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Meet New Colonial Board Member Connie Commeau - Page 3
Physical World
Issue: 2Q15
Annual Meeting: A Resounding Success
The Takeaway—‘We make creative people’s dreams come true’
Colonial Purchasing Cooperative’s annual meeting in late March in Orlando, Florida, eschewed the typical conference program in
favor of an open-ended exchange of ideas bandied about during an afternoon of rotating roundtable discussions.
The result was declared a resounding success – “so much better than sitting listening to presentations,” comments Colonial executive
director Bryan Ekus, relaying the positive feedback he received from the event’s 60 attendees and board of directors.
Dubbed the “World Discovery Café,” the speed-dating style of hypothetical business topics universal to everyone’s own circumstances
allowed participants to freely engage in conversations that reinforced the need to think out of the box.
Colonial board members took the reins
• Chinese multinational acquiring
moderating the five tables. After a few hours,
your company and plans to
the moderators summarized for the entire
discontinue physical media by
group how members tackled their topics
year’s end (Steve Sheldon)
table by table, and they tacked up on the
The takeaway: This topic generated a few
wall the participants’ notes and outlines.
ironic cheers in the audience during the
Here’s what they came up with:
summary. But aside from the nervous
laughter came a realization that our
• Achieving efficiencies in your
business is built on certain skillsets (e.g.,
daily life (Frank Hartwig and Pat
fulfillment, customer service, metallization
Reagan)
or plastic molding) easily applicable to
The takeaway: Everyone should sometimes
other businesses.
take a break, which will result in such
benefits as helping you to be smart with
your time; organize better, and strike a
balance that ultimately makes you more
productive.
• Overcoming over work and life
things that really suck (Brian
Axtman)
The takeaway: Sure, taxes, government
regulations and the weather you can’t
control but some things you can improve,
such as employee engagement, bad
attitudes and drama in the workplace.
The best way is to get past hard times is
by making better decisions, resulting in
tackling difficult people with a positive
attitude.
Platinum Sponsor
• Convincing Apple why it should
acquire your company, and
separately convincing your
daughter to take over the family
business (so you can retire) rather
than her use lottery winnings to
launch a startup (Connie Comeau)
The takeaway: Physical media
manufacturers make creative people’s
dreams come true. That kind of tugging
on heartstrings is built on a history of
innovation in introducing new products
and services that fulfill market segment
needs. In both scenarios, there’s proven
value in owning such a business.
Silver Sponsors
• The best way to engage and
motivate staff (Tony Van Veen)
The takeaway: An engaged workforce is
a motivated workforce, and the best way
to accomplish both is to listen. Also, get to
know your employees as human beings.
The workers know their jobs better than
you do, so don’t tell them what to do. Be
transparent in terms of sharing KPIs and
topline sales information. Also provide
opportunities to give them a sense of
ownership.
Copper Sponsor
P.2
Physical World
Issue: 2Q15
80% Approval Rating for Orlando Meeting COLONIAL
Responding to an online survey, Colonial members generally said they were very pleased
INITIATIVES
with the Orlando annual meeting. In fact, nearly 80% reported they thought the quality
of the event was either “excellent” or “very good.”
An additional 80% found the Discovery Café roundtable discussions (see lead story) either
“extremely” or “very engaging.”
Opinions were varied on co-locating the Colonial annual meeting with the plastics NPE
Exhibition: 45.8% found it “somewhat worthwhile,” while 33.3% said “very worthwhile.” An even
8.3% chose “extremely worthwhile” and “not so worthwhile, while only 4.17% thought the
coupling was “not at all worthwhile.”
In regard to where next year’s annual meeting should be held, Los Angeles was the most
popular destination (41.67%), followed by a return to Orlando (33.3%) and Chicago (20.8%).
Co-locating again with a related industry convention appears to have met with approval.
About 58% said they found “extremely” or “very interesting to have the Colonial meeting
coincide with an event on 3D printing, slightly edging consumer electronics (57%) and custom
packaging (52.4%).
Orlando Golf Tournament
May 11 Plastics Forecast
Webinar
Colonial Purchasing Cooperative is
happy to announce its first webinar,
sponsored by IHS Chemicals, on
the changing dynamics of the
petrochemical market. Paul Blanchard,
IHS’s director of engineering for plastics,
will discuss on Monday, May 11 at 9
a.m. (CST) the supply and demand of
polypropylene and polystyrene. Look for
an email in your in-box regarding log-in
information.
Buying Power
Look out for a survey asking for your
opinion regarding new material
categories that Colonial is looking into
using our collective buying power
to procure better deals. Those under
consideration include:
• Bonding
• Lacquer
• Overwrap
European Expansion
Colonial’s European arm, which currently
includes seven members, is getting
help from the German organization
Genossenschaftsverband (Cooperative
Association), to create a new business
entity for Colonial in Europe. By having
a stronger footprint opens up new
opportunities for all Colonial members.
Colonial Elects
Board of Managers
WINNING GOLF TEAM: (l-r) Steve Sheldon, Ram Nomula, Pat Reagan, and Michael Hosp; and all the players.
SAVE THE DATE
At the annual meeting in Orlando, the
organization elected the following board
leaders:
Pat Reagan Secretary/Tier 2 Designee
Brian Axtman Treasurer/Tier 4 Designee
Tony van Veen Tier 2 Designee
•M
ay 11 at 9a.m. (CST), Plastics Forecast Webinar
Frank Hartwig Tier 1 Designee*
•M
ay 18, 2015, Hamburg, Germany –
Colonial European Dinner and Networking Meeting
Steve Sheldon Tier 3 Designee
•M
ay 19, 2015, Hamburg, Germany – MEDIA-TECH Conference,
Mövenpick Hotel, www.media-tech.net for more information
Michael Hosp European Representative
Connie Comeau Board Member
•O
ctober 14-16, 2015, Los Angeles, Calif., Colonial West Coast Meeting
* Previously held by Ray Zerrusen
P.3
Physical World
Issue: 2Q15
Meet New Colonial Board Member Connie Commeau
‘The bulk of our business comes from manufacturing CDs and DVDs’
Packaged media veteran Connie Commeau, chief operating officer of Colonial member ADS Group,
was elected to the Colonial Purchasing Cooperative board of directors in March at the annual meeting.
She talked with Physical World about her career, why she’s still bullish on the business, what’s driving
growth at ADS, and the importance of Colonial helping our bottom lines.
Connie says meeting General Colin Powell (Ret.) was a very
proud moment in her career. “He’s an amazing man.” ADS
Group’s Studio interviewed Powell exclusively for a promotional
video the company created for Urban Ventures, a non-profit
organization whose mission is to “end generational poverty
in high-risk neighborhoods.” Also pictured: two of her favorite
packages that ADS created for Prince and Sundance.
PW: What makes you excited
about going to work?
CC: I know it sounds like a cliché
but it’s the truth, it’s all about
the people – whether it’s our
team of employees, our clients,
our vendors or our industry
colleagues. I have a “service”
mentality. I believe as a leader
you need to serve others. It
works both ways: you need
to understand the obstacles,
and you need keep the path
clear so you can guide. That
approach opens up new roads
of opportunity. In order to best
serve clients, you need to have an
understanding of what is holding
back your team. The best way to
accomplish that is to: listen, listen
and listen. I am an extrovert and I
get my energy from people.
In today’s world it can be a
challenge to make a personal
connection with others. We have
all, myself included, become a
daily slave to e-mail, text, and
social media. Making personal
connections with employees,
vendors and customers
is becoming a day-to-day
challenge, which is very sad.
So I have made the decision
to have “no e-mail Fridays,” the
day I leave open for human
contact. I will interact with
my team, vendors, industry
colleagues, and customers only
via telephone, face to face,
or a hand-written “thank you
note.” I will not succumb, solely
to communicating through a
screen.
PW: How did you end up in
packaged media?
CC: A couple of my mentors said
they ended up with me because
they lost a bet.
I started in the industry when I
was 19 years old. I was looking
for a job that would help pay for
school. I was majoring in hotel
restaurant management at Stout.
I answered an ad and interviewed
with Sunrise Packaging. At the
time, Sunrise was a startup, they
were moving their facility out
of a pool shed and into a real
manufacturing facility. I was
looking for paycheck: $3.25
an hour. Working for a startup
allowed me to understand
and work in all aspects of the
business.
Thirty-plus years later I am still in
the business. I have a passion for
both sales and operations. I love
this industry.
CC: Sunrise Packaging. My
mentor was Mark Hector, who
would say that I was with Sunrise
through my “teen” years, in
which I received a lot of patience
and guidance. It was a great
company and a great experience.
I was with Sunrise for 15 years.
it’s a CD, DVD, BD, USB, SD, CD-R,
DVD-R, SD, drop cards, vinyl
records, serialized media, printed
manuals, catalogs, direct mail
pieces, or Web-based distribution
– we can meet the need. Our
growth will continue to come
from all of those formats. Our
Studio services – script to screen
(DVD) – also continue to grow.
But the bottom line is that the
bulk of our business comes from
the manufacturing of CDs and
DVDs. I don’t foresee this going
away any time soon. There still is
growth to be had.
PW: What are your favorite
packages that ADS has
produced?
PW: What is driving the
optical disc trend of
serialization?
CC: Too many favorites. You can
take the girl out of plastics but
you can’t take plastics out of the
girl.
CC: Traceability and security.
PW: Where is growth coming
from for ADS?
CC: In our industry, a penny
makes a difference. Purchasing as
a group, allows us individually to
increase volume but at the same
time decrease price, positioning
us strong with the supplier.
Simply, it gives us negotiating
power.
PW: Where did you work
before joining ADS 16 years
ago?
CC: We aren’t that special and
faced with the same challenges
as everybody else: how to handle
diversity in a shrinking market.
We provide the vehicle for the
delivery of content, so whether
PW: What kind of value does
Colonial bring to a member
company’s bottom line?
P.4
Physical World
Issue: 2Q15
Member News
SABIC’s Lewis Wilson Retiring
After working at SABIC Innovative Plastics for more than 36 years, Lewis
Wilson, its key account leader in the southeast, is retiring. Prior to joining
the plastics supplier in 1979, Wilson, who’s been based in Greensboro,
NC, launched his career at another company, where he spent a year and
a half as a sales manager. He then found a long time home at SABIC.
On the occasion of his retirement, we all want to thank him for his many
years of great support of Colonial Purchasing and send our very best
wishes for a happy retirement!
Pepsi Commercial, Video Shot
at Rainbo Records’ Plant
That’s Colonial member Rainbo Records’ vinyl factory that is the location for the Pepsi
television commercial currently airing nationally. The spot starts out with a close-up of
a record getting pressed. The camera pulls back to a party in full swing, including live
band Fall Out Boy performing a new song that was also made into a full video. Check
it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShhVwRrbr_k
Discmakers’ Vinyl
Guide for Musicians
Speaking of vinyl, Discmakers recently published a
downloadable pdf, The Musician’s Guide to Vinyl:
http://www.discmakers.com/pdf/Musicians-Guide-To-Vinyl.pdf
P.5
Physical World
Issue: 2Q15
Industry News
Survey: AM-FM & CDs
Still Rule in the Car
Blu-ray Disc Association
Approves 4K Standards
A recent survey by Ipsos shows that in the car,
Americans prefer radio to CDs or streaming
services. The survey showed that in an in-car
environment, 84% of Americans use AM/FM radio
and 64% still use a CD player, keeping an average
of 10.5 CDs in their vehicle. While consumers do
seem averse to purchasing new CDs (68% say they
have not purchased any new CDs in the last year),
only 22% of those who aren’t buying new CDs say
it’s because they are replacing the discs with digital
streaming services. Most either don’t want any new
CDs (27%) or find CDs to be too much money (23%).
The Blu-Ray Disc Association reportedly
has put together a new batch of
standards for its next-generation 4K
version. The new 4K Blu-ray discs are
expected to be released towards the
middle or end of 2015, and will support
three different High Dynamic Range
technologies. These include specs from
both Dolby Vision; the HDR system that is
being offered by Philips; and a joint HDR
standard that comes from Technicolor,
part of its MPEG/SMPTE proposals.
MEDIA-TECH Conference Europe
International Conference on
Media Manufacturing Technologies
The MEDIA-TECH Conference Europe 2015
will cover the topics that matter in media
manufacturing, a broad spectrum of disciplines
and technologies, from the production of
polycarbonate and exciting content creation to
business development as well as future trends in
entertainment like 4K, pure audio, new
Blu-ray formats and the link between physical
and digital media.
General Information
Venue: Mövenpick Hotel Hamburg, Germany
Date: May 19, 2015
Registration Open
Networking Coffee
Networking Lunch break
End of Conference
Networking Party
08.30 am
08.30 am
12.50 pm
18.00 pm
19.00 -21.00 pm
The new Blu-ray 4K disc specifications
fit within the “Recommendation 2020”
protocol advocated by the European
Broadcasting Union (EBU). HDR is
expected to deliver much wider
color gamuts and “better pixels” to
dramatically improve the visual quality of
the 4K resolution screens.
Both the new 4K Blu-ray discs and
players may be available commercially
by the end of the year
MEDIA-TECH Conference Program
(Preliminary Program - Subject to change without notice)
Market Overview
• Colonial Purchasing Group, Bryan Ekus: Colonial Purchasing activities in Europe
• DisplaySearch | Solarbuzz, Paul Grey: Update on introduction of 4K and the next steps
• Futuresource, David Sidebottom: Packaged video trends and the impact of digital
• IBM, Donald Leake: Functional changes to Blu-ray security for UHD Blu-ray
• IHS Chemical, Giovanni Coiro: Markets overview: Polypropylene, Polystyrene,
Polycarbonate
• IHS, Technology, Tanja Löffler: The future of physical and EST
Latest News
• Sony DADC, Jesper Schertiger: tba
• Sky Germany, Stephan Heimbecher: Ultra HD-Live-Production
• EUROPEAN BROADCASTING UNION, Yvonne Thomas: Development of 4K in Europe
• University Marburg: A novel very high density, non-erasable optical storage platform
based on bio materials
• WLC, Marcel Gonska: Development of 4K
Networking
• Take advantage of an unparalleled opportunity to collaborate and connect with the
potential partners, vendors, and colleagues in the entertainment package media
industry.
• Entrance is FREE to all registered badge holders.
REGISTRATION & COST (Colonial members receive the same special discount as Media-Tech members)
https://www.media-tech.net/europe15-hamburg/conference-registration/online-registration-step-1.html
Colonial & MEDIA-TECH Member Registration Fee: 299 Euro (+ 19 % VAT/MwSt.)
Includes conference proceedings, coffee breaks, lunches, Networking Party,
access to the MEDIA-TECH Member Lounge and member meeting
MEDIA Conference Ticket Bundles Available!
Buy 5 and pay for 4 • Buy 10 and pay for 8 • Buy 15 and pay for 12
�
�
MEDIA-TECH
‘
Conference Europe
May 19, 2015
Hamburg, Germany
2015
Catch the Latest News and Join
the MEDIA-TECH Conference as
Networking Platform
The MEDIA-TECH Conference 2015 will take
place on May 19, 2015 in Hamburg. Take advantage of
presentations and discussions with leading media experts.
Interesting topics are the new Blu-ray format and the
influence of Ultra High Definition TV to future business.
Register now for the Conference: www.media-tech.net
For more information please contact:
MEDIA-TECH Association | Bernhard Krause
bernhard.krause@media-tech.net | Phone: +49-6181-9828020
www.media-tech.net
P.6
Physical World
Issue: 2Q15
Let’s Get Physical
By Larry Jaffee
April is my favorite month: Major League Baseball’s opening day, my birthday
and Record Store Day (April 18). It’s absolutely great to see people excited about
purchasable music in a physical form.
In 2015, from a manufacturing
standpoint, vinyl’s is not an easy format
to jump into. Replacement parts are
nearly impossible to come by one they
break, which is why some pressers are
ingeniously turning to 3D technology to
make what’s needed.
Although consumer demand is creating
a deluxe market that most thought
disappeared years ago, music labels
wish they can get their records instead
of waiting for months. (I know you’re
thinking, no such problem with CDs.)
Well unfortunately vinyl is the only
music format showing growth, and that
includes digital downloads.
In January I attended a jazz conference
in New York, and the good news there is
that jazz enthusiasts haven’t given up on
CDs, and in fact, sales last year showed
flat to slight growth, whereas there were
double-digit declines in pop and rock,
according to a Sony Music employee.
However, the good news is that jazz is
still being taught in the schools. In fact,
one of my clients, Marsbeat Studios,
produced a jazz card deck of 35 of the
genre’s greats (e.g.,
Coltrane, Davis,
Parker, Monk,
Mingus, et. al.) that
is being introduced
to the high school
curriculum of New
York City’s Frank
Sinatra School for
the Performing
Arts, which Tony
Bennett founded.
More information
about these collectible jazz cards is at
www.americanmusicpioneers.com.
(Marsbeat is also working on a blues
collection.)
In the same way that teacher Bill Stevens
is introducing vintage jazz to teens
who don’t have an affinity for packaged
media the way we do (or even the
baseball cards of our collected youth),
the jazz cards add a physical dimension
to the listening experience.
True, the hearing part is ethereal and
certainly enhanced when looking at a
beautifully illustrated portrait backed
with biographical information about the
musician.
A recent op-ed article in the New York
Times, ostensibly about Starbucks no
longer selling CDs, absolutely pissed me
off. Its author, who’s “sweared off” CDs,
has written about music for numerous
publications, including Rolling Stone.
When she moonlights as a D.J., she no
longer hauls around crates of LPs and
CDs in favor of her MP3 collection and
iPad app. Meanwhile, the CDs gathering
dust in her basement “are more
memories than objects.” She cringes
when labels send her promotional CDs,
which she regards as “an occupational
hazard.” She even complains about
having to open up packaging.
I’m glad she discovers new music on
Soundcloud and Tumblr, which she
admits doesn’t feel “as adventuresome”
(to what?) and that she sort of misses
browsing the Virgin Megastore. As much
as adore my Spotify subscription for
music discovery, music creators cannot
live off the pittance from the streaming
model, which is why I buy physical when
I come across a piece of music that I
really want to hear it again.
I hope she can get people to move on
the dance floor because she appears
to know absolutely nothing about the
holistic music experience. She runs
contrary to every music critic I’ve ever
encountered – and I know many. We’re
all music fanatics, and collectors. We
covet the tactile: cover art, liner notes.
And yes I prefer holding an LP gatefold
cover to a CD. You can whine about a
jewel case, but even a well designed
Digipak and booklet trumps looking
at the iTunes interface of what song is
playing on your laptop.
She should be banned from Record Store
Day as far as I’m concerned.
Colonial Purchasing Co-op Contact Info
Phone: +1 747-777-2081
Email: bryan@colonialpurchasing.com
Web: www.colonialpurchasing.com
Recommended Reading:
Another Nail in the Coffin?
Starbucks to Stop Selling CDs - Billboard
http://www.billboard.com/articles/6479986/
starbucks-stop-selling-music
What Starbucks Is Ditching Along With CDs NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/opinion/
sunday/what-starbucks-is-ditching-along-with-cds.
html?emc=eta1
http://www.c2meworld.com/commerce/streamingmusic-sales-tops-cds-in-2014-by-20-million/
In Praise of Packaged Media
California’s Amoeba Music turns 25 – The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/apr/03/
amoeba-music-record-store-marc-weinstein
Meanwhile, on the other coast, Rough Trade
celebrates ‘Empire Records’ turning 20
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2015/04/bbq_
films_empire_records_rough_trade_nyc.php
Let’s Get Physical – Creative Review
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2014/
december/lets-get-physical
The Vinyl Revolution
Fat Possum Opens Its Own Vinyl Pressing Plant to
Meet (Its Own) Demand - Billboard
http://www.billboard.com/articles/
business/6413807/fat-possum-opens-vinylpressing-plant
Why Is It So Hard to Press a Record? – 5 Magazine
http://5chicago.com/features/2015-record-pressingdelays/
Vinyl is the future at record stores - Reverb
http://www.heyreverb.com/blog/2015/01/07/vinylcds-future-album-sales-record-stores/98870/
Obit
Legendary Mastering Engineer Doug Sax Has
Passed Away – Analog Planet
http://www.analogplanet.com/content/legendarymastering-engineer-doug-sax-has-passed-away
Golden Ears: Vinyl vs. CD
Doug Sax (rip) on CD’s shortcomings – 1999 Stereophile
http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/sheffield_
steel_doug_sax/index.html
Why CDs May Actually Sound Better Than Vinyl –
LA Weekly http://www.laweekly.com/music/why-cds-mayactually-sound-better-than-vinyl-5352162
41 Years of Music Industry Change
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/
permalink/2015/04/10/41-years-music-industrychange-41-seconds
Newsletter editor: Larry Jaffee, lsjaffee@gmail.com
P.7
Physical World
Issue: 2Q15
Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor
Sabic Innovative Plastics
www.sabic.com
Silver Sponsors
Copper Sponsor
General Sponsors
LENCO, INC-PMC
www.lencopmc.com
SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES
www.singulus.com
MEDIA-TECH Association
www.media-tech.net
Symcon
www.processtechgroup.net
MESA Alliance
www.mesalliance.org
Member Directory
ADO Mexico
www.aod-mexico.com
MEDIA-TECH Association
www.media-tech.net
Alpha Authoring & Mastering Services Inc.
www.g3mastering.com
Music City Replication
www.newlifedigitalmedia.com
Audiobec Recording
www.audiobec.com
OK-Medien Service GmbH & Co. KG
www.okmedia.com
Blue Media Supply, Inc.
www.bluemediasupply.com
Optical Disc Solutions srl
www.ods-bs.ro
CD Video Manufacturing, Inc.
www.cdvideomfg.com
Promese Netherlands BV
www.promese.eu
CDA GmbH
www.cda.de
Rainbo Records
www.rainborecords.com
CDA Inc. (Formerly OEM)
www.cda.us
RSB iMEDIA
www.rsbimedia.com
CDI Media, Inc.
www.cdimedia.com
SNAdisc
www.snadisc.com
Cine Magnetics
www.cinemagnetics.com
SONY DADC
www.sonydadc.com
Disc Makers
www.discmakers.com
Spinergy
www.spinergymedia.com
Duplium
www.duplium.com
Technicolor
www.technicolor.com
Great Lakes Media Technology, Inc.
www.glmt.com
The ADS Group
www.theadsgroup.com
ISODISC
www.isodisc.com
TSI CD Manufacturing
kdg mediatech AG
www.kdg-mt.com
Media Industries – kdg France
www.kdgflash.com
VDC Group
www.vdcgroup.com
Video Services Group, Inc.
www.vsginc.net
WTSmedia
www.wtsmedia.com