The Trend is Networking with the Customer

(NPES International E-commerce Website, August 11, 2008) Claus-Peter (Pit) Schorsch is Managing Director of Novaconcept Schorsch (Kulmbach / Germany) and has been with the firm for 24 years. It was founded in 1933 and today employs 75 people. It has a turnover of eight million Euro and already 50 % of this is generated from digital printing, with the other half coming from offset.

How do you view the market and the situation for web-to-print in Germany?
Pit Schorsch: There is a time for any technology and for web-to-print or rather 'web-to-print service provider' that time has come. Our customers are being forced to improve processes and that is precisely what web-to-print service provider does. Customers are waiting for the 'right' offer.

What trends are you picking up from the wishes and requirements of your customers?
Pit Schorsch: Our customers are looking for improved processes in the generation, ordering and distribution of printed matter. The trend is to the networking of the print service provider with the customer and the automation of the process. We refer to it as business flow automation.

How will this trend alter your company over the next few years? What do you plan to invest in over the near future?
Pit Schorsch: This trend has already changed us and will require still more from us in future. We are just learning what industrialization means. A tradebased operation does not find it so simple to switch to an industrial approach. We like to use the comparison to the change from corner shop to supermarket. We need fast data connections, a computer center for data processing, an ERP system linked to the production system, and so on. All of this can only work when the means of production are networked. In our case, 80 % of our machines are JDF-capable. It also means an enormous investment spend. And what use is all of this if the employees are not involved? We need super-employees who are able to keep pace with the requirements.