The North American Specialty Printing Manufacturers Association (NASMA), Kansas City, MO, elected three new directors at its fall meeting, held last November in Kansas City. Elected to three-year terms on the board of directors were Hank Hayashi of Dynamesh (West Chicago, IL), Roger Jacobs of R-Tape (South Plainfield, NJ), and David Koebcke of Sefar Printing Solutions (Lumberton, NJ).

In other news, NASMA announced that survey work for its third Market Metrics Study began in January. These groundbreaking reports quantify the sales (both volume and revenue) of various equipment and supplies sold in the specialty-printing industry using actual data supplied by NASMA members to a third-party research firm. 

The first Market metrics study, released in 2005, profiled screen-printing inks, screenmaking consumables, and screen-cleaning chemicals. The 2006 report updated the same product segments, adding textile inks (including plastisols). NASMA intends to add UV-curing equipment to the report for the 2007 study, which is slated for release next spring in time for the May NASMA meeting. NASMA intends to add new equipment and supply categories for both screen and digital printing whenever its membership includes at least three members that represent a majority of market share, ensuring that the reports are representative of the market and that the confidentiality of each member’s data is protected.

NASMA also outlined a new initiative to develop a “Biz Metrics” study modeled after its quarterly MBOB (Manufacturers’ Business Outlook Barometer) studies, which offer quick snapshots on the health of the manufacturing sector by asking members to report trends in revenue and profits compared to performance in prior quarters and comparable periods from the prior year. The Biz Metrics study will be designed to track data such as revenue per employee, revenue per square foot of manufacturing space, turnover rate, benefits costs per employee, and other data that will help NASMA members see how their various business statistics compare to NASMA’s membership as a whole. Like all of NASMA’s research, these new reports will be available only to members.

The fall meeting, one of two that NASMA holds annually, featured two guest speakers. Tom LeTourneau, vice-president of operations for Gill Studios (Lenexa, KS), gave an overview of his company’s history and operations, while Anissa Elsey, vice-president of human resources for Thrall Enterprises, presented strategies for performance management. To learn more about NASMA, visit www.nasmaonline.org.