Page 22 - BOSS Today Issue 29

Special Report - Presentation & planning

an executive’s office or a meeting had some impact on market “When people for sports clubs or libraries.”
room – so there are add-on demand.” Indeed, as Starkey points out,
opportunities for a whole range are wearing a the OP market has not been
of products: it’s a big total Yo-Yo Demand sufficiently involved in supplying
solution sell!” Partridge agrees: Durable’s response to this slow badge and it the growing market for badge
“Offering these products shows decline has been to diversify looks shabby or systems, which to date has
a point of difference: it’s not like towards badging accessories, been mainly the preserve of
your traditional pen or envelope such as lanyards and yo-yos inappropriate, tech companies such as Zebra
that everyone can offer: these (badge reels), which together Technologies or industrial
products are different and can now account for an additional then it does not supplies companies such as
provide some nice ticket items. If 25% of the overall badge market. reflect well on Seton and Brady Corp.
they can get it right, dealers can Demand for these accessories is Indeed, while Starkey accepts
work with this product category increasing, partly because even if the company.” that the general badging
and benefit from additional sales users are printing out their own market could possibly stay in
easily.” special ‘credit card’ style badges, Sean Starkey, slow decline going forward, he
they will still need lanyards, yo- Durable UK is confident that Durable can
Getting Personal yos and clipping devices. continue to grow the category
Another significant category Indeed, while Durable by getting more involved in
within presentation and segments the overall badge accessories and badge printing
planning products category is market into two sectors - solutions, and believes that OP
badges, a product which is very badging/identification (75% of resellers can also benefit from
close to the heart of Durable UK’s market value) and security (25%) markets: a facilities management these trends: “Badge making
Managing Director Sean Starkey: – it is the latter which is growing, team, warehouse/logistics or machines are something OP
“We are the brand leader in the largely because of greater operations manager would buy dealers should definitely look at:
UK for name badges, as well awareness and greater need for security access badges, whereas they are pretty much plug and
as in most Western European security in buildings. As Starkey general identity badges would play products. We have got the
countries. Indeed, name badges points out, “People are prepared be purchased by a traditional software behind it which users
was one of the first ranges that to pay for that, and there is also OP purchaser such as a secretary can download, so it’s pretty easy
we offered when we first set up less private label penetration in or PA. These would be buying for them to set up and go. It’s as
in the UK more than 30 years the security segment because badges for conferences and easy – if not easier – than using
ago.” The other suppliers in this the volumes are lower.” meetings, or for access to a a standard desktop printer. Then,
market tend to focus more on However, most OP reseller building, but not in security there are all these accessories
the private label badge segment, catalogues do not reflect this terms.” such as lanyards and badge reels
which Durable also supplies. binary market segmentation, etc, which are quite lucrative in
While the overall size of the which Starkey believes is a Secure Market margin terms.”
market is again hard to quantify, mistake: “Although there is some Furthermore, it is in the growing However, Starkey is keen to
Starkey believes that there blurring, they are two distinct security badging sector where point out that what end-users
is significant growth of the innovation is most occurring at demand from these products is
overall sector in value terms, present, as Starkey explains: “We quality, for one simple reason:
particularly in special badge now have our own Duracard “When people are wearing a
printing products, such as credit badge making machine. These badge and it looks shabby or
card style badging and security are partly being used as security inappropriate, then it does not
badge products. devices, on which QR codes reflect well on the company.
Starkey is the first to admit etc can be printed, but also You often see the basic self-
that a number of factors have as club membership cards adhesive ones falling off people’s
converged to reduce demand lapels and blouses. Because
for some name badges in recent we manufacture all of these
years: “Some of the things which products ourselves, and because,
hurt us a little bit in the past of course, we are a German
were the austerity measures and manufacturer, we produce to
headcount reductions in blue- very high tolerances and quality!”
chip multinationals, but these
have largely gone away now. Martin Wilde – the author of this
There are also fewer exhibitions article - is Managing Director of OP
and meetings and conferences, market research specialists
hence less need to have personal Martin Wilde Associates Ltd
identification, and these have (www.martinwildeassociates.com).

22 BOSS TODAY | September/October 2015

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