Charting Industry Convergence

SGIA (Booth 1961) and NAPCO Media teamed up recently to do a study on industry convergence and the results of that study will be discussed by a panel led by Nathan Safran, Director of Research at NAPCO Media. The session is today at 10:30 am in room N120.

Industry convergence, the blurring between barriers in a given industry, has been a popular phrase in printing for a few years, so SGIA and NAPCO decided to determine how real it actually was. They conducted this by surveying print service providers on the industries they were considering expanding into or were already expanding into.

The study found that industry convergence is indeed happening
in printing. The session will discuss the findings from the study, show the industry convergence and discuss the effects of the convergence on the industry.

“Printers are moving away from singular focus on one specialty,” Safran says. “A commercial printer may be getting into packaging and expanding his offerings beyond commercial printer.”

It is important for a business in the industry to be on top of the convergence, as it can have a huge impact on business over the short term and the long term. Understanding that it is real and how to adapt to the changes can be a major advantage.

“As consumer behavior expands, the ‘Amazon effect’ leads to consumers, marketers and business owners expecting more — more convenience, faster turn around times, more options under one roof,” Safran says.