Business Management - Industry Trends

State government in-plants have not slowed down a bit during the COVID-19 crisis. Some have stepped into new areas of responsibility to help battle the virus. This came to light in a recent video conference call that brought together eight state printers.

Lisbeth Lyons, VP of Government & External Affairs at Printing Industries of America, discusses the legislative response in Washington to the pandemic that benefits the printing industry, including SBA assistance such as the Paycheck Protection Program; why the U.S. Postal Service deserves more financial relief as an essential service; and new programs that will likely be implemented at various stages of the U.S. recovery. 

Working from home may be new to some people and, while remaining safe from the virus is the goal, safety from another perspective is important as you need to set up a workspace that is ergonomically sound. Ergonomics is the application of psychological and physiological principles to the design of products or systems.

The Specialty Graphic Imaging Association has announced a new webinar series designed to address critical issues facing the printing industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The free “COVID-19: Ask the Experts” webinar series, powered by PRINTING United, will be offered semimonthly and feature key updates on a variety of topics to help businesses overcome operational challenges.

Xerox is leveraging its manufacturing capabilities and in-house materials expertise to produce approximately 140,000 gallons of hand sanitizer for health care workers by June 2020.

Mimeo Print will provide printing services for Shelby County Schools' instructional support, which includes comprehensive learning guides/workbooks and other printed educational documents to make distance learning more accessible for students, parents, and teachers.

School district in-plants have become crucial providers of printed educational materials during the COVID-19 shutdown. Des Moines Public Schools has given its in-plant high praise for its efforts.

Thayer Long on how APTech is helping industry suppliers, and why the entire printing industry should come together during this crisis.

“Here in Palm Beach County, most of our work in the Graphics Division has slowed down,” notes Manager John D.L. Johnson. “It has shown us just how much of our work was event related.” That’s a revelation many other in-plants are seeing as well.

In the third episode of the Impressions Xchange podcast, we talk with Adriane Harrison, VP of Human Relations at PIA, about how managers should respond if an employee tests positive for COVID-19 and how to minimize exposure among your workforce.