Business Management - Industry Trends

According to the results of SGIA’s (Booth 1961) Industry Benchmarking Survey, conducted this year, there’s a forward-looking, optimistic approach taking hold in the printing sector.

One of the regular events attendees look forward to every year is the Women in Print Alliance breakfast, where women from all walks of print life are invited to network and learn from each other. This year’s keynote speaker will be Kathy Korman Frey, founder of the Hot Mommas Project.

This year’s Garment Decorators luncheon is the culmination of the work by the SGIA Garment Decorator Committee, which seeks to bring a wide range of information to this segment of the industry, topped off with a presentation from riCardo | crespo, who is also the emcee for THREADX 2019.

SGIA (Booth 1961) and IT Strategies released a joint research report earlier this year highlighting how digital technology is currently used in industrial printing markets. Mark Hanley, founder and president of IT Strategies, will discuss the findings of the report over two sessions at SGIA Expo 2018.

As finishing technology changes, so does the market for those services. Technological changes have made companies be less specialized. As technology has improved, customers have had their standards raised and expect printers to be able to provide greater variety in their products.

Andy Paparozzi, newly named chief economist for SGIA, proclaimed that, for the immediate future, the positive market forces driving the U.S. economy will prevail.

2018 SGIA Expo will have a panel of recipients of Big Picture magazine’s annual Women in Print Awards speak about their roles in print. Adrienne Palmer, Editor-in-Chief of ST Media Group (Booth1893), will lead the session today at 1:30 pm in room N114.

SGIA teamed up with Karstedt Consulting to research and write a report on the impact of digital printing technologies in the packaging sector. Kevin Karstedt is leading two separate sessions at the 2018 SGIA Expo explaining the findings of the report and their possible effects on the industry.

InfoTrends, a division of Keypoint Intelligence, and SGIA combined to put together a report on digital adoption in printed packaging.

Ford Bowers, President & CEO of SGIA, noted that we are on the cusp of a new beginning for the association, and for the industry as a whole.