In June, the Ingram Content Companies announced a new organizational structure called Ingram Lightning Group to provide better coordination among the Ingram businesses that serve publishers, librarians, booksellers and other creators and consumers of printed content throughout the industry. The new entity brings Lightning Source Inc. together with the companies now comprising the Ingram Book Group. As part of the move, David Taylor, who was Lightning’s Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Managing Director of Lightning Source UK, became President of Lightning Source within the new Ingram Lightning Group structure. WhatTheyThink spoke with Taylor recently.

WTT:  David, what were some of the reasons behind the organizational change that was announced in June? And what is your role in the new organization?

DT:  There were a number of reasons.  We took a good look at all of the various business models we had within the Ingram Book Group—book wholesaling, fee-based book distribution and library supply being the three primary business models.  We also looked at the way in which the print-on-demand model can impact those business models going forward. Because we were running these companies separately, the decision-making process was not as seamless as it could be, so we brought them together as the Ingram Lightning Group with Skip Prichard as President and CEO. I am responsible for Lightning Source globally, both the UK and U.S. operations, three production facilities in all.