Participants in the Business Transformation Workshops are happy to endorse the value of the scheme as the national project moves into high gear.
New online benchmarking service, which will continue as a ‘stand-alone’ after the project completes, is highly rated by printers in Adelaide. Media Super is sponsoring the free service as part of its engagement in the ongoing industry project.
According to Bill Healey, CEO, Printing Industries, the benchmarking service is provided by an independent organisation via benchmarking.com to provide industry and sector-specific information to businesses.
“It’s a convenient online process which is completely confidential and is offered free of charge through Printing Industries thanks to the generous sponsorship of Media Super, who have offered to underwrite the service as part of their ongoing commitment to ensure the continued viability and success of the print and related graphic communications industries,” he said.
The workshop sessions, which each involve a group of decision makers whose businesses have signed on for the Business Transformation Project, are one of the resources available to participants, following on from an initial ‘Business Snapshot’ which provided key assessment information in very broad terms.
A press statement from Future Print said that in Adelaide, where many of the companies who have signed on for the project are regularly attending ongoing workshop sessions, response was typical of similar sessions held around the country, underscoring the value of the project to businesses.
Killer marketing for printers and other businesses struggling in a saturated, competitive market, commented one participant, summing up the challenge for many in the industry, while others lauded the program’s plethora of useful tools and great achievable strategies which were focused on business performance.
“Over all, it is great to see the way participants are really getting involved in the process and how enthusiastically they are embracing the concepts and ideas that we discuss,” said Future Print Advisor Mark Ryan, who ran the Adelaide session.
“I think one business owner really summed it up when he said that the workshops were providing him with greater focus and clarity of direction. That’s something which can be difficult for businesses to achieve on their own; sometimes you get so caught up in the day-to-day that it’s difficult to take that step back, evaluate things objectively, and set a clear direction.
“This is exactly why Printing Industries has created the Future Print Business Transformation Project – to help businesses assess where they are, where they need to be, and how best to get there.”
The work does not stop at the door of the workshop, with decision makers going back into their businesses and using other Future Print tools to help them translate the advice and information into action.
“When you look at the value these businesses are getting out of the program and see the positive impact it’s having on the people involved – and you consider that an opportunity to access this type of resource will most likely never be offered again – it’s hard to see any good reason why you wouldn’t sign on and get involved,” said Ryan.
A lot of homework to do, said one participant on leaving, while another admitted that he was still busy processing all the information. Perhaps the best comment of the day, however, goes to the guy who used just two words to describe his experience of the workshop: Life changing.
For businesses who find this argument compelling, an opportunity to get involved in the Business Transformation Project will open early next year, with a second round of introductory Leadership Briefings to be held in February.
For further information about the Future Print Business Transformation Project, go to www.futureprint.org.au