Before you turn to the Drupa Preview included with this issue, ask that all-important question: ‘What do I need?’ Too often printers have the cart before the horse by focusing on technology first and business needs second. This is a topic well covered by this month’s excellent guest column on page 16.

We are all facing challenges. The world has changed and we need new solutions to new problems. Old answers will not help. Once you find a new solution, it will only serve you for a limited time; the expiry date on innovation is getting ever shorter.

For an example, let’s look beyond the bounds of printing. Research in Motion (RIM), the manufacturer of the BlackBerry, just posted its first quarterly loss in seven years. The company that virtually invented the smartphone market is now in real risk of becoming irrelevant. When it comes to mobile devices, the conversation moved rapidly. Where it was once mind-blowing to be able to email on the go, now smartphone users demand new functionality on a daily basis. The 500,000 apps available for the iPhone are a big reason why Apple decimated RIM’s market position.

For a comparison in printing, look to services that harness technology, such as web-to-print or cross-media production, which clever printers are using in new ways to get ahead of their competition. This strategy will work – but only for a while. This is why one of the fastest growing job titles at major technology firms is ‘chief innovation officer’. This is also why Drupa is important. Because the real question is not ‘what kind of business am I today?’, but “what kind  of business do I need to be tomorrow?’ Become your own chief innovation officer and make Drupa your inspiration.

So, you ask, what is ProPrint doing to innovate? Funny you should ask. There is another job title growing even faster – social media manager. This is why we have launched onto Facebook. Follow us at www.facebook.com.au/ProPrintAustralia. Or scan the QR code to the left with your smartphone to be taken straight to our page.

If you are going to Drupa, I’d like to invite you to ProPrint’s Australian and New Zealand drinks reception, to be held on the show floor on 6 May. Go to www.proprint.com.au/DrupaDrinks to register for a free place.

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