Message from The President: Q4 2021
When our oldest daughter turned seven, my wife and I took her and her younger sister to Disney World. It was two years ago; the autumn before the pandemic began. At the end of each day, we all stumbled to the parking lot tram for a free ride back to our car. As I sank into those hard plastic seats each evening, with a stroller under my feet, a kid in my lap, and armloads of overpriced souvenirs, I didn’t think much about the half mile or so we didn’t have to cover on foot because the tram was available.
I recently read an article that reported even though the park has been reopened for awhile, the tram is still out of service. I could almost feel my back and legs start to ache in sympathy for the exhausted families not able to use this valuable service I took for granted.
The article I read was all about a new phenomenon called “skimpflation.” The term was coined on NPR’s Planet Money podcast in October and refers to the decline in quality of services as businesses attempt to manage two pandemic-related factors: the labor shortage and rising cost of supplies. And it’s not just theme parks. Think of understaffed restaurants, overcrowded airlines, empty shelves at the grocery store. With inflation now a major concern, and consumer satisfaction on the decline, skimpflation has many of us wondering whatever happened to good, reliable service.
Of course, a lack of trained, available workers and short supplies have hit the print industry hard too. It’s a challenging time, but there is an opportunity here for PIAG members who still value high quality and strong relationships with their customers. Printers and graphic communications firms that do what it takes to keep service levels up, and are viewed as business partners instead of vendors, will likely shine even brighter among customers who used to take those elements for granted.
Your team here at PIAG is taking this message to heart too. We are working each day to add value to your investment and live out our mission: to be an indispensable business partner to our members. In this issue of PrintQueue, you’ll read about several new services including help with OSHA compliance and citations, a rebate program for Kodak customers, intelligence and guidance for members who provide mailing services, and a new conference for the U.S. print industry coming next summer.
I am grateful for your support during an extremely challenging year. I wish you all a happy holiday season, and I’m excited to meet more of you in 2022.
Sincerely,
Jon Krueger
PIAG President & CEO