Print Costs May Be Short-Circuiting Your Bottom Line
For those in the utility industry who want to get serious — really serious — about trimming measurable hard costs, now is the perfect time to get energized. One area that accounts for 1% to 3% of gross operating revenues is procured commercial print. No, there is no budget line that includes all print related procurement. But, yes, all those orders by various departments in your organization add up to big bucks when you consider direct mail, marketing, safety and training materials, premiums, awards and hand-outs, labels, cd roms, billing statements and envelopes, creative services… and everything else from business cards to billboards and other signage.
If you are the C-level executive of a utility, why wouldn’t you want to save $250,000 to $400,000 or more on every million dollars that your company spends for print related projects? And, if you have a $10 million print spend, wouldn’t you want to reduce it by $2.5 million to $4 million – provided, of course, you have assurance of retaining your quality and service levels? Yes, of course, is the obvious answer to both questions. You want to put a cap on any operating cost that is short-circuiting your bottom line, but the next question is “How?”
Consider using The Gindlesperger Method — a patented competitive procurement methodology that reduces measurable print spend costs by 30% to 40%. This competitive procurement patent is deployed within the e-LYNXX workflow and communication tool that has the additional advantage of virtually eliminating e-mail while offering flexibility, transparency, control and comprehensive reporting to the complex process of procuring print. This unique approach puts the buyer in control.
You may have thought that you were already in control of buying, but from a practical standpoint suppliers charge as much as they think buyers are willing to pay. Take note of your own situation. Are buyers willing to pay more than they believe a product or service is worth? Likely, no. Are they willing to pay far less than they believe a product or service is worth? Again, likely, no, as they are likely to shy away from super low prices, on the assumption that there must be something wrong or the price would not be so low.
Print is an excellent example of suppliers charging what buyers are willing to pay. If a particular print supplier is doing a repetitive project for a buyer, and that supplier attempts to double its charges because it is very busy, the supplier creates a high risk of losing the buyer’s account. Likewise, if the supplier has downtime and approaches the buyer to request early release of the project in exchange for a 50% price reduction, the buyer will expect the price to remain at the 50% lower price on future projects and may well become aggravated, since the supplier has been overcharging for the project since the beginning.
This is where The Gindlesperger Method changes the paradigm. This new model, patented through the U. S. Patent Office (Patents No. 7,451,106 and No. 6,397,197), provides significant cost reduction, as it enables suppliers to price to fill their production capacity. Competitively bidding projects to equally qualified suppliers ensures buyers receive discounted rates consistently without jeopardizing quality and timeliness. The idea is that high or low pricing does not set precedent for future pricing and does not jeopardize the relationship of the buyer with prospective suppliers for future opportunities.
The Gindlesperger Method is an easy, five-step, computer-operated, transparent process that saves on production dollars as well as staff time. The five steps are:
- ENTER supplier attributes (e.g. production capabilities, location, quality, business status)
- ENTER project specifications (e.g. requirements for production, location, quality, business status)
- MATCH supplier attributes to project specifications (to determine sub-set of qualified suppliers)
- SEND project specifications to sub-set of qualified suppliers
- RECEIVE a bid response from at least one supplier
The process is computer driven and managed by a proprietary workflow and communication system and a staff of print procurement specialists at e-LYNXX’s American Print Management division. Behind the scenes, American Print Management staff — serving as an extension of the client’s procurement department — assists with supplier qualification and on-going assessment, specification development, change order control, formal quality assurance and other procedures specifically designed for customized print. The outcome is the buyer gains greater control of its print management process starting from a creative idea and initial specifications through all subsequent revisions, approvals, procurement, production, receiving and billing.
Ontario Power Generation, one the largest power generators in North America, is the first major utility to use The Gindlesperger Method. Additionally, executives within the heavy equipment manufacturing, parcel delivery, computer, health care, insurance and association sectors are working with American Print Management to cost-effectively procure print without disrupting supply chains, service requirements or quality standards. No significant changes are needed in a client’s suppliers, personnel, organizational structure or information technology to adopt The Gindlesperger Method, according to e-LYNXX.
Users of this new competitive pricing approach are protecting their hard-earned revenues by simply changing how they buy print. Similar savings can be gained by licensing and applying The Gindlesperger Method to the procurement of construction services, textiles, temporary staffing, machined parts, transportation, trucking or anything else that requires specifications before the product or service is ordered. Such savings benefit shareholders and rate payers alike.
William Gindlesperger, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of e-LYNXX Corporation (www.e-LYNXX.com) (888-876-5432), is a nationally recognized entrepreneur, inventor, author and consultant in print and procurement. He founded ABC Advisors and its successor, e-LYNXX Corporation, in 1975. Under Mr. Gindlesperger’s leadership the firm has grown into the recognized profit enhancement leader. Print buyers and suppliers alike have benefited from his insight and innovation. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/print-costs-may-be-shortcircuiting-your-bottom-line-894434.html
Mr. Gindlesperger has directed major in-plant studies in both the private and public sectors and he is highly regarded for his knowledge, advice and work on behalf of firms in matters pertaining to the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). He has testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration regarding government print and procurement policy. He also has worked directly with numerous Congressional and Senatorial members and staff and has advised Congress on the development, operations and future of GPO print procurement and the federal print program in general.
Mr. Gindlesperger invented the methodology that optimizes cost reduction in the procurement of specification-defined goods and services. He has been granted two separate business method patents by the U.S. Patent Office, first for the competitive procurement of print and then for the competitive procurement of all specification-defined goods and services.
A native of Chambersburg, Pa., Mr. Gindlesperger is a graduate of Dickinson College.
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