Winning New Business May Be a Package Deal

As most printers realize they can fill excess capacity by entering into another market segment, packaging printing becomes a temptation. The result is that a marketplace long dominated by folding carton manufacturers is now more diverse. Printers, according to Mark Vanover, North American director of marketing for packaging prepress equipment maker EskoGraphics, are starting to make their presence felt. Esko's traditional customers tell Mr. Vanover that commercial printers are bidding on carton jobs.

"Unfortunately, because it is excess capacity the printers are trying to fill, they are selling on price," Mr. Vanover says. "But that does not mean they will get the work. While consumer product companies are pressuring the supply chain for more efficiency, they do not buy on price, but on the value of the partnership. It is about bringing product to market, not just printing the box."