Analysis

Imagine a world where printers and print buyers work together in harmony, producing best quality print at best value. A world where buyers can save money and printers can make it. Where quality and brand integrity are guaranteed, while margins are maintained at a reasonable level and not screwed to the floor.

This utopian vision of a sustainable, profitable supply chain is the goal of the International Print Purchas­ing Standards Association (IPPSA), which was launched earlier this month by former Dyson print buyer Andrew Bartlett. Should IPPSA succeed in its quest, then it could usher in a new era in print procurement. However, as with all utopian visions, the question remains as to how achievable its goals actually are and whether the system by which it hopes to achieve them is realistic or simply idealistic.

Core beliefs
The idea behind IPPSA has been knocking around since Bartlett joined Dyson seven years ago. “I used to think print buying was the definition of madness,” he says. “I quickly realised that there had to be a better way.” Frus­tra­ted by a lack of consistency from print suppliers and a purchasing system that had evolved to reward poor planning and last-minute buying, Bartlett left Dyson to set up an organisation that would aim to drive waste out of both sides of the buying equation.

“You can remove massive costs out of the system that are not directly related to print,” says Bartlett. “That’s the core belief that underlies the system.” If it succeeds, IPPSA will be able guarantee consistent quality from its approved supplier base, while simultaneously achieving lower costs for buyers and sus­tainable margins for printers.

At the heart of IPPSA lies a software hub, powered by EskoArtwork’s Odystar workflow, which not only acts as a portal for work being placed by the buyers, but also records spectral data from the print suppliers, ensuring adherence to standards, such as ISO 12647.

“Colour is just the starting point,” says Bartlett. “We’ll be monitoring quality across the board, including finishing and communication.” The gateway will also guarantee the quality of files being submitted to the printers, ensuring that they only receive print-ready files. The purpose of all of this is to create a best-practice environment, in which both printers and buyers adhere to agreed standards.

Long-term planning
IPPSA hopes to convince buyers of the commercial benefit of long-term planning, rewarding them for submitting a print-ready file first time, every time, with a two-week slot in which to print it. If the road there seems like a long one, it is one along which Bartlett has already travelled a considerable way.

In the past year, IPPSA has amassed a group of 15 printers all willing to front a monthly membership fee to get the system off the ground, with no guarantee of any work ever coming from it. Eclipse Colour Print’s managing director Simon Moore was one of the early adopters. He says: “The reason we’ve supported it is that the idea is promising. From a customer perspective, it’s an alternative to what’s out there already. I don’t think it’s going to be for everyone, but it is unique and will be attractive to some people.”

With a cross-section of printers on board, covering all the available equipment in the marketplace, Bartlett is now setting about convincing buyers of the benefits of the system. While no print spend has yet been committed to IPPSA, nPower’s print services manager Jeff Richards is among a growing band of believers in the concept. He says: “This is the first time someone has put together an environment that will only use best practice and I personally think it will take off because there are too many benefits to ignore. The commercials still need to be worked out but I’ve certainly been surprised by the level of pricing that’s been achieved, simply through stripping out unnecessary costs, and I think for a lot of corporates there will be savings to be made.”

This is where the proof of the pudding will lie: the commercial viability of the pro­ject. For all the talk of quality and service among buyers and suppliers, ultimately price is still king. IPPSA promises much with its talk of lower costs for buyers and greater margins for printers, but with no work going through the system as yet, it remains to be seen whether Bartlett’s vision is any more substantial than a mirage.
 
Warm words?
“It appears simply to be a wish-list for any self-respecting print buyer, but no more,” says Webmart managing dir­ector Simon Biltcliffe. “Rather like JDF, it is a good idea in principle but without significant commercial benefit it will be irrelevant and wither on the vine. Warm words do not make a business.”

Bartlett and his followers are hopeful that they are on the verge of something great, but he is in no doubt that IPPSA has set itself a massive task.

“We’re not saying it’s a panacea that’s going to solve everything on day one,” says Bartlett. “But it’s OK to have a utopian vision because if we only get 1% of the way there, then we’ll still be ten times better off as an industry than we are at the moment. We’ve created the potential for everybody else to succeed. It’s up to them now.”

---

IPPSA Factfile
Chairman Andrew Bartlett
Print partners 15 including Eclipse Colour Print, Taylor Bloxham and Wyndeham Heron
Powered by EskoArtwork’s Odystar workflow
Aims include cutting costs, ensuring best practice in buying and printing, promoting collaboration amongst print buyers and direct relationships between corporates and suppliers
Partners include Pira, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply and Development Matters