“We are still working like we were 20 years ago. It sounds a little bit crazy, what I’m going to say, but we are still receiving orders by fax. Who is using fax today in the retail business? I don’t think Walmart is sending orders by fax to their suppliers.” – Emmanuel Bruno, vice president and general manager of BIC Graphic North America (asi/40480), in a Counselor podcast last winter.

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Try as the digital gods might, the fax still exists. But has its role finally been marginalized? ASI surveyed distributors nationwide to find out how they placed their orders with suppliers. The conclusion: Digital methods like email and websites are by far the most common – and satisfying.