New
Regs for Coverage of Adult Children
Last week the government issued regulations
on the issue of covering children of employees up to the age of 26. In summary:
For calendar year plans, the requirements go into effect January, 1, 2011.
No special surcharges will be allowed for extending coverage under this circumstance.
If children of employees were previously “aged out” of coverage
from a parent’s plan, they must now be given a new right to enroll
and at least 30 days to decide. Plus, a child who previously loss coverage
because of age and then opted for COBRA can re-enroll in the parent’s
health care plan. Then, upon reaching age 26, the child could again take
COBRA for up to 36 months. Coverage must be offered for employees’ adult
children up to age 26 regardless of whether the child is in school, married,
lives at home, or has any income. The last day a plan would have to extend
coverage would be the day before the adult child’s 26th birthday. Under
IRS regulations issued late last month, employers also can extend coverage
until the end of the year in which the child turns 26 without any adverse
tax consequences to the employee.
Legislative Action
Alert: Protect Paper Communications!
The
Senate is currently debating a comprehensive financial regulatory reform
bill, and Printing Industries of America
is asking YOU to show support for amendments to the Bill, specifically S.
Amdt. 3988 (Gillibrand Amendment) sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. The
Gillibrand Amendment would defend a consumer's choice in
how he or she receives sensitive financial communications and ensure that
consumers who choose to receive paper-based financial documents (as opposed
to electronic copies) and to pay bills by paper checks (as opposed to online
banking) would not be unfairly penalized by excessive fees and penalties.
To show your support for the Gillibrand Amendment,
call your Senators' offices and ask that they co-sponsor it and vote
YES when it is considered on the Senate floor. (Click here to link with directory
of Senators' numbers and suggested talking points.)
Beware
the Lacey Act
Printers and print buyers must be aware of the
Lacey Act, a law that prohibits all trade
in plants and plant products (including pulp and paper) that are illegally
sourced from the U.S. or any foreign country. It also requires importers
to declare the country of origin of harvest, and species name of all
plants contained in their products.
The Department of Justice is serious about enforcement
of this law, and requires importers of paper to provide a basic declaration
to accompany every shipment. In a recent example showing
the enforcing agency means business, Gibson Guitar Corporation in Nashville,
TN was raided by federal agents in November 2009 as part of an investigation
into the illegal trade of rare wood allegedly used in some of Gibson's
renowned musical instruments. Even if the law was violated
unknowingly, there
are penalties which include seizure of goods, fines
up to $200,000 for corporations or$100,000 for individuals; and even
jail time.
It is the responsibility of each company to exercise
"due care" and understand the origin of its forest products. In
order to be sure you are in compliance with the law, ask your supplier
questions about their supply chains, and institute policies and
procedures to track forest products. Learn more at www.eia-global.org/lacey or www.SustainableForestProds.org.
A
New Kind of Merger
If you are contemplating adding sales through
a merger/acquisition but do not need
the equipment/facility, one approach to proceed with the
transaction is to purchase "the book of business."
The real value of a business is the accounts, and purchasing
this information is a win-win situation for both parties.
Through the purchase of " the book," the buyer
gets leads on clients who will definitely be looking for
a new supplier since their current one is going out of business,
and the seller gets the profit from the sale of contact list
PLUS proceeds from the sale of surplus equipment. ~Excerpted
from "Got A Surge in Your Urge to Merge" by Bob Lindgren.
Winning
the Pricing War
Pricing pressures continue to plague the
industry. Regardless of how much one wants/needs to hold
the pricing line, in times like today, firms must meet the
pressures of market pricing. Hopefully, before management
decides to start wrestling in the mud, they reviewed the
firm's cost/pricing structure. Relying on the existing cost
system may not be a good solution. Why? Most firms in the
industry have estimating systems which reflect market pricing
models --- not actual costs. Thus, it's imperative for firms
to start looking at different ways to measure job profitability/costs
rather than relying on cost and estimate sheets.
*Here are some ideas to help find ways to maintain profitability
while wrestling:
*Measure a job's "profitability" by
looking at value-added as a percentage of total sales rather
than markups
*Adopt lean techniques to increase plant capacity
and lower the cost of waste
*Establish product line costing
(by product and customer)
*Establish your win/loss ratio
in bidding - many still use 30%-35% as a reasonable "win" bench-mark
*Measure
the amount of overtime being used...and how it's managed
*Track
the average billing rate per chargeable hour
*Track chargeable
hours and ask suppliers/vendors to provide information on
new resources to help productivity
Tech
Tip of the Week-Finding Paper for Digital Press
Greg Radencic, Research Scientist
at Printing Industries of America, offers this tip. In
the realm of digital printing and sourcing paper, there
are two parameters that impact on how well a paper will
print—grams
per square meter (GSM) and caliper. Some digital presses
are capable of running specific heavy weight papers varying
in GSM. The heavier GSM papers may vary in caliper and may
exceed the maximum caliper the digital press is capable of
transporting. GSM describes the density of paper based on
a given area. Caliper is the measured thickness of a paper.
These two units of measurement are independent of each
other and should be sorted accordingly. Contact your digital
press representative for more details on the capabilities
of the press.
Member
News & Activities
DirectMail.com has announced
a new contract whereby
it will create, host, administer and manage private, online
print, mail and campaign management portals for the ServiceMaster
brands beginning with Merry Maids. Other ServiceMaster brands
include TruGreen,
TruGreen LandCare, Terminix, American Home Shield, ServiceMaster
Clean, Furniture Medic and AmeriSpec.
Frank Parsons Paper Company has updated
their website and online ordering system. Check it out at
frankparsons.com.
The company also reminds members that they have a retail
store in Hanover, MD at 7458 Candlewood Road.
Upcoming
Events
May 24-26
Baltimore Show! |
RadTech*
UV & EB Technology Global Expo & Conference , Baltimore
Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland. Fast
emerging UV and EB technologies are energy-saving,
environmentally responsible processes used
on millions of products each day. Learn how
they can work at your business during this
conference. PGAMA has negotiated FREE
ADMISSION for printer members on Monday,
May 24! Pass gives attendees
admittance to exhibit
floor, breakfast, lunch, reception AND educational
session including:
Sustainability * Economics & Technical
* Value, Savings and Profit * Special Effects
With UV Inks
* Durability * Hologram Transfer with UV
Coatings – “Even
a Caveman Can Do It”
To register for the free pass, please
contact RadTech’s Executive Director, Gary Cohen
at 240-497-1242; or e-mail gary@radtech.org and
tell him you received the PGAMA e-mail. For more
information on the event visit www.radtech2010.com.
* RadTech is a global non profit trade association
based in Maryland, dedicated to the advancement of
enviro- and energy efficient ultraviolet and electron
beam technologies |
May 24-26
Baltimore Show!
|
PSDA
Print Solutions Conference & Expo, Baltimore
Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland. The
Print Solutions Conference & Expo is the
only national trade show focused on supporting
printing professionals who buy print and print
services for resale or distribution to an end-user
customer. In the mix of large trade shows held
throughout the year, this is the only show
targeting this specific niche of printing professionals.
The Print Solutions Conference & Expo
is for anyone directly responsible for buying
or influencing the buying of print. EXCLUSIVE
MEMBER BENEFIT: FREE HALL PASS ($65 VALUE)!! Learn
more and register to attend at http://ops.psda.org/Meetings/DMIAIndividRegV3/Search.aspx?ecd=IN10PG |
| May 26- June 23 |
CSR
Training Webinar Series, Noon-1:00pm.
Tune in to one or all six broadcasts of Sid Chadwick's
CSR Webinar Series. Part 2 on May 26 focuses
on Retaining Customers and will address:
*Researching a prospect or customer for your Account Executive
*Creating opportunities to create relationship equity
* Winning referrals from current customers
* When, what, and how to send “useful information” to current and
prospective accounts
Cost is $75 for individual sessions or $400 for the complete series. All
you need to participate is a phone and a computer with Internet connection! Register
with PGAMA up to two days before session, 410-319-0900/877-319-0906 or www.pgama.com. |
| May 26 |
FREE Webinar:
Restructuring the Balance Sheet, 10:30-11:30am.
PGAMA member MargolisBecker is sponsoring this event,
which is geared to owners and financial executives.
Get help with financial decision-making
and cashflow management in
this broadcast. Topics to be covered include:
· Restructuring Debt
· Getting
a handle on credit and collections
· Controlling
Inventory
· Managing Accounts Payable
· Cash
Forecasting
Guest speakers are Jim Russell
and Tom Williams of New Direction Partners. Call the
PGAMA office to register, 410-319-0900 or email Debbie@pgama.com.
Questions about webinar content? Contact Bonnie Pfaff
at 888-577-1717. x 110 or bpfaff@margolisbecker.com |
| June 1-3 |
Introduction
to Printing, PGAMA
Boardroom. Give your new-to-the
industry employees an understanding of
how the entire printing process works--from
start to finish. Great for CSRs, Sales, Management
& more! Course schedule is Tues: 8:30am
- 4:30pm; Wed: AM field trip/PM class; Thurs:
8:30am-Noon. Cost
is $295.00/person for members/$495.00/person
for non-members. Fee includes all instructional
materials, lunch every day, & transportation
for field trip. To register contact Debbie at
PGAMA, 410-319-0900/877-319-0906 or online
at www.pgama.com.
**REGISTRATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY
MAY 24. |
| June 10 |
Webinar:
Improving Employee Performance through Coaching,
2:00-3:00pm. Printing Industries of America is
offering this successful webinar again for managers
ready to coach their employees for Peak Performance!
You’ll hear about strategies and approaches
which will help you to tap into your employees’ strengths
and optimize their performance. Led by Richard
(Rick) Green, Principal, Green Communication
Strategies, a consultant to the Printing Industries
of America who also speaks at conferences to
help companies improve their supervisory skills.
Cost is $49 for members/$99 for non-members.
More info and register at www.printing.org/node/5972.
|
| June 14 |
PGAMA's
5th Annual Golf Outing,
at Crofton
Country Club in Crofton, MD. PGAMA’s
annual golf outing is the perfect place to
make contacts with fellow members and other
professionals. There’s also excellent
food, awards, and cash prizes;* so recruit
a foursome, polish your swing, and prepare
for a challenging game on this Arnold Palmer
course. *Prizes are given for Longest Drive,
Closest to Pin, and Hole in One.
Cost is $150
per person. (Lunch/awards only is $45 per
person.) To Register: Call the office, 410-319-0900/877-319-0906. Sponsors
Welcome~Only $125 to sponsor a hole! For
info, 410-319-0900. |
June 22
|
Cocktails
& Connections-FREE Member
Happy Hour, at Caddies
on Cordell in Bethesda, MD. Member firm Xerox
is sponsoring this event, and invites members
for cocktails, appetizers, and an exclusive
opportunity to meet and learn from Roger Gimbel,
President of Gimbel & Associates,
who will discuss variable data color printing
with live examples of real world successful
applications currently being done. He will
have real business examples of personalized
and customized direct mail marketing,
trans-promo statements, and related marketing
campaigns he has used successfully. Join us
just for drinks, or beat the traffic and
come to the presentation first at 3:30pm, then
stay for happy hour from 5:30-7:30pm. This
is a FREE event for members ($25 for non-members),
but pre-registration is required. RSVP
to PGAMA by June 18, 410-319-0900/877-319-0906
or online at www.pgama.com. |
|
