PARAMUS, N.J., MARCH 26, 2004 – The National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) has introduced Performance Indicators, a new service in which participating companies gain valuable and proprietary insights into their current performance and future prospects. The service sets itself apart from traditional benchmarking programs by monitoring those “vital few” metrics that are the most relevant in today’s business environment, and by analyzing participant input to determine the strategic principles that provide the foundation for ongoing success. “Today’s printing companies need to move quickly to act on their strengths and eliminate their weaknesses because markets are simply becoming too competitive for anything less,” noted Joseph P. Truncale, NAPL president and chief executive officer. “By being privy to the specific metrics that are most meaningful in today’s business environment, as well as NAPL’s in-depth analysis, Performance Indicators participants will have the insights they need to steer their companies in the right directions.” As a benefit of participation, Performance Indicators members receive free of charge a monthly report containing the key metrics that support a process of continuous improvement, put into perspective by NAPL’s highly respected economists. “Traditional metrics are no longer relevant in the changing business environment,” said Truncale. "The meaningful metrics tracked by Performance Indicators better capture the new business models today’s printers are developing. These are the critical few metrics printers must consider as they make the transition from commodity print providers to total communications solutions providers.” NAPL will use the raw data that participants submit monthly to calculate the vital metrics that measure value creation, effective management of factory resources, the ability to create and maintain margins, and efficiency of operations. Performance Indicators draws on NAPL’s long history of providing insights into the strategies consistently successful companies use to remain profitable. For instance, the Association’s Long Run Growth Leaders? program has been tracking since 1998 the strategies of a group of 32 printing companies that consistently exceed industry averages for growth and profitability, regardless of how the business environment changes. This ambitious new service complements NAPL’s Printing Business Survey of 300+ printers, which sets the “macro” view by focusing on the industry’s directions, trends, and critical issues. Performance Indicators offers the “micro” view, giving participants actionable information about their individual company’s strengths and weaknesses. “NAPL has established Performance Indicators not to talk about what’s typical for the industry overall—those kinds of measurements are extremely limited in terms of helping a company succeed,” said Truncale. “The goal of our service is to show participants in concrete terms what they need to do to successfully run and continuously improve their companies.” Participation in NAPL Performance Indicators is open to any commercial printing company. Participants will receive the complete monthly Performance Indicators reports free of charge. A monthly condensed “topline” data sheet will be distributed free to NAPL members, who may purchase the full reports at member discounts.