Print 17 Message: Invest in Workflow. But, Most Don’t

Idealliance Capital Investment Study Findings

At Print 17, I had the chance to sit down with Andy Paparozzi, chief economist at Idealliance, and talked about the latest research on investment priorities. I had worked with Andy on the last Capital Investment study and was interested in learning about the latest study entitled “Capital Investment: Where Companies are Planning to Invest and Why.”

Year after year, the study uncovers the changes occurring in the industry. For example, the 2016 report identified more than 20 products, 20 services, and 10 processes that executives believe will have the most growth potential over the next two or three years—vital information for those planning their company’s course of action in the years ahead. In the latest research, when senior management were asked what they wanted to accomplish with their investments over the next three years, slightly more than half of the participants (55%) plan to invest the same percentage of sales dollars in new equipment and technology as they did in the previous three years.

Investment percentages ranged from 1% to 12% of sales, with most in the 3% to 8% range…