Supporting 400 Franchises

At Alcom, we believe in the power of relationships. If we know and understand a client's business, we're prepared to help with the unexpected.

LA Weight Loss is a successful international chain of weight loss centers and a long-standing Alcom client. The client was planning to launch its biggest program ever and remake their brands to support the 400 international and domestic franchises. But LA Weight Loss didn't know when or how extensive the campaign would be.

CHALLENGE: ROLL OUT BRANDING, FAST

The light turned green and the client asked, "Can you help bring the 'Free to Live' rebranding campaign to life in 60 days?"

Sixty days. Three hundred fifty newly designed and written print jobs in three languages. Four hundred individually owned and operated franchises needing personalized printed pieces and orders of supplements, weight loss enhancers and other non-print materials. Delivered on time around the world.

THE ANSWER: YES

Flip the switches, that's what we did at Alcom. Put on our thinking caps. Assembled a dedicated production team. Translated the content. Helped design the new materials. Put the printing plant on three shifts seven days a week. Supplemented our extensive climate-controlled storage with an additional 10,000 square feet. And built a team of systems analysts and programmers to create a customized Web-based inventory management system.

60, 59, 58...LAUNCH!

Thirty-seven million press impressions later, Alcom processed orders that franchise owners submitted online. Then picked, packed and shipped 18,000 packages worldwide. Sent invoices, received payments and generated management reports. And we maintain this turnkey system for the client on an ongoing basis.

Keeping the Orders Flowing

Being part of a client's team is a commitment Alcom takes seriously. We're happy to play the same position in every game. And we're delighted to pinch-hit, too.

Victaulic is the world's leader in commercial, industrial and institutional piping systems, such as couplings, valves and sensors for automotive, fire protection, pharmaceutical and numerous other industries. The company's reputation is based on its inventive way of joining piping.

CHALLENGE: SEAMLESS TRANSITION

Alcom had been printing Victaulic's product literature and compliance documents for many years. The client learned Christmas week they would have to find a vendor to replace their fulfillment supplier and resume shipping orders January 15. The only change they wanted their distributors and salespeople to experience was service improvement. So Victaulic turned to Alcom.

THE ANSWER: YES

Now Alcom lived up to its reputation for planning inventive solutions. Our new 46,000 sq. ft. direct mail/fulfillment facility was under construction. So we rented additional space - quickly. The former supplier randomly loaded inventory of printed material, binders and product samples into 28 tractor-trailers and sent them to us. So we unscrambled, counted and entered every item - quickly - into the Web-based inventory and ordering system Alcom had previously built for Victaulic. Many new items had to be digitally printed and assembled into custom kits. To meet the challenge, we quickly staffed for around-the-clock production.

OPEN THE SPIGOT, KEEP THE PIPELINE FLOWING

We started shipping January 15th, on schedule, and within a month had shipped 1,837 custom orders without a hitch. The transition was complete and the order pipeline has been running smoothly ever since.

Saving Time & Money

Helping a client find a new, innovative solution makes our day. Sometimes we don't need to reinvent the wheel - just wipe the dust off a great old idea.

Avon is one of the most successful direct sales companies in America. Their sales associates depend on their order books to conduct transactions. Alcom had been printing Avon's promotional materials for many years.

CHALLENGE: FIND A BETTER WAY

One day Avon asked if we could print the order books at a lower cost. Fifteen million each year. One-up. Two parts, original and one copy. Interleaved carbon paper. Side-stitched with tape binding.

THE ANSWER: YES

But before we started, we asked why the books had to be printed that way. "They don't," was the answer. So we did some thinking and suggested we print the books three-up on a web press using carbon ink on the back of every other page and saddle stitching. It was the client's turn to say yes.

THE FUN BEGINS

Carbon ink had not been used for 30 years. Modern compared with standard carbon paper, but carbon ink was no longer manufactured. Until one of our suppliers identified a veteran ink maker who remembered how to do it. The Alcom team tested the first batch, second batch, third: none worked. So they suggested to the manufacturer how to re-engineer the ink and devised a special agitator to prevent the ink from solidifying on press: that worked.

A LITTLE INGENUITY GOES A LONG WAY

Avon's sales associates love the new books because they're easier to use. Avon loves the half-a-million dollars they anticipate saving each year.