Harpercollins Christian Publishing Aligns Supply with Demand

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Case Study HarperCollins Christian Publishing aligns supply with demand.

“HarperCollins Christian Publishing has been an early adopter of new digital press and related supply chain innovations that better align book supply with demand.” Ron Isom, Print-on-Demand Manager, Quad/Graphics

HarperCollins Christian Publishing specializes in inspirational and Christian-faith based content, including books. It’s Thomas Nelson and Zondervan banners are highly recognized brands in Christian publishing, known for best-selling Bibles, inspirational books, academic resources, church and small-group curriculum, audio and digital content and live events. HarperCollins Christian Publishing was formed after the acquisition of Thomas Nelson. Zondervan, a world-leading Bible publisher and well known Christian communications company, had been part of HarperCollins Publishers since the late 1980s.

CHALLENGE front-end ordering and back-end fulfillment and Book publishers are faced with the constant distribution, to ensure short runs are not cost- challenge of aligning production with demand for a prohibitive to the end-user. wide range of titles and markets. Order too many and the result is excess and unsold inventory. Order too few and the result is lost sales. And when “The trend is clear: Improving digital demand is not sufficient to print books efficiently print capabilities are interdependent using conventional offset book presses, how can on ordering, workflow, finishing and the publisher take advantage of new digital print fulfillment solutions to help publishers solutions that allow for fast and efficient shorter- move to a more demand driven, zero run production? HarperCollins Christian Publishing inventory model.” turned to Quad for much more automated CASE STUDY Harper Collins Aligns with Demand

SOLUTION RESULTS A leader in the application of new digital print Based on the solution’s success to date, the solutions and the related front-end and back-end company is adding more titles to the program systems that streamline all processes from order and increasing overall volume as the benefits of to delivery, Quad’s digital book printing team put short-run digital book printing continue to grow. together a total end-to-end solution that enables Titles that had gone out-of-print have been added HarperCollins Christian Publishing to maximize its to the program and other titles that likely would efficiencies in the critical production quantity range have been discontinued in the past have new life of 100-2,500. The solution includes: and can stay “in-print” within a system that more

• A sophisticated and customized front-end easily accommodates shorter runs and smaller EDI automated inventory and replenishment demand. HarperCollins Christian Publishing has system that monitors inventories on a reduced its inventories, yet increased its volumes, daily basis and automatically places orders thanks to the automated and fast-response for digital book printing based on preset system. Automation has helped keep costs low inventory level metrics. while shortening turn times in production and fulfillment. The Quad system helps HarperCollins • The industry’s newest digital print and Christian Publishing excel in serving the needs of finishing systems that can print and bind to the Christian content marketplace. order within a 3-5 day production window.

• Efficient back-end distribution that speeds product to market while keeping inventories and their related costs very low.

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