After spending some time with KPG at drupa and gaining an understanding of the company’s overall strategy [see story], I had the opportunity recently to visit its corporate headquarters in Norwalk CT and discuss the company’s strategy in more detail with senior KPG executives. In my conversations, I focused specifically on KPG’s sales strategy, its progress with the RealTimeImage acquisition and monitor proofing, its new Color Fidelity System and the Canon relationship announced at drupa.

According to Beth Hogan Scott, KPG’s Director of Corporate and Worldwide Marketing Communications, KPG has been hard at work building a sales infrastructure and compensation plan designed to incent the sales force to focus on understanding customer requirements and delivering solutions to meet customer needs, moving from a commodity to a solutions selling model. KPG has a staff of over 800 people worldwide that have direct customer contact, including 100+ U.S. sales professionals. Hogan Scott claims this is the largest sales force of any company that is solely devoted to the graphic arts industry.

Key to the company’s sales strategy is TAG—the Technical Assistance Group—which consists of two groups of knowledgeable product specialists, each with their own area of specialty. One group focuses on the plate business and the other on software, film and proofing solutions. Hogan Scott says, “TAG functions within the company as the primary Voice of the Customer. TAG reports into Research & Development but acts as a separate organization that is devoted to making sure that we develop to the correct customer requirements and absorb and act on feedback from customers.” The Plates TAG group is headquartered in the UK, and the software and color TAG group is headquartered in Oakdale MN, the home of the former Imation Color Technologies Division acquired by KPG in 2001. Hogan Scott continues, “Even though our TAG team is geographically dispersed around the world, the fact that they all report into the same organization enables good best practices sharing. They have access to a worldwide Intranet with an interactive application that allows them to easily post best practices and gain access to a wide range of technical information.”