Dirge for a Plastic Bag Part 2
There are more PFFC readers with an opinion on banning plastic bags since my last column in August. And there's still more positive news on the subject,...
Dirge for a Plastic Bag?
While the dirge-like proliferating news on the subject of plastic bags isn't exactly a hymn or tune, certainly the negativity surrounding the topic is tending to sound slowly and very solemnly like grief and lamentation for the bag's future...
Trends Impacting Converters
It's that time of year again when PFFC checks the pulse of converters with our Critical Trends survey that we send out to the full breadth of our very...
Commitment to Excellence
It's no small feat to reach a 75-year anniversary milestone. So PFFC which itself is 81 years young extends a most heartfelt congratulations to the Tag...
Riding the Technology Wave
The technology wave of development and/or acceptance doesn't always come from Europe to North America, although it often seems much does come from that...
In a Celebratory Mood
As promised in last month's column, here are some official comments from Wayne Pferdehirt, co-director and chair of the judging committee of the Printers'...
How To Find Information Fast
This past September we hope you noticed PFFC's new look. It was designed to allow quick access to information. We know that any number of management techniques...
Be a Mentor a New Year's Resolution
To be a mentor which in my opinion is synonymous with being a teacher is frequently taken lightly. Just how important mentoring is hit home for me recently...
Conferences, Seminars & Expos du Jour
These past few weeks have produced a plateful of conferences, seminars, and expos that appeal to every taste and appetite....
On Being Earth Friendly by (re)Design
Today, as contemporary author, lecturer, philosopher, and scientist Peter Russell has observed: “We fear that giving up something will mean that we will be less happy in the future. It is this mode of consciousness that is unsustainable.” In the absence of a world war for inspiration (thank goodness), we must achieve the desired outcome by consciously (re)designing those automated options that simplify our lives...
Duh, We're Not Alone Out There!
Manufacturing, all manufacturing, is facing challenges unlike any it has faced throughout industrial history....
Renewing CMM Enthusiasm
With only a few exceptions, many exhibitions in the printing and converting industry have experienced an attendance downturn. As well, the converting exhibition that once was the “only show in town” has since been fractionalized into several shows—some into niche shows and others that directly compete....
Coming Back for More
It’s the pleasurable part of doing business that makes a customer repeat the experience time after time. As guest speaker Ross Shafer so aptly communicated at the converter meeting of the Tag & Label Mfrs. Inst. at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, FL, February 25–29: When people love you, they give you more money! It’s that simple....
A Super Show Year
You knew I couldn’t let this month’s column go by without some reference to Super Bowl XLI. How often do adjacent states get to battle it out? It’s not too unlike the battle of exhibitions our industry will be enjoying this year. ...
De-Demonizing Wal-Mart
Last month I addressed Wal-Mart’s “clean” image and invited readers to share their opinions on the subject. This column includes one from a PFFC subscriber to whom I extend my thanks and appreciation for taking the time to write....
Wal-Mart's Clean Image
However you feel about Wal-Mart’s business tactics, you gotta hand it to the world’s largest retailer: It knows what sells. And what sells better than a “clean” image? ...
Living in the City That Works
As I write this, Pack Expo/CPP is just around the corner in Chicago. I’m looking forward to the keynote speech entitled “The Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club Packaging Vision.” I may ask the presenters for their views on some recent events that took place here in the “city that works.”...
It's Fall, So It Must Be Show Time
We're back at that time of year when kids prepare for Halloween; leaves turn color and fall; we struggle over the perennial question of whether to buy...
Big Box Education
There is a burning local topic in Chicago that begs for further debate even on a national level. Who would have thought our City Council could have spawned...
Preventing Piracy Payoff
Worldwide, piracy payoff represents billions of dollars. Preventing it is no easy task, but it’s one from which our industry stands to gain....
The 'Herrods' of Buyers Guides
I can’t remember the number of times I’ve received phone calls from frantic people desperately searching for supplier information. PFFC’s June Buyers Guide directory issue has a 49-year tradition of providing valued and comprehensive information that our readers reference throughout the year. And it’s a reference tool you’ll want to keep at the ready even if you’re not in immediate need of the data this instant....
Competing in a Crowded Field
Have you noticed how crowded the field of package printing has become lately? Here are some observations to give you food for though....
Taking Notes
Over the course of the last 23 years since I've attended annual association meetings, I've usually come away from them having felt like I was either a smarter or better person. I have fond memories of some of the better speakers I've heard....
Conundrum Demystified
If you recall, in last month’s editorial I was mystified by a conundrum. While ExxonMobil was enjoying record profits for two straight years (in 2005 it had accrued more profits than any US company as the world’s biggest publicly traded oil company), most Americans were pulling in their belts more than just a notch or two. Other readers of last month’s column had their views on the conundrum....
