With the economy the way it is today, it’s probably no surprise that the printing industry is facing one of the toughest markets it has ever seen. What may be surprising, however, is that despite these tough times, Kopytek was able to grow its revenue 9% between 2007 and 2008. And it’s most likely the reason we moved up on Quick Printing Magazine’s Top 100 list of quick printers this year. We moved up seven places to No. 53 this year from No. 60 in 2008. (http://magazine-directory.com/Quick-Printing.htm)

Unfortunately, not everyone in our industry was so lucky. According to the revenue reports of the Top 100, nearly half of the companies on the list (40%) reported revenue declines between 2007 and 2008. Total sales for the collection of the Top 100 companies was estimated at more than $607 million in 2008, a 6.3% decline from 2007 sales of $648 million.

Industry experts are hoping advances in technology will come to printing’s rescue and enhance our competitive advantage in a recovering economy. I would agree with that. Part of our continued growth at Kopytek is due to our investments in the state-of-the-art printing technologies. With newer, faster, smaller machines, we have been able to significantly increase our capacity and production rates. I’d also credit our success to an operations improvement strategy we set out to accomplish three years ago. Before we built our headquarters, which we moved into a year ago this month, we designed a beginning-to-end floor plan that shortened walking distances, sped workflow and enabled faster turnaround times.

While the latest technology in printing equipment could move the industry to the next level, the industry continues to be weighted down with high costs. We believe besides a commitment to the latest technology, our improved workflow, staff training and a flexible working style has given us a leg up in this recession.