Significant Statistical Changes Expected

We are in the early stages of preparing the 2010 Operating Ratio Study for the Printing Industry. Although the availability of customized one-on-one reports (introduced for the first time in 2008) is still in question, the study itself will be published in full as it has always been.

What is both exciting and intriguing will be uncovering changes in levels of productivity and sales wrought by the changes in the economy during the past 24 months. Thanks in large part to the huge data base available to NAQP and Q.P. Consulting, we will be in a unique position to provide special insights as to how the economy has impacted printers and different ends of the spectrum. Specifically, we will be comparing printers of all sizes and types and examining how the economy has impacted their sales and profitability in the past two years.

I can only speculate at this point, but I would surprised if those previously in the top quartile will continue to report healthy owner's compensation in the 22-24% range. I won't be surprised, however, if these same firms report either minimal sales growth or even some decline. The smart firms, I suspect, will have concentrated on profitability. I also suspect that the lower profit firms at the other end of the spectrum will have concentrated their efforts sales at the expense of profits, and in many cases failing at both.

For those who participated in the 2008 survey and received a customized report, I would be interested in your input as to the overall value of those customized reports, as opposed to the more generalized ORS reports published previously.