Postmaster General Comments on Postal Reform

http://whattheythink.com/news/64520-postmaster-general-urges-congress-fix-postal-service-business-model-address-marketplace-realities/

Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe told a House committee today the Postal Service continues to face systemic financial challenges because it has a business model that does not allow it to adapt to changes in the marketplace and it does not have the legal authority to make the fundamental changes that are necessary to achieve long-term financial stability.
The Postal Service’s legislative requirements, as part of its Five-Year Business Plan, include:
Require USPS Health Care Plan (Resolves Retiree Health Benefits Prefunding Issue)
Refund FERS Overpayment and Adjust Future FERS Payment Amount
Adjust Delivery Frequency (Six-Day Packages/Five-Day Mail)
Streamline Governance Model (Eliminate Duplicative Oversight)
Provide Authority to Expand Products and Services
Require Defined Contribution Retirement System for Future Postal Employees
Require Arbitrators to Consider Financial Condition of Postal Service
Reform Workers’ Compensation

http://whattheythink.com/news/64531-printing-industries-america-urges-action-postal-legislation/

Michael Makin, President and CEO of Printing Industries of America, today issued the following statement at the conclusion of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s hearing titled “A Path Forward on Postal Reform.”

http://www.dmnews.com/the-postmaster-general-takes-issa-to-task/article/303491/

Donahoe weighs in on postal reform proposals.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe today approached the House committee preparing a postal reform bill with one overriding question: “Does it enable $20 billion in savings by 2016?” 
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, issued a “discussion draft” of a postal reform bill in May that included compromises he hopes will win bipartisan approval.

Resolute Fined for Accidental Fatality

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/sc-paper-mill-fined-more-17k-accidental-death-plan/nYrw8/

A York County paper mill plant was cited for serious issues after the death of a contract worker in January.
The South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation issued penalties against Resolute Forest Products following a fatal accident that took the life of Samir Storey, 32.
Resolute Forest Products was fined $17,850 for several violations in connection with Storey’s death at the plant. 
The company that Storey worked for, Industrial Piping, was fined $15,400 for violations also.
Storey, from Indian Trail, was killed at the plant when he and two other men were cleaning a large tank, called a scrubber, which filters waste chemicals.

Officials said an unknown chemical leaked into the tank with the workers.  The other two men were able to escape with minor injuries.

Domtar Investigates Fire, No Production Lost

http://www.bradfordera.com/news/article_5ded0a78-ecfc-11e2-81f2-0019bb2963f4.html

An investigation is to start this week to uncover the cause and origin of the fire that burned for nearly 24 hours at the Domtar Paper Co. in Johnsonburg over the weekend.

The industrial structure fire was called in to authorities around 12:30 p.m. Friday, and apparently broke out inside a conveyor tunnel than runs 1,000 feet underneath the mill along West Center Street in the borough.

Monadnock Restarts on Schedule

http://www.ledgertranscript.com/home/7544832-95/paper-mill-reopens-less-than-2-weeks-after-electrical-fire

The Monadnock Paper Mills is back up and running as of Monday, after an electrical fire in the early morning hours of July 3 knocked out power throughout the building.

Joe Fletcher, vice president of Human Resources at the mill, said in an interview Monday that the plan since the fire happened was to get the mill up and running by Monday. The day of the fire, the mill was scheduled to shut down for regular summer maintenance, and it would have reopened Monday anyway, had the fire not occurred. After the fire, the goal was to complete as much of the regular maintenance as possible, he said, while replacing the electrical system to reopen on schedule.

Consumers for Paper Options Applaud Action

http://www.paperoptions.org/

Consumers for Paper Options, a coalition of individuals and organizations advocating for access to paper-based services and information, today applauded a group of U.S. senators for taking action against payroll card fees. Sixteen senators sent a letter calling on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Department of Labor to study prepaid "payroll cards," which some employers use in lieu of checks or direct deposits.

The senators are concerned not only about the fees that prepaid cards incur for employees, but are also concerned that employees are being pressured to accept payment in this format because it is cheaper for companies. Meanwhile, employees receiving wages on prepaid cards often face charges for ATM use, purchases, overdrafts, card replacement and even inactivity.

Dr. Joe Webb: Statistical Trends in Print

http://blogs.whattheythink.com/economics/2013/07/statistical-trends-in-print-or-dr-joes-mixed-media-message/

The trends in commercial printing demand are often up to debate, but sometimes statistical analysis can be helpful in understanding them better. Economic events are often the reasons given for shifts in demand and shipments, but that’s much to nebulous. We know there are more specific issues, and there is too much general evidence that strong economic growth only makes the adoption rate of digital technologies and media stronger.
In some recent analysis, the regression model of real GDP and CPI-adjusted printing shipments shows that for every billion dollar increase in real GDP results in a -$19.4 million change in commercial print shipments. This regression equation has r²= 71.9%, which is a strong statistical relationship, no matter how unsatisfying (or confusing) the thought is that a growing economy might actually hurt an industry rather than benefit it.

63% of CRM Initiatives Fail

http://www.dmnews.com/63-of-crm-initiatives-fail/article/303470/

CRM initiatives currently have a 63% fail rate, according to a new study by Merkle Group Inc. The CRM firm surveyed 352 senior-level, U.S.-based executives in $1+ billion organizations regarding their company's CRM initiatives and their attitudes about those initiatives. The findings also show that high-growth organizations—those with both revenue and profit growth—are 50% more likely than low-growth organizations to view CRM as a key driver of their company's success.

Condé Nast Names President, China Business

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/merediths-liz-schimel-tapped-lead-cond-nast-china-151225

Liz Schimel, Meredith’s chief digital officer for its magazine division, has been tapped by Condé Nast International to lead its China business. As president of Condé Nast China, she’ll oversee the magazine brands Vogue, Self, GQ, AD and Condé Nast Traveler.

Condé Nast International president Jonathan Newhouse said Schimel’s publishing experience, including digital, and her family ties to China made her ideal to lead the business. Schimel is fluent in Mandarin, having studied in Beijing, where she met her future husband. In an interview, she once expressed interest in returning to China to work. Her appointment takes effect in October.

RRD, John Wiley & Sons Sign Agreement

http://www.piworld.com/article/rrd-awarded-agreement-to-provide-fulfillment-services-for-john-wiley-sons/1

R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company today announced that it has been awarded an agreement that expands its relationship with John Wiley & Sons. Under the terms of the agreement RR Donnelley will provide warehousing, distribution and fulfillment services for Wiley's North American professional development and research products.

Old Navy Splits With Crispin Porter + Bogusky

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/old-navy-splits-crispin-porter-bogusky-151209

Old Navy has parted ways with Crispin Porter + Bogusky, five years after first hiring the agency as its lead creative shop.

The marketer, owned by Gap, has no immediate plans to hire another lead agency to replace Crispin, and instead will work with a range of roster shops—including San Francisco-based Camp + King, and New York-based Chandelier—on an a project basis.

Old Navy spent more than $200 million across media in 2012, according to Kantar estimates.

The split follows the entrance of Old Navy's new chief marketing officer, Ivan Wicksteed, who started at the clothing retailer April 1.

Sun Media Continues Restructuring Initiatives

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130716-908084.html

Sun Media Corporation announces the elimination of 360 positions, the closing of 8 publications across the country and 3 of its free urban dailies, the 24 Hours newspapers in Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton, as well as a series of initiatives to enhance operational efficiencies. The strategic overhaul is expected to yield annual savings of approximately $55 million. 
The closing of the three 24 Hours newspapers is a result of Sun Media's decision to focus on a single urban newspaper in each market, except Montréal and Toronto, where the mass transit systems warrant the continuation of Sun Media Corporation's free dailies as well. With the continued publication of 24 Hours in Vancouver, Sun Media remains present in all of Canada's major urban markets. 
In addition to these three 24 Hours, the following 8 titles have already ceased or will cease publication: L'Action Régionale in Montérégie (Québec), The Lindsay Daily Post (Ontario), The Midland Free Press (Ontario), The Meadow Lake Progress (Saskatchewan), The Lac du Bonnet Leader (Manitoba), The Beausejour Review (Manitoba), Le Magazine Saint-Lambert (Québec) et Le Progrès de Bellechasse (Québec).

Stora Completes Negotiations to Close PMs

http://www.storaenso.com/

Stora Enso has finalized discussions with employee representatives regarding job cuts at its Hylte mill in southern Sweden in relation to the permanent closure of two newsprint machines at the factory.

Stora Enso stopped production at the site's 205,000 tonne/yr newsprint PM 2 for market-related reasons on May 16, and after discussions with unions the closure later became permanent. The firm halted the 180,000 tonne/yr newsprint PM 1 on December 27 last year. Layoff negotiations related to the closure of PM 1 were finalized in March, and those relating to PM 2 in June.

After the closure of PMs 1 and 2, the factory will change from a six- to a five-shift system, as it no longer needs to run all year around, according to Henrik Axelsson, communications officer at the factory. This will reduce production slightly, as the factory will not operate during major holidays.
The Hylte mill now has a capacity of some 480,000 tonnes/yr of newsprint on two machines.

Court Rules Out EPA Delay

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-07-12/epa-delay-on-greenhouse-gas-rules-for-biofuels-tossed-by-court

A decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to delay for three years making rules to curb carbon dioxide emissions from biofuels was thrown out by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. 
The EPA failed to spell out what the delay, known as the deferral rule, would accomplish, according to a 2-1 ruling by a three-judge panel.
The EPA’s position was backed by the American Forest and Paper Association, which intervened in the case in support of the agency’s postponement of regulation.
“The court’s ruling creates great uncertainty about the permitting requirements for biomass energy and underscores the need for EPA to finalize its rulemaking on the treatment of biogenic emissions,” Donna Harman, chief executive officer of the Washington-base trade group, said in an e-mailed statement.

Time to Modernize Direct Mail Measurement

http://www.dmnews.com/its-time-to-modernize-direct-mail-measurement-for-a-digital-world/article/303078/

With so much attention being paid to new digital channels and the emergence of RTB, it's easy to overlook advertisers' sustained reliance on direct mail, which last year accounted for more than $51 Billion across catalog and non-catalog spending. A primary reason for brands' continued fondness for direct mail is that it has traditionally outperformed most (if not all) other channels and advertisers' know that consumers are increasingly wary of online display ads, which are often perceived as intrusive and annoying, whereas many find direct mail to be more convenient and easier to digest (or ignore) on their own terms.

However, while direct mail's resilience during the digital marketing era is worthy of attention, it remains a blind spot for many marketers looking to understand the impact of all marketing efforts. This is particularly true as it relates to their ability to quantify the impact direct mailing has on conversions, both online and in-store, and how much conversion credit it deserves relative to other marketing touchpoints. With the push towards data-driven marketing decisions, personalized media, granular audience targeting, and real-time budget optimization this lack of understanding limits advertisers' ability to identify the right mix of marketing levers—messages, media, and channels—and often leads to overvaluing, or overspending, on other channels.

Continuous-Feed Inkjet Production Market

http://whattheythink.com/articles/64457-continuous-feed-inkjet-production-market2013/

Now in its fifth full-year since its introduction, the continuous-feed inkjet printer market shows no signs of maturity. There are few other markets in either the printer segment or consumer electronic segments that continue to show growth after five years. This doesn’t mean that the path forward is lined with rose petals; the challenge of where to continue to find enough pages to fill these highly productive printers is not an easy challenge.

Transaction printing remains the largest application of all pages printed on these devices. While actual pages will double through the forecast period, I.T. Strategies is projecting that by 2017, nearly all toner-based mono continuous-feed pages remaining will have been replaced by continuous-feed inkjet printers. This means that future page volume growth will become more dependent upon a combination of both offset page replacement and new application page volumes.

House Returns to Postal Reform

http://postandparcel.info/56896/news/regulation/us-house-committee-to-consider-postal-reform-proposals/

The issue of postal reform is set to return to the US House of Representatives tomorrow, as the Oversight and Government Reform Committee examines proposals for legislation to rescue the Postal Service. 

The hearing under Chairman Darrell Issa has been scheduled following the release of legislative proposals from both the House Republicans and the House Democrats. 
The proposals seek ways to pull the US Postal Service back from the major losses it has been generating since 2006. 
Last year USPS recorded a $15.9bn annual loss, although $11bn of this was defaulted payments that were not made. This year USPS is expecting to lose about $7.5bn, while the federal agency’s debt remains at the legal maximum of $15bn. 
USPS needs to cut its operating expenses by more than $20bn to return to a balanced situation, but needs Congressional action to achieve half of this, according to executives.
The US Congress failed to reach agreement on postal reforms last year, with the House of Representatives proving the key hurdle to legislation being passed.

U.S. Ad Expenditures Flat

http://printinthemix.com/Fastfacts/Show/747

Total U.S. advertising expenditures the first quarter of 2013 declined 0.1 percent from a year ago and finished the period at $30.2 billion, according to the latest data from Kantar Media, a provider of strategic advertising and marketing information. Ad spending during the fourth quarter of 2012 rose 2 percent versus the year ago period.   

"It has been a lackluster start for 2013, with flat year-over-year results due in part to strong 2012 growth caused by political and Olympic ad spending,” said Jon Swallen, Chief Research Officer at Kantar Media North America. “Data from the early second quarter are mixed, suggesting marketers are still being cautious and conservative with ad budgets. However, there are some bright spots, including healthy growth for Hispanic media and Outdoor.”