Electronic Ink-based Signage Coming to Europe
E Ink Corporation, a developer and marketer of electronic ink technology for paper-like displays, and Vossloh System-Technik GmbH (VST), Kiel / Karlsfeld, a leading supplier of mobile and stationary passenger information systems, have announced an agreement to jointly develop electronic ink-based signage for the European transportation industry. E Ink will produce custom electronic ink display cells based on its new character and segmented display platform. Vossloh will develop the electronics and integrate the display cells into signage for the rail, bus and air travel markets. Click here for more.

Cardiff's LiquidOffice eForm System Honored
Cardiff Software Inc. has announced that eWEEK Magazine has selected its LiquidOffice™ v2.0 solution as a finalist for the magazine's eXcellence Awards. The awards, now in their second year, honor the best enterprise, e-business products introduced in 2001 that enhance productivity, performance and provide a competitive edge. LiquidOffice is an XML-based "paperless" system that enables organizations to publish, route, track, approve, sign, and process online forms and documents. LiquidOffice enables organizations to fully leverage their existing Web infrastructure using XML, HTML and PDF standards to migrate a wide range of manual business processes to automated online processes. LiquidOffice uses Web clients for form fill and routing. LiquidOffice also adds automated data validation, attachments and workflow capabilities to HTML and PDF forms. Last year, LiquidOffice received honors as a "Best of Show" finalist at Internet World, "Best of AIIM 2001" and "Best Enterprise Software Recognition" at COMDEX.

Small Distributor CEO Summit a Success
Twenty-two distributors from across the country met Feb. 10-13 for the Small Distributor CEO Summit, hosted by FormStore Incorporated in Fenton, Mo. The attendees discussed the future of the industry and how small distributors can position themselves to succeed. “This whole market has changed in the past six or seven years,” said Mark McKinney, president of Celtic Marketing Inc. in Dayton, Ohio, and co-organizer of the event. He said he was eager to attend the summit because he’s “looking for help in how to grow.”

Attendees began formulating their ideas for the summit on DMIA's members-only broadcast email system. Presentations during the event addressed better ways to serve customers, new approaches to sales and marketing, and how to take advantage of DMIA's services, particularly the DMIA web site, and how distributors' web sites can be effective marketing tools. Kicking off the meeting, Paul Keith, CEO of Best Business Systems in Bowling Green, Ky., proposed a new, small distributor alliance in which forms distributors would create an organization in which they could lower costs, learn from each other and grow together. Paul Edwards, president of FormStore Incorporated and sponsor of the Summit, told the group that “The key to rapid growth is to pick a product and get really good at it….Pick something new and exciting with value added that not everyone else has.” Click here for more.

Jury Rules Against Champion Industries
Huntington, W.Va.-based commercial printer and office products supplier Champion Industries Inc. has announced that a jury in Jackson, Miss., awarded plaintiffs about $2.5 million in a civil suit against the company. The plaintiffs asserted that Champion Industries and its Dallas Printing Co. subsidiary had engaged in unfair competition and other wrongful acts when hiring certain employees. The jury awarded the plaintiffs $1.7 million in actual damages and $750,000 in punitive damages, the company said. Champion plans to appeal the verdict.

Happy Trails, Helen!

Helen Barth, a 22-year employee of Continental Datalabel, is retiring March 15. Yesterday's Trade Mart in Philadelphia was her "last show." Here she greets Barry Lorber of Lorber Marketing, Trevose, Pa.

Yesterday's Trade Mart in Philadelphia was memorable for Helen Barth, division manager for Continental Datalabel. Helen has worked for Continental for 22 years, and is a veteran of DMIA's Trade Marts. At the conclusion of yesterday's Trade Mart, Helen was surprised with a cake and a farewell card from the other exhibitors. She'll be retiring March 15, and yesterday's show was her last one. "It's just been a wonderful 22 years," she said. "I'm going to miss everyone." After work is done on march 15, Helen and her husband will pack up their Ewing, N.J. home and move to Port Charlotte, Fla. There, she said, she'll "have more time for my pets (three Chow Chows), my plants and my books."

Customer E-Service
By Kara S. Carpenter
Print Solutions MagazineAssistant Managing Editor

"If you're not providing some sort of a value-added service, all you're providing is price," says Rick Doss, CDC. "That's not going to cut it because there's always someone cheaper than you."

When Doss started Data Flow Media Systems, Plano, Texas, 17 years ago, he already knew the importance of value-added services. "It was ingrained in my mind that it's much better to try to sell an account than an order," says Doss about his training at UARCO (now Standard Register), where he spent five years as a regional health care specialist. Today, Doss, president and owner of Data Flow Media Systems, puts that knowledge to work for his distributorship. "We go into accounts selling a system," he says.

Data Flow Media Systems' customers have driven the firm to expand its product and service offerings. More than four years ago, the distributorship began offering e-commerce services. "We had a client that was faxing us their business card orders," Doss says. "It was a nightmare because most of the orders were handwritten. By the time they were faxed to us, we couldn't read them." After reading articles about how the internet could assist with order processing, Doss was sure this was the perfect application for e-commerce.

The distributorship worked with a freelance programmer to create its own e-commerce system. "For the client base we have, a canned solution doesn't work," Doss says. "Each client's needs are unique." At first, customers could order only items such as business cards and letterhead from the system. Soon after, they could order any items stored in the distributorship's 2,000-square-foot warehouse.

Last year, a large health care firm accepted bids for a 3-year contract for all of its printing, including business forms, commercial printing, envelopes and ID card carriers. The contract mandated that the print provider offer an e-commerce system, warehousing and pick-and-pack services. Doss wanted the account, but he knew Data Flow Media Systems' e-commerce system and 20,000 cubic feet of warehousing space wouldn't meet the health care firm's needs. "I had to make hard-line decisions about where I wanted Data Flow to go," Doss says. "I knew getting this account would change the way we did business dramatically."

Competing with Moore, R.R. Donnelley and Mail-Well, Doss met with the health care firm's decision makers and presented Data Flow Media Systems' e-commerce system. He informed the firm that if his distributorship landed the account, it would design a more complex e-commerce system and move to a facility with approximately 130,000 cubic feet of warehouse space. "They were impressed with how quickly we could respond to their needs," Doss says. Data Flow Media Systems landed the 3-year contract, and the health care firm is now its largest account.

In September 2001, Data Flow Media Systems went live with eRelease, an updated e-commerce system it developed with a freelance programmer. eRelease allows the health care firm to place, proof and track orders online. Like each of the system's other users, the health care firm's intranet is linked securely to the eRelease system. "It's clean and simple, and we don't get hung up with administering user IDs and passwords," Doss says. The system allows the health care firm to view details about items previously ordered, including number in stock, dates when items were last ordered, prices, monthly usage and carton contents.

Data Flow Media Systems recently provided the health care firm with 500,000 2-color trifold brochures. Designed by the end user and preflighted by the distributorship, the brochure featured information on the firm's prescription-benefit program. The distributorship also provided 500,000 4-color mail-order prescription inserts and 500,000 2-color participating-pharmacy lists. The items, cataloged on the distributorship's eRelease system, now are reordered online.

U.S.: E-Commerce Tops $32B in 2001
The strong fourth quarter came after a year that otherwise saw e-commerce sales fluctuate very little, a sign analysts said points to the maturity and consistency of the industry. Click here for the full story.

Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
When you tell customers you'll do something--have an order by a certain date, call at a certain time, provide a certain service--do it. Live by the adage, "Under-promise, over-deliver." When you don't make good on a promise, even seemingly small ones, customers often will feel frustrated.

Business Forms Basics Home Study Course
Boost sales and sales service performance with this intensive course, which draws extensively from DMIA's Business Forms Handbook, and Pricing and Materials from DMIA's Product Knowledge Series. The course includes a text and moderator's guide, with tips on administering the course in-house. A prerequisite to DMIA's School for Forms Specialists, it contains modules on terminology, business forms materials, printing and production, form products, the basics (including design, layout, specifications and order entry), and pricing theory. Each includes a review quiz and exams. Product Code: HSC1BFB $44.95. Order from our online Product Catalog. Contact Tina Brown for details.

Regional Roundtables Are Back--And They're Free!
Regional Roundtables will be held along with your local TradeMart! Join insightful discussions of business strategies, technology, compensation and sales issues--or any business topic you want to discuss! DMIA members only. All you have to do is show up and register at the TradeMart (also free!). You'll receive a name badge that provides access to the Roundtable. No pre-registration required. Questions? Contact Bonnie Reed at (800) 336-4641 or (703) 836-6232. Or, click here.

Up-Coming Local Forums
Local Forums provide easy and affordable access to meet and discuss business issues and promote mutual respect among competitors in your area.

Solutions 2002 - April 12-15 - Memphis
A Joint Symposium for Manufacturer Education Brought to You by DMIA and IADT (formerly IBFI) Growing better and better every year, Solutions 2002 promises to bring you even more education and supplier contacts. For the third year DMIA and IADT, the leading organizations in manufacturer education, have again designed a conference especially for manufacturers.

Whether you are interested in the impact of technology, business management or what’s new in equipment, Solutions 2002 is for you. Building on the successful programs from the last two years, DMIA and IADT have crafted a program to help you make your business more profitable, more efficient and geared for the future. You don’t want to miss out on this year’s conference. Click here for more information. Click here to register.

Here are the top unusual source requests received by DMIA:

1. Portfolio; legal size; 15 x 10 with 4 5/8" flap; Velcro closure; burgundy or navy linen 80#; Q=500/1M
2. Blood Bags; bio-hazardous; security seal (not ziplock); 2-color imprint; Q=2MM
3. Promotional Mailing; post cards with affixed key; 5M keys will be affixed; 4M keys won't open anything; 999 keys will open consolation prizes; 1 key will open the grand prize
4. Stretch Film; 65 gauge; blue tint; 17" x 1500'; Q=20M rolls
5. Lumber Tags; 3" jumbo numbers; 4 x 8 or 4 x 7; 1-color; Q=17M
6. Tractor Trailer Seals; 7 1/2"; plastic; consecutive number; Q=750M per year
7. Screen printed dog leashes
8. Tar/Asphalt Removing Solution (liquid); soy based; in 5-6 gallon buckets; Q=55 gallons
9. Loyalty Cards; 4cp/1; 150M
10. Penny Trays; plastic; 1-color; used at retail store counters to hold pennies

If you have a source request--for anything--call the Hotline at (800) 333-2828 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, or e-mail your requests to Cheryl Rush. Please have your DMIA membership ID number ready. For two new sales ideas every day, try our HOT product idea and our COOL product idea. Manufacturers, if you produce any of these items and would like to check your listing with the Source Hotline, please e-mail Cheryl Rush.

Website Estates
This is a popular portal for sales and marketing types who like to use PowerPoint presentations. It's loaded with PowerPoint templates, plus there are tutorials and tips on sales and marketing. Click here to visit the site.

The Gary Halbert Letter
Here are newsletters and advice from a direct mail writing pro, often amusing, always instructive. Click here to visit the site.

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