Print forms a major part of the modern communications landscape, but in this digital age, its leading role is no longer guaranteed. Print's share of the total media market is declining and so are the volumes of print being manufactured by traditional printing businesses.

New technologies, interactive communications systems, new supply chains, digital networks and changing economics of return on investment and value are all driving change very rapidly.

Nor should we be fooled into thinking that the current recession is just a temporary blip from which the printing industry will simply emerge leaner, meaner and stronger. Instead, the downturn has contributed to a fundamental change in business and social communications.

The world is going digital and print is in danger of being left behind. It does have a major role to play in the future, but it will only fulfil that role as an active partner in a multichannel digital media landscape.

Printers can no longer rely solely on their products and low prices to differentiate them. As well as high-quality products, good customer service and an efficient operation, printers must develop a sharper focus on customers' changing needs, on innovative applications that solve clients' problems and on digital services that provide real added value and offer measurable, effective solutions.

In short, the UK printing industry must adapt in order to survive and the BPIF is helping to lead the way forward by launching a strategic change programme called, for now, the Customer-Centric Programme (CCP).

Crossing boundaries
The advances in digital technology have significantly changed the face of all the major media formats including print, creating new communication channels and synergies, and driving integration of business processes across traditional boundaries.

To thrive in this landscape, print service providers need to adopt different strategies, develop new capabilities and engage with their customers in new ways of working.

The CCP will help service providers, such as printers, achieve the transition from a product-led approach to a more client-focused business model, moving up the value chain to offer new profitable services and solutions based on client needs, not limited to being commodity suppliers differentiated only by price.

The CCP will constitute a membership service, embracing the whole supply chain including traditional creative and new media agencies, emerging digital service providers, industry suppliers, client groups and educational associates, and will offer a new strategic vision and a range of services and support activities to support its ambitious objective.

The programme will be launched this November and will assist service providers to extend services into high added-value cross-media communications fields, learn new techniques and apply new tools to develop solutions-oriented sales through delivering effective client applications, build competitive advantage with customer-focused marketing strategies, find and retain high-value clients, be more profitable and adaptable by being valued by clients in their cross media communications network.

To deliver this strategic change programme for members we will offer a range of services, including training, consultancy, networking and events. To complement these we have created a partnership with PODi, the well established US-based organisation, to provide a wealth of experience and resources to help our members adapt, such as best practice case studies, webinars, reports, on-line directories etc.   

The CCP is the future of print - printers will need to participate or face a slow and not-that-lingering death in the cut-throat world of commodity printing. Further details of CCP will be provided this autumn.