With world politics in a state of flux and uncertain times for industries around the world, 2017 is set to be an interesting year. In this feature, Don Feagan, President and Chief Operating Officer of sign/print industry provider SAi, believes that there’s opportunities to be had, if we maintain focus:
If there’s one thing that businesses don’t like, it’s uncertainty. As we look back on what, from a political standpoint, has been a tumultuous 2016 on both sides of the Atlantic, it’s fair to say that no one can predict exactly what lies in store for us as we head into 2017.
With a new administration set to enter office in the USA, together with the potential ramifications of Britain’s exit from the EU—and (for some) doubts as to the long term survivability of the organization as a whole—it’s not surprising that many experts are reluctant to pinpoint exactly how things are going to shake out over the next few years. And let’s not forget that, despite being at a level many Western countries would dream of, China’s “slowing” growth to around six or seven percent could potentially impact international trade and economies, which only adds to the mix of “ifs” and “buts.”
One thing is certain: Whether you’re a manufacturer or service provider, these external influencing factors are beyond our control.
Certainly, from SAi’s perspective, it’s about carrying on with business as usual; we owe it to our customers to ensure that their changing needs continue to be met. Not losing sight of such key objectives is critical when it comes to ensuring a steady ship, as is being pragmatic in the face of the inevitable scaremongering that so often goes hand-in-hand with uncertainty.
Seven or eight years ago, the financial turmoil that engulfed the industry led to falling revenues and decreasing investment. But that was then. From our own standpoint, and for that of many sign/print industry associates—be they OEM partners, customers, or competitors—there is a general feeling that business is largely on an even keel when we reflect on the year behind us. Indeed there has been a healthy level of buoyancy in many markets throughout the world, including India and China, where we have seen our own business continue do well. Even in countries like Brazil, whose economy is currently suffering general economic woes after several years of very rapid progress, there is a widespread prediction of a return to healthy growth over the long-term.
Technological Surge from New, Productivity-enhancing Solutions
From a technology perspective, especially as regards hardware, there has been much more positivity in recent years which has gone hand-in-hand with a technological surge. This is evidenced by a plethora of productivity-enhancing solutions, among them Memjet’s Waterfall Technology, as well as fixed-array printhead technology such as HP’s PageWide offering. These ‘enablers’ to increased throughput from manufacturers are good news for us as software providers, as well as the supply chain as a whole, so we welcome such innovation and development.
As for SAi, we are mindful of the need to adapt to change by offering a level of choice that caters for the varying business requirements of our customers. This is demonstrated by our subscriptions model, which enables customers, if they wish, to opt away from the ‘traditional’ purchase method and instead select pay-as-you-go access to our software on a month-to-month basis. Such is the popularity of this approach, that, as well as being available for our Flexi signmaking software, we have has just extended the model to include our EnRoute CAD/CAM software for CNC routing applications.
Maintaining Focus on the Road Ahead
Looking ahead to 2017, regardless of the political situations around the world, we will concentrate on meeting the changing needs of our customers and providing the level of support that they have become accustomed to. Indeed, despite potential trade barriers with Asia, or lack of clarity around the rules and regulations of doing business in Europe, SAi is currently expanding its engineering teams and enhancing its sales support in such regions. As I said previously, it’s about maintaining focus and ensuring we’re equipped to work effectively with our global partners and for our customers.
And, whether you are a manufacturer or sign/display print provider, this would be my advice: in spite of what’s going on in the world, keep your focus on your own business, your USPs and ensure that you look after your customers. Despite our opportunity to influence political change in the direction we prefer, what happens afterwards—be it the desired result or disappointment—is typically out of our hands.
Conversely there’s change that we can control and even welcome. Right now, it’s a great time to be operating in this industry; the pace of technological development and the choice these technologies present for businesses offer unforeseen opportunities to those willing to embrace them.
—Don Feagan, President and Chief Operating Officer of sign/print industry provider SAi
