Late last year, WhatTheyThink surveyed industry executives to find out what they saw as the biggest challenges and opportunities in their businesses for 2009 and beyond. In reading through some of the survey results, I thought it would be interesting to share some of the responses, particularly as they relate to the economic situation in 2009, the impact of digital printing, key challenges these businesses are facing, and investment plans, if any.

Our thanks to these busy executives for taking the time to respond to our survey:

The survey reflected varied opinions about what 2009 has in store for the economy and for their businesses.  The more optimistic believed we would see improvement by the middle of the year, but others felt it might be two to three years before we see any type of recovery. That being said, everyone was fairly positive overall with respect to how their businesses would fare through this difficult period.  There was, however, general agreement that costs must be controlled. Novakovich from Esprit Graphics said, “As of right now, the future of the economy is scary at best.  Printers must become more efficient in all areas to be able to produce more with less capital and less human resources.  Cash flow will become even more critical.”