Seattle Bindery Newsletter: Issue #25. We welcome your comments.

1. Industry visionary. According to a fascinating article in E-Company Now, one of our very own, Chicago-based Corrugated Supplies has outdone the likes of Ford, Boeing, GE and Cisco Systems. The corrugated paper manufacturer is the first U.S. factory to hook all of its production machinery to the Internet. Everything on the factory floor -- the trimmers, slitters, giant corrugators -- feeds data that can be accessed online. With the help of wireless PCs inside the plant and a ceiling-mounted antenna, customers are able to call up production schedules on the Internet to see exactly the status of orders. Suppliers are also able to access the system to manage their own inventories. The efficiency of the system has generated sales of $70 million, up from $40 million three years ago, and is expected to reach $100 million this year. In case you’re wondering, Corrugated’s owner, Rick Van Horne, says he’ll sell his revolutionary technology to other manufacturers. E-Company Now is at www.ecompany.com.

2. Pocket Folders. A friendly reminder that our two folder/gluers ­ a Haskins and a Moll Marathon ­ are ideal for lots of different marketing materials. With the ability to apply both hot and cold glues, as well as Kleenstick tape, we can handle virtually any folding/gluing assignment. BTW: We’re thinking about expanding our gluing capabilities from pocket folders to both cold and hot glue on other applications, such as self-mailers, etc. Maybe even get into remoistenable and fugitive glues? I’ll buy a latté for anyone with an idea or an opinion on this.

3. E-dresses. Verizon Communications will be including e-mail and Web site addresses in the white pages of its upcoming phone directories, according to a NY Times On the Web article “New Media Meets an Old Medium in the Phone Book.” The residential service is being launched in New York, New England and the mid-Atlantic states. Be assured B2B directories and list sources will follow, which ultimately will be good news for us. E-mail campaigns are proving quite successful for driving customers to advertisers’ Web sites which in turn drives more print.

4. E-mail Quotes. Our recently installed upgrade of Programmed Solutions enables us to email quotes, rather than faxing them. Many of you have been asking us for e-mailed quotes, since they’re faster and easier to manage than faxes. If you’d like to start getting your quotes via e-mail, just get us your e-mail address and we’ll get it right into our e-mail address book.

5. PPI Seminar. Our regional association continues its revitalization as a valuable resource for all of us in the industry. A good example is the upcoming seminar “Minding Your Business” scheduled for 11/8 at Seattle’s Swedish Club. Some topics caught my attention: Eight factors affecting small and mid-sized printing companies; five solutions to dealing with changes in the economy and printing industry; key indicators to help monitor your business. If you’d like more information, contact Stella Weil at stella@pacprinting.com or (503) 297-3328.

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