The global supply chain breakdown has put a strain on the Printing & Direct Mail industry, but that doesn’t mean you should eliminate campaigns using those platforms.  Print and Direct Mail remain a very effective communication channels, you just need to proactively manage your business.

How to mitigate the supply chain disruption in your planned marketing campaigns.

If you have your recurring projects that are on auto pilot, you need to start the conversation soon—like, right now—because business is not operating as usual. Whether you are on the demand or supply side, engage your partners/clients early in the process.  Supply chain challenges in the paper industry are real, but roadblocks can be overcome with some ingenuity, extra planning, and longer lead times.

Be Flexible…if you can.

Secure paper stock and envelopes based on estimated quantities and specs prior to submitting projects to alleviate availability shortages or unforeseen substitutions that will delay timelines.  If securing materials early is not an option, be prepared to pivot design, sizing, and/or stock preferences and possibly endure delays due to making/approving last minute changes… All to no fault of service providers.

The Supplychain brain reports that 2.5 million metric tons of North American printing and writing paper capacity or nearly 1/5^th of 2019 levels has come offline since the start of the year. Some paper mills have converted to other paper products such as cardboard to supply growing demand for e-commerce packaging. The talk in the industry is that the paper supply chain will not see any relief until Q4 of 2022.

Our advice: Plan early and get your vendors involved as soon as possible. You will thank us!