Gene Therapy
Printers, too, are discovering that a “just in time” policy saves valuable storage space and reduces cash tied up in inventory. As a consequence, paper merchants serving book printers are creating their own stocking and delivery programs to satisfy this demand.
Publishers in the major leagues of paper consumption still pass savings to the bottom line—as long as printers seem willing, in effect, to absorb storage and handling overhead, and private owners or public shareholders can measure the bottom line benefits. These paper consumers, by purchasing in advance, are, in effect, betting on price fluctuations in the commodity futures market. For what it is worth, someone in management might want to measure from time to time the cost benefit of cash tied up in paper inventory in a fluctuating price market, and cash applied to acquisition and marketing in a climate of changing reading habits and channels of information delivery.
Eugene G. Schwartz is editor at large for ForeWord Reviews, an industry observer and an occasional columnist for Book Business magazine. In an earlier career, he was in the printing business and held production management positions at Random House, Prentice-Hall/Goodyear and CRM Books/Psychology Today. A former PMA (IBPA) board member, he has headed his own publishing consultancy, Consortium House. He is also Co-Founder of Worthy Shorts Inc., a development stage online private press and publication service for professionals as well as an online back office publication service for publishers and associations. He is on the Publishing Business Conference and Expo Advisory Board.