Maryland
Members Lunch with Legislators
The 5th annual PGAMA Legislators' Luncheon was held this
Tuesday February 16th, and generated the best turnout ever of Delegates and
Senators: more than 50 Representatives came to meet and mingle with 30+ members
and PGAMA staff. The casual event was created to give business owners the
chance to share their concerns with their elected officials. The Representatives
were very interested in hearing from industry members about the status of
their businesses in light of the ongoing economic recession. Constituent
input directs their votes on critical issues, and they value the
opportunity to hear from the people they serve face-to-face. Shown below,
member Kathy Holmes of K&W finishing, inc. (right) lunches
with Delegate Stephen Lafferty (42nd District Baltimore County) and Maryland
State Senator Kathy Klausmeier. See more pictures from the event on www.pgama.com.
A
Forecast Without Snow
Printing Industries of America's Technical
Forecast has arrived! Renamed 2010 Forecast: Technology, Trends, Tactics
is loaded with useful information in manageable sizes. The four-color, weighty,
perfect-bound magazine is worth keeping on your desk throughout the year
for use as a resource manual. PIA Chief Economist Ronnie H. Davis, PhD, predicts
the nation's economy to grow at a "relatively modest rate of 2.5% to
3%." He states, "the
major challenge to printers is the decline of total printing shipments. This
decline is not just cyclical because of the 'great recession' of 2007-2009,
but because it is a longer term secular trend brought on by a number of factors
of which the most important is the digital communications revolution." He
adds that "although nominal printing shipments may increase, real or
inflation-adjusted industry shipments have most likely peaked for the foreseeable
future and are projected to decline modestly (around 6% per year) over the
next decade and beyond." Translation for members? The overall pie --
the dollar amount of printed goods produced each year -- is shrinking for
a host of reasons, and it will continue to shrink in the coming years. Plan
accordingly. Davis's overview is just one of dozens of articles in the Forecast
designed to help serve as your road map for the next 12 months.
Ratios
Now Underway
The 2010 Ratios program is now underway. If you are
interested in participating go to www.printing.org/ratios.
You can participate online, use the Excel file, or print and mail/fax
the PDF form. Questions? Contact Ed Gleeson at 1-800-910-4283 (ext. 756)
or egleeson@printing.org.
Union
Organizing Updates
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has
released reports on union membership during 2009. The report,
released in Janaury, shows that the union membership rate
(the percent of wage and salary workers who were members
of a union), was 12.3 percent. That number represents a slight
decline from the 12.4 percent rate in 2008. The number of
wage and salary workers belonging to unions declined by 771,000
to 15.3 million, largely reflecting the overall drop in employment
due to the recession. The Graphic Communications Conference
of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (GCC/IBT) had
a difficult year in terms of union organizing in 2009. According
to official National Labor Relations Board election reports
for cases closed, the GCC/IBT did not win a single election
in calendar year 2009 in the U.S. despite several organizing
drives. In addition, the union lost one decertification election
(e.g., where employees petition and vote to remove the union.)
Nevertheless,
16.9 million wage and salary workers were represented by
a union in 2009. This group includes both union members (15.3
million) and workers who report no union affiliation but
whose jobs are covered by a union contract (1.6 million).
Government employees (781,000) comprised nearly half of the
1.6 million workers who were covered by a union contract,
but not members of a union. Overall, 7.9 million public sector
employees belonged to a union in 2009, compared with 7.4
million union workers in the private sector. Private
sector industries with high unionization rates included transportation
and utilities (22.2 percent), telecommunications (16.0 percent),
and construction (14.5 percent). Also worth noting is the
fact that union membership was higher for men (13.3 percent)
than for women (11.3 percent) in 2009. Among major race and
ethnicity groups, black workers were more likely to be union
members (13.9 percent) than workers who were white (12.1
percent), Asian (11.4 percent), or Hispanic (10.2 percent).
Black men had the highest union membership rate (15.4 percent),
while Hispanic women had the lowest rate (9.7 percent). By
age, the union membership rate was highest among workers
55 to 64-years old (16.6 percent).
Take
A Survey, Get Free Stuff
All members are invited to take the Continuous
Improvement/Lean survey. Participants receive one FREE webinar
recording and more! This Printing Industries of America survey
consists of 10 short questions about the continuous improvement
program at your company. At the end of the survey you will
receive:
* The Lean Toolbox: 5S and Quick Changeover webinar recording
*
Two Lean Manufacturing articles
* And a chance to win a special
Continuous Improvement Lean Toolbox Kit: including two books
and three webinars—a
$300 value
You will also receive the survey results once the tabulations
have been completed.
To take the survey, go to http://ci-survey.surveyconsole.com/
3
Steps to Profitability
Stuart Margolis of MargolisBecker,
LLC says that there is a proven 3-step approach
to returning a printer to profitability after a downturn
in sales:
1. Bring costs in line with current
sales levels.
2. Review your pricing strategies and insure
that your best customers are supported and defended from
competition and that your least profitable customers are
identified and corrected.
3. Focus and manage your sales
force so it is achieving profitable growth.
Download the complete Strategic Planning articles at www.margolisbecker.com under Publications.
Member
News
Congrats to Art Litho
Printing Solutions on being selected as a Gold
Customer Plus Award winner by NAPL.
George Shenk of Whitmore
Group was featured in the February 10th issue
of Hometown Annapolis.com. He was quoted on how the company
dealt with production and delivery during the back-to-back
blizzards earlier this month. Check out the article at
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/top/2010/02/10-06/Snow-days-a-challenge-for-area-employers.html.
MOSAIC was
the focus of an article on sustainability featured in the
February issue of Printing Impressions PIWorld. Read the
story at http://www.piworld.com/article/mosaic-waterless-printer-installs-first-kba-rapida-75-sheetfed-press-north-america-415631/1.
FrankParsons announces
the opening of Frank Parsons Express
Plus in Hanover, MD.
The new store gives customers the convenience of shopping
for printing and copy paper, envelopes, labels, toner and
ink, plus a large selection office supplies. The store
is located at 7458 Candlewood Road, Suite A, with hours of
operation Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:30pm. Customers are invited
to shop before the end of March to receive 10% off of their
entire order. For more info, contact the storeat 410-737-7500.
Upcoming
Events
February 28-
March 4 |
Printing
Industries of America Presidents' Conference,
Scottsdale, AZ-2010
is the year to reinforce the foundation of your
business. This year’s program was developed
with the intention of helping industry leaders
like you focus on the core elements of your business—those
things that can help you remain stable, as well
as increase profit margins. Topics to be addressed
Include: Communicating the Value of Print * Methods
for Cost Reduction * HR Issues * Economic Forecast
* And much more! Complete info and registration
at http://www.printing.org/page/3499. |
| March 3 |
Webinar:
OSHA Recordkeeping, Noon-1:00pm.
OSHA determines whom they will inspect by collecting
injury and illness data (Form 300A), and companies
with the highest injury and illness rates are at risk
of being inspected. Currently, OSHA has been reviewing
the accuracy of Injury and Illness logs because they believe this data is underreported,
and they are questioning the validity of the downward trend in injuries and illnesses.
Tune in to this broadcast to make sure your Illness & Injury
records are correct so you can avoid an inspection.
Led by Mark Flannery, the director of environmental
affairs at PINE and an authorized outreach
trainer through OSHA. Cost is $55 per connection, per
session for PGAMA members $110 for non-members. To
register call PGAMA, 410-319-0900/877-319-0906 or sign
up online at www.pgama.com. |
| March 15-17 |
National Environmental,
Health and Safety Conference: Printing for A sustainable
Future-at
the Sheraton Indianapolis, Indianapolis,
IN. The
one conference for the graphic communications industry
that intersects the needs of safety, environmental
and human resources. Today's workplace requires
multitasking -- and this conference provides you
with the tools and information to accomplish this
goal! Plan now to attend! More info and registration
at http://www.nehsconference.org/nehs10_site/index.html. |
| March 17 |
Webinar:-Get
A Bigger Piece of the Pie Using Social Media, 1:00-2:00pm.
Discover how being involved in social media can be
a leverage component of the multi-channel communications
you offer clients. Tune in to learn:
· The importance
of social media in your marketing strategy
· What
tools you should be focused on and how to use them
· How social
media can be a part of your multi-channel communication
strategy for your clients
This webinar is geared for entry level
to intermediate levels of social media expertise. It will likely
provide great ideas for advanced users. Cost for members
is $49 per connection, non-members pay $99 per connection.
Call PGAMA to sign up or register online at www.pgama.com. |
| March 24 |
Special
Event: 5th Annual Excellence in Print Awards Gala,
5:30-9:30pm at Martin's Crosswinds in Greenbelt,
MD. Come see the big winners of PGAMA's annual
printing competition, plus enjoy the open bar,
great food, and entertainment.
An essential networking
opportunity! TICKETS NOW
ON SALE: $65
each/$600 for a table of 10. Call PGAMA to reserve
seats, 410-310-0900.877-319-0900 or email Carol@pgama.com. |
| March 25 |
Webinar:
Real World of Lean for Print Managers,
2:00-3:00pm. Over 95%
of the total time it takes to process a printing order
and manufacture a printed product is non-value-added.
Lean focuses on identifying and eliminating all kinds
of waste and non-value-added activities with the goals
of slashing costs, faster throughput, improved financial
performance, and higher customer satisfaction. Tune
in to this webinar and learn:
· What Lean Manufacturing is and how
it is applied to the printing industry
· Management’s essential role in
the Lean process
· Eight sources of waste in printing
companies hidden plant
· The difference between “living
Lean” and simply using Lean tools
· Management strategies for sustaining
Lean successes
· And more
Member cost for this presentation is $99 per connection.
Non-members pay $199 per connection. To sign up, go
to http://www.printing.org/node/5951. |
| March 25 |
Production
Club of Baltimore Paper Show, 5:30-8:30pm
at Martin's West. See
the latest innovations in paper, media, and all
things production. Vendor space still available.
Contact JoAnn at
the Production Club of Baltimore. For more info
visit http://productionclubofbaltimore.org/calendar. |
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