PrintingNews.com

Let the Show Begin

K/P Corp.'s success has become evident in the opening of the Renton, Wash. facility, which combines marketing, printing, mailing, and fulfillment services all under one roof.

"Let's face it, an open house concept isn't the most exciting for marketers, so we came up with a fashion show. Many people like them and don't get to go to them, so we thought it would be unique. We then went to local college fashion programs and found graduate fashion designers, who made garments out of direct marketing materials and concepts," exclaimed Olszewski. The outfits, such as the "targeted marketing" jacket, were made out of fabric printed on a HP Indigo press.

The color red was celebrated at the show and became the theme. For the event, The K/P staff created a magazine called Red, which speaks of the digital changes in printing and serves as an on-going capabilities brochure for K/P, who printed the magazine itself and distributed it.

Red was also the color of a drink, the "Kosmori Perfected," a cosmo/pomegranate juice cocktail that got its name from K/P's new Komori press combined with the word "cosmopolitan." "(For the event) We painted the Komori press Ferrari Red, which created the first colored offset press in the world. In marketing, it's about differentiation," he explained.

Plans for This Year

For 2009, K/P Corp. plans to continue to invest in areas of digital. Content management, database integration, and document services and composition will remain strong areas od focus. The company is hiring in the Web to print area and solutions consultants.

"We're diverse at this point. It's a matter of listening to market trends. Investments in digital and Web based tools and keeping services under one roof will keep K/P on the forefront," he said.

Printers must be mindful of market trends. Now more than ever, the industry is changing rapidly, and everyone needs to be prepared to change with it. Listening to clients, conducting surveys twice a year, and understanding the industry make companies aware of changes.

"Ask yourself, how do we add value to supply chains? How are marketers communicating? The answer is being diversified, having multiple channels, and being aware of how you can expand, even getting capabilities enabled online," Olszewski suggested.

He also said that K/P is in a fortunate position. The company listens to market trends and started tracking 40 companies in the graphic arts industry. From tracking the findings, K/P is finding out that it is not viable to have a 10 year plan, but rather keep a close eye on changes as they happen.

He ended on a positive note by commenting, "I've been with K/P for 15 years, and the printing industry is still an extremely fun industry. I like the way the industry is changing."