Coming into 2018, ALGX sees more of the same this year, as the traditional black and white (reprographic) industry has remained flat; the large format color and equipment sales have increased in recent years. We expect for these trends to stay consistent moving forward. We remain optimistic on our reprographic side as there is positive outlook for construction in Alabama this year, which can also provide a boost in our supply sales, including paper, inks, parts, etc.
Large format color
We see several opportunities to increase our color revenue in 2018. With technology always changing, it can be a challenge to keep up, but we feel as though we’ve adapted to these changes within the industry. With our in-house design team, we’ve positioned ourselves to be more involved from the start of a project, through to the end. This gives us the opportunity to not only print, but also provide our expertise to customers from a project management standpoint. This includes site surveys, design creation, to print and installation. This allows us to be creative, as well as collaborate with customers, in order to give them the highest quality products and best service possible.
Our recent success has given us the ability to offer new and exciting offerings to our expanding customer base. Future growth areas within the industry for 2018 include soft signage (fabrics/textiles), interior décor, as well as event signage. Soft signage provides a more organic look and feel as well as giving it the ability to fold, ship, and install easier than other materials. Interior Décor gives our customers the option to create a more personal feel to interior environments. Our momentum in this area from 2017, gives us a positive outlook to continue this trend in 2018. From custom wall coverings to acrylics to custom cut displays, we can revitalize any new or existing space. With sporting events and tradeshows becoming more prominent in the Birmingham area, we see an opportunity to grow in this area as well. Our ability to see these projects from start to finish gives us a competitive advantage.
Reprographic & Equipment Sales
The reprographic industry has been somewhat flat in recent years; however, with the positive outlook for construction in Alabama for 2018, we’re hopeful to see an upswing. While our traditional black and white printing has been steady, some of our success has been in direct correlation to the sales of equipment and supplies. Partnering with HP gives us the opportunity of being 1 of 49 re-sellers of HP Pagewide technology. This technology provides faster print speeds as well as higher quality output. We not only have this technology in-house, but selling to our customers will provide them with the best technology in the market – giving them their own competitive advantage.