditional mid-size market because it is doing just fine. This is not a case where we needed to "reinvent" our company. However, we did want to give our on-demand customers a service experience carefully tailored to their needs. So, we created a new division, Fastbind, which is totally focused on serving the on demand market. The demand for short run, high quality bindery solutions should continue its meteoric growth. We've stared into the graphic arts looking glass and in our opinion the future for on demand bindery services is now.
Frank Shear is President of Seaboard Bindery's FASTBIND division, which specializes in 24-hour Wire-O™, plastic coil and perfect binding services. In addition to FASTBIND products, Seaboard Bindery offers laminating, Otabind™ layflat and PUR adhesive binding. Call Frank at (781) 937-3333.