sales tools and training focused on the
solutions selling process. Th ey also developed
soft ware (Zenarate) that allows
sales professionals to practice their sales
pitches. An example of what a good sales
call would look like is posted. Users can
view the clip and practice their own
version of the pitch. When they are
satisfi ed with it, they can share it with
their manager or coach. PODi’s biggest
challenge appears to be the ubiquity of
personalized communications, the already
well-underway transition of many
companies from print service provider
to marketing services provider, and the
focus vendor user groups have placed
on this topic. When companies must
choose between PODi and other options
using limited resources, they may be
more likely to choose a vendor organization
representing a key part of their
production platforms; i.e., a shop that
is primarily an HP shop might prefer
Dscoop, while a Canon shop may prefer
to invest resources in Canon thINK.
Printing Industries of America
(PIA) plus Printing Industries
of the South (PIS) and PPI
(Pacifi c Northwest)
PIA is the largest of the North American
industry associations with about 6,000
members, rivaled only by Dscoop. PIA
reports that membership is slightly
declining, due to consolidation, and the
affi liates we spoke to (who actually sign
up the members) echoed the diffi culty
of achieving signifi cant membership
growth. From headquarters, PIA sees
itself as the technology arm of the
industry and ranks reliable and trustworthy
information and data, as well as
its lobbying eff orts, as its key member
benefi ts. PIA employs full-time lobbyists
that work in Washington D.C. to protect
the interests of the printing industry,
especially with respect to regulations
and taxation. Headquarters supports the
affi liates as needed, with many of the affi
liates turning to PIA for support in areas
such as human resources, workplace
safety and more. Until very recently, PIA
was the parent organization of the Print
and Graphics Scholarship Foundation
(PGSF). Th at group’s board decided to
spin itself out from under PIA management
in order to broaden its eff orts to
working with other organizations like
EDSF. PIA is still the parent organization
of TAGA (profi le below). PIA also off ers
educational and certifi cation opportunities
through its revamped iLearning
platform, which includes nearly 30
courses available at no cost to printer
members. Th e association also runs a
number of conferences including the
Color Conference, Continuous Improvement,
the Presidents Conference,
Automation Ready!, and Inkjet Ready!,
among others. While membership is on a
slight downward decline, conference attendance
is booming, with PIA reporting
the best attendance in years at all of its
conferences in 2017. PIA is collaborating
with SGIA on a number of fronts, and it
remains to be seen whether there will be
even closer cooperation.
SGIA
SGIA has just over 3,000 members and
is growing; the organization added 380
members in 2017, partly due to the fact
that it enabled individual memberships,
where in the past there had only been
organizational memberships. About 154
educator communities representing all
educational levels are members. Last fall
a student membership was instituted.
Any student that is matriculating at a
member graphic arts program can be enrolled
for free during school and for two
years aft erward; of the 380 new members
last year, 200 were students who
joined under this program. Th e rest was
made up of 80+ individuals and about
100 new corporate members. Under the
leadership of its current CEO, SGIA has
expanded its partnering strategy with
other organizations, such as PIA, so that
members of either organization can
participate in the other organization’s
activities as though they were members.
SGIA is also talking to other associations
(declined to name them) about similar
arrangements. Th is is largely driven
by the convergence underway in the
industry, with wide format companies
looking at commercial print and folding
carton, and vice versa … once you put
in digital printing technology, there is
not a huge barrier to entering adjacent
markets. SGIA dues are low relative to
other organizations, making joining
an easy decision. (All printer members
pay $300/year, Supplier members are
capped at $1,000/year.) SGIA’s stance
is that it is diffi cult to build a body of
knowledge for these adjacencies; and
since the knowledge already exists, it
makes sense to partner for the benefi t of
everyone. In partnership with NAPCO,
SGIA is repositioning the SGIA Expo to
cover all areas of print under the name
PRINTING United, including its base of
signs & display graphics, as well as commercial
print, packaging, textiles and
functional printing. Th e fi rst edition of
the joint show will be held in Dallas, October
23 to 25, 2019. It will have a heavy
educational agenda with 80 educational
sessions planned.
TAGA
Th e Technical Association for the Graphic
Arts (TAGA) was established in 1948
and serves CTO, CIO, and R&D management
personnel of printers, publishers,
and premedia companies, as well as
engineers and scientists employed by
graphic arts systems and equipment
providers, ink manufacturers, and paper
manufacturers. TAGA is now operated
by PIA due to fi nancial diffi culties in
past years and is a relatively small
sub-organization with only 110 members,
down from 500+ pre-9/11. Its Board
of Directors still operates autonomously.
TAGA plays an important role in the
industry as a venue where future-facing
technical papers are presented and
discussed, and where students have an
opportunity to interact with potential
future employers and share their
own research. Th ere were only about
125 attendees at the last conference, a
missed opportunity for those who did
not attend, especially anyone interested
in the future of the industry. Th e student
aspect is an important part of TAGA’s
contribution. Th rough TAGA Student
Chapters and attendance at the conference,
students can interact with peers
and industry professionals. Th ey have
the opportunity to learn about emerging
technologies from the presentations and
papers presented there, and to compete
for awards for their own technical
research. Students are encouraged to
submit abstracts for technical papers
that showcase their abilities in technical
writing, design and production.
It is an encouragement for the next
generation of graphic arts professionals.
26 Printing News August 2018 PrintingNewscom
/PrintingNews.com