The Paper Chase Challenge: Amid Shrinking Inventories and the COVID-19 Outbreak, Procuring Paper Is More Time-Consuming than Ever for Those Who Buy It

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The Paper Chase Challenge: Amid Shrinking Inventories and the COVID-19 Outbreak, Procuring Paper Is More Time-Consuming than Ever for Those Who Buy It

The COVID-19 pandemic worsened paper supply chain challenges that had been developing for the past several years. Contributor Mark Vruno looks at the problems print businesses have been having sourcing paper, the reasons behind those problems, and some of the workarounds that have been devised.

By Mark Vruno

Thursday, June 03, 2021

Has paper buying changed for print service providers (PSPs)? Yes and no.

“How we do it really hasn’t changed, but I have to work harder at it,” said Chuck Dahms, of MidAmerican Printing Systems, Inc., a mid-sized company in the Chicago suburb of Schiller Park, Ill. This seasoned purchasing manager has four decades’ worth of ink under his fingernails and industry experience under his belt.

These days, it can take Dahms twice as long to secure paper for his firm’s presses, which run both offset (approximately 70% of sales) and digital work (about 30%).

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About Mark Vruno

A creative business/technical writer and skilled editor with proven success in multiple facets of internal and external corporate and high-technology public relations. Specialties: A seasoned communication professional with extensive experience planning and executing marketing and business-to-business communications.

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