By Editor Morten B. Reitoft

BOPI is a family-owned commercial printer in Bloomington, Illinois - and we recently covered the company as part of our Always On Tour with Koenig & Bauer. BOPI is a 55+ people company, and in many ways, it looks like so many other smaller commercial printing companies. The story about how they invest and why they have invested in a particular brand can be interesting to learn from, but what’s more important is understanding some of the maybe unspoken layers of a story. This is where my story this times begins.

Tom Mercier is the father of Jeff Mercer, who recently took over BOPI's daily operations. Investing in new technology is a big decision, as it has tied the company to the technology for years. Paul Hudson once told me that investing in the wrong technology can be life-or-death.

When investing in technology, one must understand current needs, but it’s also about foreseeing the development of your company. Sometimes, the best way to understand this complexity is to look back.

Ten years ago, nobody would have thought about COVID, Energy prices, inflation, wars, and conflicts in the world, and even today, the uncertainty many OEMs, PSPs, and their customers see rolling out before their eyes.

There is no reason to believe that the next ten years won’t be as challenging. Therefore, we as an industry must discuss trends in more detail and precisely to help companies like BOPI and the industry make the right decisions.

When organizations like BVDM (Germany) talk commercial printing down, talking about tonnage, number of employees, and number of sold printing units - these measures are off. I believe in capitalism; supply and demand will balance prices better. Tonnage, number of sold printing units, and number of employees don’t say ANYTHING about Commercial print, but only about paper supply/demand, how good the OEMs are at understanding the market and selling machines accordingly.

The overcapacity in the market is ONLY bad, so despite the tragedies of bankruptcies for the people involved, it’s a health sign, and the measures for the future MUST be how much money commercial printers make - and many, like BOPI, are in relatively good shape, and continues to believe in commercial print. However, when BOPI decided to invest in the iPress 106 and folder/gluer, this, to me, showed leadership. BOPI knows the marketplace is changing, and by investing in technology that can replace older and more labor-intensive technology with new, they not only potentially make more money but also open up for the one- and only segment many see growth in - packaging!

I don’t believe in the near-death of commercial print or any other print segment, but I think the market is changing more rapidly than ever. Therefore, when you consider handing over the Presidency to the next generation, help them before handing over the leadership, investing in the technology to help them into a bright future.

There are a few things that in my mind are essential:

• Automate
• Make sure your workflow is up-to-date
• Have a mix of technology for short- and long-run
• Think about how your customers will develop over the next 1-2-5-10 years
• Where are the current bottlenecks
• Etc.

The last thing I find tremendously important is marketing. Too many OEMs and PSPs do not market their products and services well. You have to sell your products and services where your customers are - and when you hire a young marketing “specialist,” you have to tell them the difference between B-to-C and B-to-B. I am constantly surprised how some marketing people can’t get around this and spend money where no decisions are made, but that’s another story!