Understanding Production Capacity in the US Book Manufacturing Market
A Supply Chain Lunch & Learn
As publishing timelines shift and market demands fluctuate, understanding production capacity has never been more critical.
In our June Lunch & Learn, we’ll explore the complexities of measuring how many books can be printed, bound, and finished in the US market over different time frames—weekly, monthly, and annually. While a weekly snapshot may be too narrow, and an annual view too broad, we’ll discuss how to establish a meaningful, shared framework for understanding true production potential.
We'll also examine:
- Why "production capacity" offers a more accurate view than "print capacity" alone
- The unique challenges of estimating capacity across different formats and run sizes
- How finishing steps like binding and collating can become bottlenecks
- The role of industry stakeholders—especially printers and binders—in shaping, validating, and ultimately using this capacity model
This session is part of a larger effort to initiate industry-wide standards around capacity measurement, providing a tool for better planning, communication, and resiliency in the supply chain.
Join us to learn how this foundational analysis could support smarter publishing decisions and long-term collaboration across the supply chain.
Featured Speaker
As Executive Director, BRIAN O'LEARY helps ensure that BISG disseminates information, creates and implements standards, and conducts research to benefit the book publishing supply chain.
Before being named to this role in 2016, he was principal of Magellan Media Consulting, which helped publishers improve how they create, manage, and distribute content. In that role, Brian wrote extensively about issues affecting the publishing industry. He also co-edited Book: A Futurist's Manifesto (O'Reilly Media, 2012) with Hugh McGuire.
Brian served as SVP with Hammond Inc. and oversaw production and distribution operations at several Time Inc. magazines. He joined Time Inc. after earning an MBA from Harvard Business School and also holds an AB in chemistry from Harvard College.
About the Supply Chain Lunch & Learn Series
BISG's Supply Chain Lunch & Learns are always highly interactive, so you'll have a chance to contribute at the session. If you have any specific questions you'd like us to cover in this Lunch & Learn, you may send them in advance to info@bisg.org or simply add them to the chat during the session.
To allow participants to speak—and not just type questions—these sessions are conducted in a Zoom meeting (rather than webinar) format. Please take a moment to ensure that your microphone is muted until you'd like to contribute. While we encourage you to attend the live session, the conversation will be recorded and shared with registrants after the session takes place.
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