Drupa Spotlight report figures released

The Drupa Spotlight report ‘Strategic choices in a competitive and converging marketplace’ will be published in May, with key findings now out.

In a survey (conducted before the coronavirus outbreak) over 500 printers and almost 200 suppliers described the challenges and successes of launching new products and services. Roughly 60% of printers launched major new products or services in the last four years into their existing markets. About half the launches were successful and very few went badly wrong. Diversifying the range of products/services and gaining new customers were chosen as the top benefits. As for the drawbacks, most reported that the launches sucked in far too much staff time and other resources and often ran well behind schedule. About 30% of printers had launched into new market sectors, with around 40% of those launches going well (compared with 54% for existing markets). Turning to suppliers, approximately 80% launched new products/services over the last four years. The results were clearly better the larger the company with a success rate of 40% for the smallest suppliers up to 80% for the largest. The top benefits were diversification and gaining new customers. The biggest problems by far were launches running late and sucking in too many resources, while building the correct channels to market was a common challenge. Before the coronavirus outbreak, 76% of printers and 85% of suppliers were either definitely or possibly launching new products or services in the next four years. Clearly that will mean investment, with digital print technology followed by finishing being the most popular targets for printers. The reports draws four key conclusions on how best to succeed when launching new products or services: launching new services and products needs proper well-prepared processes; careful selection and development is essential; plan conservatively - expect delays and complications; be realistic.