wfn.org | Publishing Corporation, FCI Form Alliance

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

18-March-1998 
98087 
 
    Publishing Corporation, FCI Form Alliance 
    to Increase Worldwide Publication Sales 
 
    by Julian Shipp 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.-The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC) and 
Fulfillment Concepts, Inc. (FCI), have formed an alliance to coordinate 
order processing, billing support, inventory control, marketing support 
through a World Wide Web site and other shipping and order fulfillment 
services for PPC's worldwide distribution of publications from FCI's 
facility in Louisville. 
 
    Fulfillment Concepts, Inc., specializes in order fulfillment, mailing 
services and related business solutions for its customers. The new 
agreement was announced March 9 by PPC officials. 
 
    PPC is an independent, nonprofit corporation that produces educational 
resources for Presbyterian congregations, as well as theological and 
religious books and other materials for a wider audience. Its imprints and 
product lines currently include Congregational Resources, Geneva Press and 
Westminster John Knox Press. 
 
    "This alliance adds a new dimension to outsourcing traditional 
fulfillment services of packing and shipping," said FCI's CEO, Ralph Hall. 
"It truly makes us a working partner striving to integrate our established 
staff, systems and technology on PPC's behalf. Now both companies can 
utilize internal core expertise to efficiently grow business and systems 
for the long term." 
 
    "What makes this alliance notable is that we are putting one of our 
most important assets - customer interface - in the hands of FCI," said 
Davis Perkins, PPC president and publisher. "But we are counting on their 
expertise in the entire spectrum of fulfillment and technology capabilities 
to help us stay on the cutting edge without a substantial capital 
investment by PPC." 
 
    Morever, Perkins said, by tapping FCI's expertise, PPC can now devote 
more attention and resources to its core publishing function. 
Traditionally, outsourcing has been viewed as a tactical answer to handle 
tasks and to help a company be efficient. This alliance, according to FCI 
president Jack Mullins, illustrates the new trend in outsourcing to the 
formation of long-term partnerships necessary to increase business. 
 
    "We have a business philosophy to find solutions for our customers that 
add value for the long term," Mullins said. "Many companies have the 
ability to pack a box and ship it, but few have the sophisticated integral 
network of services that allows them to coordinate the total project from 
personal and electronic order taking and print production to electronic 
inventory control, specialized reporting and efficient volume shipping. We 
can truly be an asset to PPC." 
 
    In 1997, PPC recorded $8.5 million in sales of books, devotional 
magazines, Christian educational materials and the "Presbyterian Hymnal." 
PPC officials believe the new Internet site will help to propel sales by 
extending the corporation's market reach, streamlining ordering mechanisms, 
and increasing marketing capabilities through the use of data bases and 
targeted e-mail correspondence, for example. 
 
    According to PPC officials, the agreement will mean approximately $1 
million in annual revenue for FCI, which has annual sales revenue of 
approximately $17 million. The company will add nine employees - who will 
spend time training at PPC - to coordinate the various elements of the 
project. 

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