A Conversation with PIA President Michael Makin
By: T.J. Tedesco
For: High Volume Printing
Published: May, 2003

Industry functions are a great way to share ideas and experiences with your peers. Sometimes, the information you get from a single event - or even a single conversation - will help you improve the way you do business. I had the opportunity to sit down with Michael Makin, President and CEO of the combined PIA/GATF, at the PIA President's Conference held in Key Biscayne, Florida in February. We touched on a variety of topics that are pertinent to printers and other graphic arts companies, which I'd like to share with you here.

Proving Membership Value
Providing value to its membership year after year is perhaps the biggest challenge that faces any association. The size and scope of the graphic arts industry makes that challenge even greater. There are several facets that must be addressed (education, training, technical information and legislation to name a few), which is why separate organizations - PIA and GATF - have existed to serve those needs.

The recent consolidation of PIA/GATF has been a major undertaking for Makin, whose goal it is offer "the benefits of combining technical, management and advocacy channels into a powerful association that can truly represent the full range of member needs." I asked Makin for an update on the consolidation efforts, and to explain some of the tangible benefits it will have for individual members:

"I think there's a fabulous value proposition with the combined PIA/GATF", said Makin. "We have the right goods to deliver to our members. We're currently planning our upcoming consolidation of all operations under one roof, which is a huge step toward delivering on the promises we're making. Once we meld the technical culture that exists at GATF with the association culture at PIA, our members will see the fantastic value of this association.

"Our goal with this consolidation is to be the number-one source of information to our members for all aspects of their businesses, including all technology issues by augmenting the work of GATF; all legislative and other government issues, how they effect their businesses, and how we can influence those issues through lobbying efforts; and all management education opportunities.

"See What's Coming Down the Pike"
Adding equipment and expanding upon core competencies can be a challenge in sluggish economic times. That's why it's more important than ever before to invest in the technologies that will truly help your business grow, and skip on the ones that won't. GATF has long been a key source of valuable, carefully-researched information that printers can lean on when making these decisions.

"Computer-to-plate (CTP) is one of the most important technologies to hit the industry in the past ten years. As CTP came to the fore, GATF identified and analyzed the workflows that were being implemented successfully. That research was then reproduced in various forms, including technical reports, forecasting reports, a Tech Alert conference and consultants that were available to meet with our members.

"These forecasts and other reports will continue to be a major focus of the research arm of PIA/GATF", said Makin. "Printers need to see what's coming down the pike. Soft proofing is an example of a technology we're currently researching. In fact, we recently conducted a major study that was released in May on soft proofing and its impact. We focused specifically on when - and if - soft proofing will get to the stage of contract proof acceptance.

"Another technology we're studying is stochastic printing, which is starting to really increase in popularity. Our goal is to provide the industry with information they need to stay on top of a technology like this, and allow individual printers to make an informed decision on whether they need to bring it in-house."

The Importance of Legislative Action
One of the most valuable - and easily dismissed - functions of a strong association is its ability to influence legislation that can either hinder of benefit how graphic arts companies do business. The Clinton-era ergonomics legislation was a prime example of how PIA/GATF-led lobbying efforts helped overturn legislation that may have been harmful to printers, financially and otherwise. According to Makin, the ergonomics legislation would have cost a 100-employee printer approximately $10,000 to $15,000 - a significant unplanned cost to bear in this economy.

For an association, legislative action can admittedly be a hard sell when trying to attract members. Everyone benefits, whether you're an association member or not. However, Makin had some compelling reasons why printers should be active association members:

"Technology and its financial impact are two things we're closely measuring," said Makin. "That's why we're in the process of merging our economic and technological research arms so that we can better analyze the implications of technology from a financial standpoint. We want to be able to pinpoint the effect technology has from an ROI standpoint on both an industry-wide and individual level.

"We also need to make people aware that they can and should be involved in legislative activity. That can involve more than belonging to their local PIA affiliate, but being active with their Congressional representatives or their senator. Our industry is very well positioned and very much on the minds of legislators; the more individual members that recognize that and take advantage of that, the better off we'll be."

As the economy in general and our industry in particular begin to see signs of improvement, printers will need reliable information to answer the question "What's next?" As consultant Dick Gorelick said, "The definition of knowledge used to be knowing how to do something. Now, it's knowing where to go to get something done." PIA/GATF is positioning itself well to be the primary source of information that will help printers grow and succeed at every facet of their businesses.

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T.J. Tedesco is a “hands-on” marketing, sales, coaching and training consultant to the post press industry. He is the author of Binding, Finishing & Mailing: The Final Word, and Win Top-of-Mind Positioning, both published by GATFPress and available at Amazon.com. T.J. can be reached at (301) 294-9900 or tj@growsales.com.