Big Picture - November/December 2019 - 8

HOW TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY

Session covers 'Wide-Format Application and
Utilization Survey' results.

Big Picture and Keypoint Intelligence released the results of
their joint survey taken by the magazine's subscribers during
the "Wide Format Application + Utilization: A Study of
Productivity and Profitability" session. The presentation was
given by Adrienne Palmer, editor-in-chief, Big Picture, and
Eric Zimmerman, director of wide format printing, Keypoint
Intelligence. They put the findings of the survey and other
related questions to the panel: Jason Ahart, COO, Olympus
Group (olympusgrp.com); Stan Lucas, business development
manager, wide format, DCG One (dcgone.com); and Chris
Laniak, VP of sales, Excelsus Solutions (excelsussolutions.
com). The topics included applications, equipment, workflow,
and automation.
The survey found that 65 percent of Big Picture subscribers
are either the CEO, president, or owner of their companies with
most ranging from $250,000 to $5 million in annual revenue. An
average of 43 percent of their revenue is derived from wideformat printing, and 72 percent expect growth of 10 percent in
the coming year. The top applications are banners (72 percent),

BIG PICTURE

November/December 2019

BE A TEAM, NOT A FAMILY

signs (70 percent), window graphics (45 percent), decals (42
percent), posters (41 percent), and vehicle graphics (31 percent).
All of these are reported to be above 50 percent in gross profit.
An anticipated area of growth is fabric with internal light,
according to Ahart and Laniak. Wallcoverings, supergraphics, and window treatments - all for retail merchandising -
are Lucas' expected areas of growth. The survey showed that
finishing equipment, flatbed/hybrid printers, and durable inks
will be investments within the next two years. Ahart is
looking at a Durst P5 and automation for sewing, Laniak is
looking into dye sub, and Lucas is adding cutters and possibly
dye sub to his company's largely commercial printing facility.
The survey looked at workflow trends and errors that lead
to waste. The results found that "often" and "sometimes"
added together, a printer problem (48 percent), bad data (38
percent), finishing error (29 percent), or long setup (29
percent) were responsible. Ahart brought up temperature and
humidity factors within his three nationwide facilities
(Denver, Orlando, and Milwaukee), Laniak mentioned static
and finishing, and Lucas cited the need for continuing
education to overcome such errors. Finally, the survey looked
at automation, with 28 percent reporting as all manual, 21
percent as mostly manual, 32 percent with some automation,
14 percent as mostly automated, and 5 percent with full
automation. While all members of the panel recognized the
value automation brings, they also felt most shops were not
likely ready to be mostly or fully automated.
The results of the survey will be released in a summary
document, a three-part series in Big Picture magazine, and a
live webinar in 2020. To receive the summary document you
must have completed the survey or you can request it by
emailing adrienne.palmer@stmediagroup.com.

Brian Adams leads session on employee engagement.

Brian Adam, president and owner of
Olympus Group (olympusgrp.com) and
Big Picture Editorial Advisory Board
member, shared tips and tricks on hiring
and retaining great employees with
attendees of the SGIA Apparel Decorators
Luncheon. Adam was named by Glassdoor
as one of the top 25 CEOs to work for in
2017, and grew his business from $12 million
in revenue to $35 million in just one year.
"Hiring employees who care about what they do, care
about their company, and enjoy their job will help you stand
out and run a better business," he said after stating that less
than 1/3 of employees are engaged in the US.

TIPS TO TAKE BACK TO YOUR BUSINESS
Engagement tools: Define your culture, including your
mission and your core values, and share it on your website and
with your company regularly. Have an annual Core Value
Awards Program as a way to reiterate values and recognize
top employees.

On-boarding and new employee recognition: Have a set
schedule for an employee's first day that includes a later start
time, meeting the president, and avoiding a plethora of HR
documents, so they go home excited to come back.
Give employees a voice: Create a suggestion program,
schedule lunch and learns, and conduct exit interviews with
your current employees on a yearly basis.
How to engage millennials: Avoid arbitrary rules,
practice meritocracy, understand the benefits they value, and
give praise as well as constructive feedback.
Communication: Teach employees how your business
makes money, send a weekly update on the company, post
the newsletter in the breakroom, etc.
Appreciation: Show them you care. "Sixty percent of
employees say they're more motivated when they're appreciated," said Adam. Plus, it's typically free.
"We're a team not a family," said Adam. He relates this to
his children at home who get an equal number of presents at
Christmas, despite if one was good and one was bad all year
long. His top employees are rewarded for best work, and
others strive to obtain the same acknowledgements.

http://www.olympusgrp.com http://www.dcgone.com http://www.excelsussolutions.com http://www.olympusgrp.com

Big Picture - November/December 2019

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