Canon

Released 17/02/2010

Workshops to extend business support in CRD market

Canon UK has launched two CRD-focussed Essential Business Builder Program workshops to share findings of a recent survey and extend knowledge within the fast-growing in-house print market.

The workshops, based around findings from a Canon-commissioned CRD Insight Report - Corporate Reprographics: Trends and Opportunities - published last year in conjunction with the Rochester Institute of Technology, demonstrate that a well run in-plant can save up to 30% of the costs of outsourced printing. With many companies now scrutinising all aspects of their balance sheet, it is crucial that the €50bn worldwide in-house print market is able to stand up to critical examination from internal stakeholders and prove its worth against commercial operations.

Both the Canon ‘CRDs Planning for The Future' and the ‘Web to Print for CRDs' workshops are led by independent industry experts who are set to explain how to maximise return on investment and highlight the pitfalls to avoid. They are also on hand to work through any practical problems participants bring to the event.

Planning for the future

Helen Peel, marketing manager, Canon UK, said: "It is time for in-house print managers to show off their full capabilities when it comes to service provision. Digital printing has transformed the role they have to play in the production of time critical, cost-effective and personalised documentation and they are now delivering more value to their business than ever before.

"These training modules are designed to show how in-plants can market themselves effectively and utilise the latest technologies to really push the boundaries of what their organisations can do with digital print. Our report shows that 90% of organisations rate print as critical to their operations but spend less than two per cent of annual turnover on producing it. The typical print room manager has to operate under huge expectations and critical cost restraints, so our program aims to show them how they go about managing that."

The IT crowd

The modules, whilst useful for traditional print room managers, will now also be useful for IT managers, who in the past have not been involved with printing as part of their job role. Digital printing has shifted the boundaries however, as printing hardware and Web to Print interfaces increasingly place the day-to-day operation under the responsibility of the IT director.

Launched in 2009, the ‘CRDs Planning for The Future' workshop has been created to improve business performance and is made up of three sections:

• highlights from the report and insight into the CRD market as a whole and areas for expansion and cost reduction
• how to pinpoint where CRDs can improve current offerings and develop new services, as well as how to implement strategies
• and a case study of a CRD that has successfully addressed its challenges and increased print volumes.

The ‘Web to Print for CRDs' EBBP module will launch its first workshop on 24 February at Canon's Showroom in Holborn. Developed by Peter Lancaster, director of W2P, to provide insight into the specific CRD opportunities afforded by the adoption of Web to Print solutions, it also outlines how a web-based interface can provide a more productive and efficient workflow and enhance in-house customer relations.

Internet findings

Corporate Reprographics: Trends and Opportunities found that the growth of the internet has had a major impact on CRD operations. More than 65% of files are submitted online, encouraging many CRDs to implement a Web to Print solution to reduce errors in order submissions and cut production turnaround times.

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