Dr. Joe Webb Printing and Publishing Economic Update on WhatTheyThink Garners International Attention

Dr. Joe Webb's quarterly printing industry economic webinar, sponsored by EFI and WhatTheyThink.com can be accessed online in audio and presentation format at http://members.whattheythink.com/home/webinar062304.cfm . Forecasts better year for the industry, with increasing profits but sluggish demand for the next eighteen months.

(PRWEB) June 25, 2004 -- In a free Webinar hosted by WhatTheyThink.com, the printing industrys leading source of news and information, Dr. Joe Webb, one of the industry's best-known consultants and a 26-year veteran of the graphic arts industries, shared his insight on the state of the industry at the end of the first half of 2004, and his views about how 2005 would shape up. Nearly 400 senior printing executives from around the world registered for this event, which was sponsored by EFI (NASDAQ: EFII). While most of the attendees were from North America, viewers tuned in from Austrialia, Turkey, Russia, Brazil, Europe and Asia. The audio of the Webinar and PDF of the presentation are available online:

http://members.whattheythink.com/home/webinar062304.cfm

Among the non-economic topics covered by Dr. Webb were:

-- The print business owners to do" list (imperative things that must be done in the new print economy),

-- What drupas events may mean for GraphExpo, including a discussion about the role of trade shows in the B2B media mix

-- Dr. Joes Summer Reading List

The economy's momentum is clear to everyone except the printing business and the media," said Dr. Webb, but advertising is starting to pick up and so are printers profits. This is a good sign for the months ahead, and perhaps the worst is over for the restructuring of the printing industry. Though demand may still be headed down, we may have found a way to be more profitable with cost management and smart investment."

Both new jobs and net new businesses are on the rise, and Dr. Webb forecasted GDP to remain on a +4% to +4.5% growth path for the balance of 2004, and still holding strong at +3.5% to +4% for 2005. Dr. Webb also projected that the Fed would raise rates at least twice during the balance of 2004, ultimately ending 2005 at 3.5%. And he pointed out that CEO enthusiasm is still somewhat constrained by the uncertainty of world events, stating that small businesses and outsourcers-including printers-can benefit from their unwillingness to step up infrastructure investments.

While recovery in the printing industry in terms of print shipments is not as strong as much of the rest of the economy, Dr. Webb indicated that printing profits are on the rise, which is good news for the industry. Overall printing profits have risen to an annualized $4.5 billion level, a level not seen since late 2002. The key to maintaining this increased profitability," according to Dr. Webb, is to aggressively manage capacity utilization inside the plant. It is also important to offer the right product mix and to maintain control of the sales process-getting beyond the order taker stage to gain a better understanding of how you can solve business problems for your customers-a much different approach than simply selling print."

Dr. Webb continued, Management matters. It almost doesnt make a difference what the industry is doing-individual companies that are well-managed can do well even in tough economic times."

Other advice Dr. Webb shared with the graphic arts community included:

-- Revisit your business goals. Doing things differently but having the same goals will not change the nature of your business. Sometimes this may mean walking away from business that no longer fits within the current strategy.

-- Be part of the outsourcing" movement, helping your customers reduce their total cost of business communications

-- Call on customers-where the demand originates. And call your own business as a customer to see how customer-friendly your organization is.

The presentation, including audio, can be accessed at no charge by visiting:

http://members.whattheythink.com/home/webinar062304.cfm

Dr. Webb will be presenting quarterly updates through the balance of the year, hosted by WhatTheyThink.com. He also provides commentary in his weekly WhatTheyThink columns, available to Premium Access members.

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About EFI:

EFI is the world leader in digital imaging and print management solutions for commercial and enterprise printing. EFI's award-winning technologies offer document management tools from creation to print, including high fidelity color and black and white Fiery® print servers that can output up to 2000 pages per minute; powerful production workflow and print management information software solutions for increased performance and cost efficiency; and an array of business-critical enterprise and mobile printing solutions. EFI stock trades on the NASDAQ under symbol EFII. Their web site is www.efi.com.

About WhatTheyThink.com:

WhatTheyThink.com is the print and publishing industry's leading online community. The company offers a mixture of free and subscription-based content for industry executives. Additionally, WhatTheyThink.com provides a robust content syndication program serving related web sites.

About Dr. Joe Webb

Industry commentator and forecaster Dr. Joe Webb is a 26+ year veteran of the graphic arts industry. He has served the industry as a consultant, executive, and the founder of the TrendWatch surveys. His academic background is a combination of business, computer technologies, and graphic arts. His doctoral work was completed at the NYU Center for Graphic Arts Management and Technology. Dr. Webb has worked with industry suppliers of all types, including those marketing capital equipment such as presses, software developers, computer and peripheral manufacturers and developers, national and multinational organizations, associations, and others. A frequent speaker at industry events, Dr. Webb's weekly column Fridays with Dr. Joe" appears at www.WhatTheyThink.com where it has become a must-read feature for the entire printing industry. (Photos of Dr. Webb for editorial purposes can be downloaded at www.drjoewebb.com/press )

Dr. Webb is the author of Renewing the Print Industry: A Contrarians Constructive Perspective." A sample of that report can be downloaded from http://www.prweb.com/prfiles/2004/06/03/131251/renew_ind_toc&chap1.pdf