IC Group & COVID-19

Reliable Transparent. Creative. Thorough. Safe.

Our unflinching dedication to the safety of our teams and clients during COVID-19 remains our top priority.

PAPER SHORTAGES AFFECTING THE PRINTING INDUSTRY

We have all been navigating through the current supply chain issues since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although businesses have reopened and things look to be getting back to normal, the biggest challenge for businesses now is keeping up with the increasing demand for goods and services amidst global supply chain issues, labor shortages, transportation holdups, inflation, and increasing costs. These circumstances are especially reflected in the print industry in the form of mass paper shortages and price increases.

As it more specifically relates to the printing industry, kinks in the paper supply chain have also been magnified by the shift in what domestic paper mills have been producing. During the early stages of the pandemic, the demand for paper fell as events were canceled and many businesses slowed operations. In order to absorb this downturn, paper mills adjusted their strategies by reducing the amount of paper they produced and increasing production of corrugated and other packaging materials. Global transportation bottlenecks and other logistical obstacles, including rising fuel costs and longer transit times, have further inhibited the ability to rely more on foreign sources of paper as well.

In short, if you and your business have not yet felt the squeeze of the paper supply shortage, there is a good chance that you may soon.

Our aim is not to cause panic. We can get paper. Rather this is meant to be a resource to help you plan, pivot, and reduce the pain points related to the current challenges in getting the printed materials you need. In order to help with this, we highly recommend following the suggestions outlined below to help mitigate delays due to paper supply issues.

What Can you do about it?

Plan Ahead: One of the best things you can do is plan ahead. The earlier you can get the specifics of your project in place, the better. Discuss the project with us as early as possible. Even if your deadline is a few months out, it will be very helpful to have the job on our radar screen. Try and avoid last minute rush orders whenever possible.
Ask About Your Options: Meeting your needs is a top priority for us and we are working hard to provide you with as many options and solutions as possible. A good place to start planning your project is to ask your IC Group salesperson what is available. Although the paper supply landscape changes rapidly, we can give you a pulse on stocks with more current availability and actively search for other workable options for you. Proactively learning about your options and informing your clients and/or other stakeholders about them will help set the stage for more successful job planning.
Be Flexible and Open to Alternatives: If your first preference of paper is unavailable, being open to a few other alternatives will be advantageous in moving your project forward. Having a second, third, or fourth option that you are also interested in is very helpful when you find that your first choice is not available.

Paper supply Outlook

It is likely that these challenges will be around for a while longer. Indications project that it could continue through the remainder of 2022 and well into 2023. Until then, we are working tirelessly to help provide detours around these inevitable roadblocks and stay on top of delays. Planning ahead, communicating often, and pivoting when needed will greatly help this process as we work together to ensure that you get your projects done on time.

Embracing safety processes to protect our people.

This year, along with our neighbors, colleagues, friends, country, and global community, we were required to adapt to the unprecedented circumstances brought about by COVID-19. Although these times have certainly proven challenging, our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our teams and clients remains our most important responsibility.

In addition to embracing local and national health and safety mandates, we immediately went to work to establish our own operating guidelines; guidelines that would keep us safe and keep our doors open to our clients.

During this time, we’re proud to have remained an essential print partner to businesses across the country. We understand more than ever how critical our service and its quality is to the lifeblood of our economy as we helped hundreds of organizations maintain checks, statements, invoices, and other critical documents.

We’re incredibly grateful for our clients’ ongoing support and trust during this challenging time. We believe that it is together that we’re able to weather storms of this magnitude.

Innovating amidst uncertainty

With months of ongoing safety efforts in our rearview mirror, and likely more to come, we’re extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished. Not only did we remain open, we were also able to develop new products and services to meet the rapidly changing needs of our clients and this environment, including:

Maintaining our commitment to excellence

This year also marked a year of new technological and operational investments. With several additions to our incredible team, several million dollars invested in new equipment, and our SOC 2 certification pursuit, we haven’t changed our commitment to our clients or the industry-leading advancements that will help us serve them best.

Put our commitment to work for you.

Whatever your needs, and whether they’re changing or not, we’re here to brainstorm ideas and implement effective solutions.