“Our transformation into a ‘Smart Business’ is successfully completed”

Firstly, congratulations on completing your transformation from a 24/7 producing and fully integrated online printer with extensive in-house production, to a pure E-Commerce company with an international production partner network, just a few weeks before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic! How relieved were you at Unitedprint to know that at least this area of your business was not hit by the force of the pandemic?
Of course, nobody could have foreseen and counted on the fact that – in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic – we were rewarded directly for our courage, consistency and our foresight when transforming Unitedprint into a “smart business”. A company will always be more successful, when it anticipates the fundamental changes in the markets before anyone else. We made the decision for our smart business strategy already back in 2018. It is and always was our goal to create long-term in-vestments by establishing internationally profitable growth. And to do this without tying up considerable funds and energy, which would make us only inflexible and unable to react quickly, effectively and purposefully on any developments.

So in general, in-house production in the combination with WtP is not a successful future prospect at Unitedprint?
Most of the in-house producing online printers chose the path to push themselves in upgrading their production technology to the maximum. In our opinion this path is a one-way street, which leads directly and irreversibly into a dead-end. By the way, the technical equipment of a company says absolutely nothing about its economic success. We can see this very clearly with competitors who are primarily financed by the capital market, who have always been loss-accumulating. WtP is not successful, because online printers are operating with the biggest, newest printing machines and as many of them as possible. First-class production technology with great production teams are available in all parts of the world. The international division of labour is a major step forward and a huge driver of growth. We experience this every day in our cooperation with these highly competent specialists in their respective fields. All of them continuously make outstanding products available to our customers. Who would like to be treated by one doctor with just one medicine for all health problems?

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You seem to be an exception in the WtP segment with this philosophy currently?
Much of what is unusual today will be completely normal at some point. This is the nature of disruptive change. At Unitedprint, we see ourselves as an open network, which no longer feeds into its own production, but primarily allows works with third parties, like production partners but also trading partners, and which is open to solutions from other providers of digital-based technologies. All major WtP providers have invested huge efforts in their own production – and for this very reason they cannot simply flip the lever, when there is a new trend or a crisis like the current COVID-19 pandemic. And by the way, our production partners get an additional source of revenue from us. On the one hand we are competitors, but on the other hand we also allow the printing industry to participate directly in WtP by producing WtP orders. In today’s world no one can have above average success if the only place they operate in is where they are based. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far (and make great progress), go with others.” Unitedprint played a major role in the establishment of WtP and achieved a lot as an independent sole owner company.