Printing Industry Marketplace Scheduled For Fall Rollout

paper2print.com, an end-to-end supply-chain solution aimed at the $70 billion printing-paper industry, has announced its functional beta launch. The Internet-based, business-to-business e-commerce marketplace is designed to facilitate information flow in paper purchasing, inventory management, consumption, forecasting, and claims. Partners in the beta test include publishers Rodale Inc. and Weider Publications Inc., manufacturers Fraser Papers Inc. and Clifford Paper Inc., and retailers Service Merchandise Co. Inc. and Staples Inc. "This system gives us the potential to cut order time and on-hand inventory by 50%," says John Hartung, vice president of manufacturing for Weider Publications, a division of Woodland Hills, Calif.-based $400 million Weider Health and Fitness. The printing-paper industry is currently estimated at $70 billion, and a June report by Morgan Stanley Dean Witter estimates that a 5% reduction in costs can be achieved through the adoption of e-commerce solutions in the paper industry. paper2print.com is a division of forestfactory, inc., a Montvale, N.J.-based e-commerce company serving the forest-products industry. Full functionality, and industry wide rollout is scheduled for the fall.