Differentiation as a strategy
Print Focusing on technology and increasing productivity is one strategy, occupying niches and the associated orientations is the other approach of successful print shops.
Printing Focusing on technology and increasing productivity is one strategy, while occupying niches and the associated alignments is the other approach adopted by successful print shops.the situation in the printing industry is anything but rosy. There is overcapacity and prices are under pressure. Creative entrepreneurship is in demand. We visited four very different SME print shops with very different concepts on the market: Itin Druck are the specialists for creative implementations, Feldegg Druck is committed to environmentally friendly production, print mediator Maxiprint relies on an online store and Heer Druck is investing in a new machine platform. 1 Itin Druck, Bülach, sees itself as a boutique print shop
The showroom at Itin Druck AG doesn't have a grand meeting room, but it does have showcases with graphic products that you don't see every day. These samples are important sales arguments for customers at home and abroad. The company primarily develops and produces elaborate cardboard packaging products such as display stands or rotairs, direct mailings, functional cardboard packaging, eye-catching or attention-grabbing POS materials, small displays and much more - in addition to normal commercial print products.
Owner and Managing Director Edy Itin explains that the company he runs specialized in niche products a long time ago. The development of products tailored to the customer's needs is a top priority.
specialty products, on-site consulting, a constantly expanding range of
The company's philosophy includes an online catalog of manufactured products and permanent customer support. When asked about the company's strategy, the 41-year-old Managing Director replies: "Our strength lies in manufacturing products that other companies are no longer able or willing to manufacture due to their current focus. Internally, we no longer just talk about orders, but about projects entrusted to us. In the case of projects, we take on all services from development, production and implementation in our company through to local or worldwide shipping. As soon as the customer has entrusted us with a project, they no longer have anything to do with its execution. This approach is standard for us today."
Edy Itin sees the creation and development of solutions as well as the active support of the production staff and print buyers in the companies or the creatives in the agencies as a challenge: "The crazier the idea and the more difficult it is to implement, the more fun such a project is." Edy Itin, who describes his company as "small and innovative", has identified the success factors: the ideal size - and the fact that he has managed to convey a likeable impression. He also counts a certain tenacity in sales, a flair for selling and operating beyond national borders among the success factors of the 11-strong boutique print shop, as he calls it.
2. pioneering spirit of the print shop
Feldegg, Zollikerberg
More and more agencies and production managers are taking advantage of the pioneering spirit and innovative strength of Druckerei Feldegg, Zollikerberg. René and Erwin Oberhänsli, managing directors of Druckerei Feldegg AG (Feldegg), have no reason to complain. Last year was excellent and brought the best business results in the company's 50-year history. The answer to the question about the secret of success is surprising: "16 years ago, a print buyer from a major bank claimed at an environmental lecture that companies that do not produce sustainably have little or no chance of survival in the long term." This was an important signal for the Feldegg management to review and realign its strategy. "Since then, we have been doing everything we can - also out of conviction - to improve in this respect." Ten years ago, Druckerei Feldegg was the first company in the industry to
The company was certified to ISO 14001 (environmental management standard) several years ago, and in the same year was also certified to ISO 9001 (quality management standard). The company is also one of the first
The company is one of the few printing companies in Switzerland that are committed to sustainable, environmentally and socially responsible forest management and wood utilization through the use of FSC-certified paper.
Erwin Oberhänsli even describes the sustainability efforts at Feldegg as a driving force for innovation. As a logical consequence, according to René Oberhänsli, the company also came across presses from KBA. According to the Oberhänslis, the waterless 74 Karat and, since this year, the Genius 52 are particularly environmentally friendly: "But what convinced us above all was the fact that we have a "good sheet" or a saleable copy after just seven sheets. That's a world of difference compared to conventional offset printing," explains René Oberhänsli. This makes the machines ideal for short runs and for printing on expensive substrates. Those responsible at the print shop have developed a concept around the machine that is even offered to other print shops pursuing a similar realization under the name "equal".
Is there still room for a vision? "Yes, of course," says Erwin Oberhänsli, "the future is called distributed printing - the distribution of print jobs to locations worldwide that achieve identical results with the same data." Because such projects take a lot of time, he is not sure whether he will live to see the completion of this project. But he has set the course for it.
3. at Maxiprint.ch, Baar,
Order printed matter online
Maxiprint.ch AG's (Maxiprint) services are centered around the website of the same name. Thanks to the Internet technologies stored there, the entire process for the production of print products and advertising media, including the necessary data transmission, online checking and order processing, etc., has been simplified as far as possible. The sophisticated site guides visitors through the offer and makes ordering printed matter as easy as possible. The matrix structure is very practical: In the horizontal navigation bar, printed matter or advertising material can be ordered by category, while on the left, products can be selected or ordered according to industry requirements. In addition, the invoice can be viewed online or the recipient of the advertising material can be automatically informed of the upcoming delivery by e-mail or SMS on a daily basis.
"One of the biggest advantages of our solution is that our customers can not only order envelopes, flyers, cards, stickers, posters, brochures, member cards and the like, but can also see the delivery date and calculate the price in advance with just a few clicks. You get everything from a single source at a low price," explains Ingo Grünig, who holds a majority stake in Maxiprint.ch AG together with Marcos Gonzalez. The company, which is housed in the building of the LZ Medien Group (which holds a minority stake in the company), is continuously expanding its product range.
When asked where you can select the paper quality in the online store, the answer was yes.
Grünig answers: "Customers have a deliberately limited choice of formats and paper qualities in standard access, but the printed matter is extremely inexpensive thanks to standardized production. Nevertheless
We cover more than 80 percent of market requirements." And who prints? "We don't have any printing presses, 100% of production is outsourced. Maxiprint works with more than 100 active or activatable partner companies that produce, assemble or - in the case of transport advertising - also install the printed matter," explains Grünig.
The standard image formats JPG and TIFF or a PDF document can be supplied as prepress data. No InDesign or XPress documents? "Yes and no; the standard processing does not provide for this. Registered customers also have the option of supplying layout documents. Agencies in particular use this option very frequently," explains Grünig.
In terms of medium and long-term plans, Marcos Gonzalez says that a browser-based solution for online document design will be launched in the fall. The two owners are also looking into licensing the system to interested companies abroad.
4 Heer Druck, Sulgen, invests in machinery
A proven model for leading a company into the future is to invest in new technology and new, more efficient machines. Heer Druck AG, based in Sulgen TG, is following this path - in both offset and digital printing. The print shop has ordered a Speedmaster XL 105 from printing press and solutions provider Heidelberg for next year. This type of machine was unveiled at the drupa trade fair just last May. Viktor Heer, Managing Director of the company, explains the decision to purchase a new printing press as a result of very high capacity utilization: "We have been able to constantly improve the utilization of our machinery in recent years and are now reaching our limits. With the new machine, we can maintain operations without having to continue producing in three shifts." Three-shift operation also makes no economic sense for him in the long term,
adds Heer. Of the total cost of several million francs
The company founder hopes that this investment will lead to even better quality and higher productivity.
Above all, process integration is to be further optimized within the company. Color presettings from prepress - known as CIP3-PPF data - are already being used to quickly preset the press. The company has also made great strides in production data acquisition.
and enables ongoing cost control, explains Heer. Color management, which enables consistent color-accurate production, has already been in place for years.
The company lives mainly
mainly from the production of commercial print products. The company's very high overall capacity utilization is due to its publishing activities (magazines and books on architecture, design, typography and art from the in-house publishing houses Niggli, Archithese and du). It is interesting to note that 80 percent of the books are exported: Japan and China are important markets for Heer Druck. This is why the company is also present at the book fairs there.
In addition to sheetfed offset, a new Xerox Docucolor iGen3 110 digital printing press also contributes to Heer Druck's success. "The order or the customer's requirements determine the printing process for us," explains Viktor Heer. Heer Druck already generates around 15 percent of its turnover with digital printing, and the trend is rising.
Jürgen Franck
The showroom at Itin Druck AG doesn't have a grand meeting room, but it does have showcases with graphic products that you don't see every day. These samples are important sales arguments for customers at home and abroad. The company primarily develops and produces elaborate cardboard packaging products such as display stands or rotairs, direct mailings, functional cardboard packaging, eye-catching or attention-grabbing POS materials, small displays and much more - in addition to normal commercial print products.
Owner and Managing Director Edy Itin explains that the company he runs specialized in niche products a long time ago. The development of products tailored to the customer's needs is a top priority.
specialty products, on-site consulting, a constantly expanding range of
The company's philosophy includes an online catalog of manufactured products and permanent customer support. When asked about the company's strategy, the 41-year-old Managing Director replies: "Our strength lies in manufacturing products that other companies are no longer able or willing to manufacture due to their current focus. Internally, we no longer just talk about orders, but about projects entrusted to us. In the case of projects, we take on all services from development, production and implementation in our company through to local or worldwide shipping. As soon as the customer has entrusted us with a project, they no longer have anything to do with its execution. This approach is standard for us today."
Edy Itin sees the creation and development of solutions as well as the active support of the production staff and print buyers in the companies or the creatives in the agencies as a challenge: "The crazier the idea and the more difficult it is to implement, the more fun such a project is." Edy Itin, who describes his company as "small and innovative", has identified the success factors: the ideal size - and the fact that he has managed to convey a likeable impression. He also counts a certain tenacity in sales, a flair for selling and operating beyond national borders among the success factors of the 11-strong boutique print shop, as he calls it.
2. pioneering spirit of the print shop
Feldegg, Zollikerberg
More and more agencies and production managers are taking advantage of the pioneering spirit and innovative strength of Druckerei Feldegg, Zollikerberg. René and Erwin Oberhänsli, managing directors of Druckerei Feldegg AG (Feldegg), have no reason to complain. Last year was excellent and brought the best business results in the company's 50-year history. The answer to the question about the secret of success is surprising: "16 years ago, a print buyer from a major bank claimed at an environmental lecture that companies that do not produce sustainably have little or no chance of survival in the long term." This was an important signal for the Feldegg management to review and realign its strategy. "Since then, we have been doing everything we can - also out of conviction - to improve in this respect." Ten years ago, Druckerei Feldegg was the first company in the industry to
The company was certified to ISO 14001 (environmental management standard) several years ago, and in the same year was also certified to ISO 9001 (quality management standard). The company is also one of the first
The company is one of the few printing companies in Switzerland that are committed to sustainable, environmentally and socially responsible forest management and wood utilization through the use of FSC-certified paper.
Erwin Oberhänsli even describes the sustainability efforts at Feldegg as a driving force for innovation. As a logical consequence, according to René Oberhänsli, the company also came across presses from KBA. According to the Oberhänslis, the waterless 74 Karat and, since this year, the Genius 52 are particularly environmentally friendly: "But what convinced us above all was the fact that we have a "good sheet" or a saleable copy after just seven sheets. That's a world of difference compared to conventional offset printing," explains René Oberhänsli. This makes the machines ideal for short runs and for printing on expensive substrates. Those responsible at the print shop have developed a concept around the machine that is even offered to other print shops pursuing a similar realization under the name "equal".
Is there still room for a vision? "Yes, of course," says Erwin Oberhänsli, "the future is called distributed printing - the distribution of print jobs to locations worldwide that achieve identical results with the same data." Because such projects take a lot of time, he is not sure whether he will live to see the completion of this project. But he has set the course for it.
3. at Maxiprint.ch, Baar,
Order printed matter online
Maxiprint.ch AG's (Maxiprint) services are centered around the website of the same name. Thanks to the Internet technologies stored there, the entire process for the production of print products and advertising media, including the necessary data transmission, online checking and order processing, etc., has been simplified as far as possible. The sophisticated site guides visitors through the offer and makes ordering printed matter as easy as possible. The matrix structure is very practical: In the horizontal navigation bar, printed matter or advertising material can be ordered by category, while on the left, products can be selected or ordered according to industry requirements. In addition, the invoice can be viewed online or the recipient of the advertising material can be automatically informed of the upcoming delivery by e-mail or SMS on a daily basis.
"One of the biggest advantages of our solution is that our customers can not only order envelopes, flyers, cards, stickers, posters, brochures, member cards and the like, but can also see the delivery date and calculate the price in advance with just a few clicks. You get everything from a single source at a low price," explains Ingo Grünig, who holds a majority stake in Maxiprint.ch AG together with Marcos Gonzalez. The company, which is housed in the building of the LZ Medien Group (which holds a minority stake in the company), is continuously expanding its product range.
When asked where you can select the paper quality in the online store, the answer was yes.
Grünig answers: "Customers have a deliberately limited choice of formats and paper qualities in standard access, but the printed matter is extremely inexpensive thanks to standardized production. Nevertheless
We cover more than 80 percent of market requirements." And who prints? "We don't have any printing presses, 100% of production is outsourced. Maxiprint works with more than 100 active or activatable partner companies that produce, assemble or - in the case of transport advertising - also install the printed matter," explains Grünig.
The standard image formats JPG and TIFF or a PDF document can be supplied as prepress data. No InDesign or XPress documents? "Yes and no; the standard processing does not provide for this. Registered customers also have the option of supplying layout documents. Agencies in particular use this option very frequently," explains Grünig.
In terms of medium and long-term plans, Marcos Gonzalez says that a browser-based solution for online document design will be launched in the fall. The two owners are also looking into licensing the system to interested companies abroad.
4 Heer Druck, Sulgen, invests in machinery
A proven model for leading a company into the future is to invest in new technology and new, more efficient machines. Heer Druck AG, based in Sulgen TG, is following this path - in both offset and digital printing. The print shop has ordered a Speedmaster XL 105 from printing press and solutions provider Heidelberg for next year. This type of machine was unveiled at the drupa trade fair just last May. Viktor Heer, Managing Director of the company, explains the decision to purchase a new printing press as a result of very high capacity utilization: "We have been able to constantly improve the utilization of our machinery in recent years and are now reaching our limits. With the new machine, we can maintain operations without having to continue producing in three shifts." Three-shift operation also makes no economic sense for him in the long term,
adds Heer. Of the total cost of several million francs
The company founder hopes that this investment will lead to even better quality and higher productivity.
Above all, process integration is to be further optimized within the company. Color presettings from prepress - known as CIP3-PPF data - are already being used to quickly preset the press. The company has also made great strides in production data acquisition.
and enables ongoing cost control, explains Heer. Color management, which enables consistent color-accurate production, has already been in place for years.
The company lives mainly
mainly from the production of commercial print products. The company's very high overall capacity utilization is due to its publishing activities (magazines and books on architecture, design, typography and art from the in-house publishing houses Niggli, Archithese and du). It is interesting to note that 80 percent of the books are exported: Japan and China are important markets for Heer Druck. This is why the company is also present at the book fairs there.
In addition to sheetfed offset, a new Xerox Docucolor iGen3 110 digital printing press also contributes to Heer Druck's success. "The order or the customer's requirements determine the printing process for us," explains Viktor Heer. Heer Druck already generates around 15 percent of its turnover with digital printing, and the trend is rising.
Jürgen Franck
