Next week, around 2,500 printers will gather in Nashville Tennessee with one thing on their minds: the gathering and sharing of knowledge.

The event in question is Dscoop the independent cooperative of HP (largely Indigo) users that last year held its inaugural EMEA event in Barcelona. The goal of the 7,000-strong Dscoop community is simple, in principal at least: to increase its members’ profitability through knowledge sharing.

Of course, HP is far from unique in boasting a user group; EFI, Kodak and Xerox also have similar, albeit smaller, set-ups. Equally, these knowledge-sharing cooperatives are not unique to vendors. They’re the cornerstones of trade associations like the BPIF and the BAPC and event organisers like Fespa, which held its annual Global Summit last month. In fact, some printers even create their own peer networks.

"Ironically, as an industry that sells communication, we’re not very good at communicating," says DXG Media managing director Duarte Goncalves.

"But I make it by business to meet my key competitors and we’re all very similar, but I don’t think there’s enough of that. I’m not talking about sharing our secrets, but we generally all face the same challenges."

However, whether independent, vendor, association or event-driven, what all knowledge-sharing forums have in common is the challenge of overcoming printers’ historical reluctance to share ‘trade secrets’.

Tim Cox, managing director of web-to-print (W2P) developer Vpress, which partners with the BPIF on W2P seminars, believes that much of the reluctance stems from the age-old fear of customers being lured away.

"I think it’s fair to say that there is still a little bit of paranoia. People are too scared to talk because they think that someone will poach customers.

"Don’t get me wrong – when it [peer-to-peer sharing] happens, it’s fantastic. But I’m not sure the industry has found the appropriate forum yet, where printers feel comfortable discussing their business with peers."

Of course, many would argue that there are dozens of forums – but the bigger problem remains printers’ reluctance to share.

"There is the general perception that printers don’t share, but that’s a Catch-22 and its holding them back. Everything in life is borrowed, so why worry and be so protective of what you’re doing?" says Peter van Teeseling, EMEA director of Dscoop.

In some respects, logic would suggest that in a tough economy, business leaders are more wary than ever of openly discussing their business. However, van Teeseling believes that the ethos of sharing information across the industry may be set to rise exponentially for that very reason.

"Many firms that were protective [of their business information] have already disappeared," he says.

"But if you look at the businesses that are thriving, they tend to have a much more collaborative spirit. By their nature, entrepreneurs are open to learning from others and they do that by sharing. If you share, you generally get a lot more back in return."

Ultimately, quantifying those returns is key if the industry is to fully embrace peer-to-peer learning. After all, printers and supporting vendors don’t claim to be driven purely by philanthropic urges.

It’s no coincidence that the highest-profile user groups are backed by digital vendors, whose business models are largely focused on recurring revenues from consumables sales and click charges, rather than just hardware sales.

"Our customers must grow profitably or our business model doesn’t work. I see Dscoop as critical to that," says HP Indigo vice-president and general manager Alon Bar-Shany.

In fact, he admits that with the notable exceptions of Drupa and perhaps Label Expo, Dscoop is arguably now more important for HP Indigo than trade shows.

 "We started with hardware and now we talk about pages and supplies. Over time, we’ll have to figure out how to enter new markets by continuing to innovate. We can do part of this by ourselves, but the power of getting people together in these forums is definitely strategic and critical," says Bar-Shany.

Open approach
Of course, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. There’s little doubt that adopting an open approach can also have a direct impact on a printer’s bottom line.

ProCo sales director Jon Bailey, chair of Dscoop EMEA’s 2013 conference, says that his firm has generated "meaningful volumes of business" through partnerships developed via Dscoop. But while the networking opportunities of peer-to-peer events are proven, Bailey still cites knowledge-sharing as the prime benefit.

"The main value of events like Dscoop is learning what other people are doing. Our industry has changed for everybody – and change brings anxiety for some people and excitement for others. If you get those two groups together, you get a fantastic chemistry," he says.

And if you’re open to sharing information, it’s sometimes enough just to be in the right place at the right time.

Inc Direct is an active board member of the Strategic Mailing Partnership (SMP) and it was here that chief executive Noel Warner had a "lightbulb moment".

 "We spend so much time trying to win new business, but clients aren’t moving as much," says Warner. "You must fight harder for what’s there. When we discussed this at SMP board meetings, it was obvious that we weren’t alone and that there simply wasn’t a lot of new work out there.

"So we took our foot off the gas in respect to pursuing new business and invested a lot more energy into our existing client base which paid huge dividends with revenues running into the hundreds of thousands. I’m not saying it’s rocket science, but we all forget the basics sometimes and a conversation with your peers can bring things back into focus."

And that appears to be the real benefit of any peer-to-peer network, bringing things back into focus.

After all, it’s unlikely that someone is going to gift you the ‘big idea’ that will make you millions. But by talking about your business and listening to others doing the same, some seeds will be sown. If you’re lucky, they might just blossom.

30-SECOND BRIEFING

• Many leading digital kit vendors, trade associations and event organisers host knowledge-sharing forums, but arguably the biggest is the 7,000-strong Dscoop cooperative run by HP users
• The perceived wisdom is that printers are reluctant to share business information for fear of clients being poached
• To get the most out of peer-to-peer learning, you must be open. Networks are only as effective as their weakest link
• The tough economic climate might actually be fostering a more open culture in the print industry as those that fail to embrace knowledge sharing are more likely to fail, whereas ‘open’ rivals thrive, creating a ‘survival of the open’It’s difficult to categorically prove that peer-to-peer sharing has a positive impact on a company’s bottom line, but those that take part generally believe it does
• Peer-to-peer networks can give even small firms access to a "non-executive board" to bounce ideas from and help drive growth

READER REACTION

Do you value the opportunities of peer-to-peer learning?

Mark Gamble
Director, Datum Print
"The value of peer-to-peer learning cannot be underestimated. The only people who can really understand my business are people who face similar issues. Outside consultants can be a great resource to an extent, but getting information and knowledge from a peer is invaluable. There are lots of opportunities for it. I’m a member of Dscoop and there are free events like the PrintWeek Directors’ briefings. But to get the most out of them, you must be willing to pass your knowledge onto others. Otherwise, you will gain nothing."

Trevor Smith
Managing director, Amberley Labels
"Over the years, peer-to-peer learning has been invaluable for me and has helped me learn a huge amount about our industry, the changes that drive it and how I can help develop my skills and knowledge to keep Amberley at the forefront of the label industry. Unfortunately, I don’t think the print industry does enough. In the main, there are two reasons for this: peer-to-peer learning still largely requires days out of the office and the apprehension at imparting your company’s ‘secrets’ to your competitors can be problematic."

Paul Hale
Director, Concept Communications Group
"We specialise in digital print. For a digital printer, there is  undoubtedly value in peer-to-peer learning; specifically around workflow, manufacturing and sales. For example, you may have the kit and the appetite to grow, but where do you get no-nonsense advice on how to achieve it? It may be closer than you think: in the form of those who have already done it. They have already made the mistakes, learned the hard way and, through user groups like Dscoop, seem happy to show you their bruises. What’s not to like?

Read Precision Printing director Gary Peeling's comment here