Taking Stock of
Industry Associations
From an association perspective, our industry is pretty fragmented. Th ere’s been some consolidation, of course, but for years
both service providers and suppliers to the industry have complained that there are too many associations and too many
events. Most printing companies are forced to choose one or two of each, or none … and many suppliers are putting more
emphasis on their own events and organizations in the form of users’ groups and special customer events. Yet suppliers still
feel they must be represented at key industry shows. Is that changing? Are association memberships holding steady, declining or
growing? What kind of strategy changes can we expect moving forward? Th at’s what we set out to discover. It should be noted that we
only spoke to associations and groups tied to the core commercial print market. When looking at the broader printing market, the industry
is even more fragmented, with groups and events around packaging, textiles, functional print and more. As both commercial
printing fi rms and suppliers branch out into these adjacencies, there are even more demands on their time and resources.
Th at being said, these organizations off er tremendous
resources, critically important in a time of rapid technological
and societal change such as we are seeing today. Being aware of
what is available and carefully selecting the groups and events
that will help printing businesses – and suppliers to the industry
– continue to grow and thrive is a smart strategy. No one
has the time to attend all of the events or the resources to join
all of the associations, but by being aware of what is available
and judiciously taking advantage of appropriate resources,
businesses defi nitely benefi t. Keeping up with trends, knowing
about the latest solutions, fi nding new business opportunities,
learning how to optimize business and production processes,
networking with peers, employee education – all of these are
benefi ts these organizations off er. And they need the support of
the industry to continue off ering them.
I encourage our readers to peruse the profi les here, as well as
check out other associations such as FTA, AATCC, and others
too numerous to mention. If you are not doing so already, you
should also look at involvement
with associations and events
where your customers spend
their time – the CMO Council,
DMA, AMA, AdTech, and various
industry-specifi c associations –
again, too many to list here. Get
involved. Learn. Stay current. And
most importantly, network with
your peers and your customers. I
hope the information contained
in the overviews below inspires
you to take more action. You won’t
regret it.
Interviews Conducted
We conducted 16 separate
interviews as background for this
article. Th ey are listed here, with
a brief overview of each organization’s
strategy and purpose. With
the industry somewhat rebounding,
it’s a good time to remind
our readers about all of the great resources available to them
through these organizations. Here’s who we spoke to, in alpha
order:
Association for Print Technologies (APTech)
Th e Association for Print Technologies (APTechSM), formerly
NPES, has been on a journey of reinvention since Th ayer Long
came on board as President. At 85 years old, the organization
is taking a broader and more inclusive approach to its mission
in a rapidly changing world and industry. In addition to taking
full ownership of the annual PRINT trade show (and sunsetting
the GRAPH EXPO name), the Association has organized its
headquarters team into “brand managers,” who are dedicated
to such things as research and market data, industry advocacy,
industry standards, education, value chain engagement,
and events. Th ese brand managers are responsible not only
for maintaining, but also expanding upon the existing lineup
of valuable products and services to drive the organization
continuously forward as a relevant industry player. APTech’s
600 members, which include individuals among its member
companies’ subsidiaries and divisions, are primarily suppliers
to the industry. Part of the renaming from NPES to APTech was
to diff erentiate the organization based on its primary goal—to
foster greater engagement and alignment among all stakeholders
within the printing value chain to drive sustained global
growth for the industry. Membership is stable.
Canon thINK
Th is group has only been in existence for about three years and
was formed as an independent user group for Canon customers
using production inkjet technology. It was established to
provide them with a deeper dive into the world of production
inkjet, addressing not only technical and sales/marketing
issues in that area but also broader industry realities that can
help customers succeed. In addition to giving Canon production
By Cary Sherburne
Cary Sherburne is a well-known
author, journalist and marketing
consultant whose practice is focused
on marketing communications strategies
for the printing and publishing
industries.
22 Printing News August 2018 PrintingNewscom
/PrintingNews.com