Top 30 Book Manufacturers
Have you seen any specific changes within the book manufacturing market over the past year?
Kevin J. Clarke: One of the things we’re seeing is … the continued modernization and re-capitalization of production assets, really based on several things. One, looking at where the market is headed, you have to have the horsepower to drive the huge books … the opportunity books that come about and have a potentially short lifespan. Second, [there is] a trend toward aggressive supply chain management, so you have a lot of smaller reprints. Much of the asset base is noncompetitive in the U.S. market for that type of trend, and that’s the reason we made our investments [in the company’s production assets]. The other thing we’re seeing is an impact on the U.S. market … with continued offshore manufacturing growth.
Matt Steinmetz is the publisher and brand director of Publishing Executive.