Rick Scrimger
Every summer we head to Japan for what we affectionately call, Summer Camp. The similarity it has with most summer camps is that it's typically very hot & humid in Japan at this time of the year, about 85 degrees and 85% humidity!
Survey says… Positive Outlook!
Attached is a survey that ISA recently distributed that I think you’ll find interesting, and a very positive outlook for the sign business going forward. It was compiled after ISA spoke to 200+ CEO’s or shop managers at the recent 2011 ISA show.
ISA 2011: New booth, new products & a great show!
ISA (International Sign Association) is always a big show for us and this year was no different. Pre-show numbers coming out of the association showed registration significantly up from previous years, with more exhibitors and booth space. We took more space ourselves with a 40x60ft booth and a whole new booth structure that looked fantastic thanks to our awesome marketing department. In addition, we had three exciting new products to talk about: the VersaUV LEJ-640, Roland DG's first roll-to-roll hybrid flatbed; the LEF-12 UV small flatbed, and our new 20" print/cut device called VersaStudio.
ABC: Always Be Closing
Glengarry Glen Ross, the 1992 movie, featured an all-star cast: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey and Jonathan Pryce. During a memorable scene, Alec Balwin says the famous phrase:
“ABC. Always Be Closing.”
Secrets Revealed
No, this isn't a follow-up from my last post where I actually "reveal secrets" from my recent trip to Japan. It's a reference to an event here at Roland DGA that we've had after the last 2 Pacific Design & Engineering/West Pack shows.
Meanwhile in Japan: New Product R&D
Roland DG is a Japanese company. While the name doesn't sound like it, it actually is. Our counterparts in Japan come over to Roland DGA's territory for shows and meetings with us fairly often, but a once or twice a year I head over to Hamamatsu Japan for meetings and to get the latest on new products in our pipeline. This time, we sent our sales, product management and field engineering teams over to have them see, first-hand, what R&D is working on and what we have coming. There's no way for me to translate every product detail or the excitement the engineers have for our products when I visit, so it's important for them to see it for themselves.
Think Different
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oAB83Z1ydE
Managing Expectations
Ever played the game "telephone"? It starts with a circle of people and a wacky story whispered from person-to-person around the circle. The fun comes when the last person in the circle says aloud what they last heard, and the initial person says what they originally started with. Without exception it's completely different from what started the cycle.
Managing expectations can be very similar.
Roland DGA Cartridge Recycling program
I recently saw a post on our Facebook restyling page asking if we had a recycling program. Yes! The Roland DGA Cartridge Recycling Program, launched in early 2010, was met with cheers of excitement & enthusiasm from Roland DG owners. Over the last year, we’ve saved thousands of cartridges from the landfill. One Roland DG owner had been saving cartridges for years in hopes of a good recycling program…