JohnsByrne Implements CIM Workflow

NILES, IL—The JohnsByrne Co. reportedly has become the first printer to successfully implement computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM), thanks to the implementation work done by Creo, Printcafe and Komori America.

"Our vision has always been to be a turnkey business, handling every aspect of the printing process, taking a job from prepress through to fulfillment," says Corey Gustafson, president of JohnsByrne, which reports annual sales in excess of $20 million.

JohnsByrne's fully integrated system now ties estimating, scheduling, the creative desktop, digital halftone proofing, computer-to-plate imaging, prepress production data, press and finishing processes to its Printcafe management information system in a single, streamlined workflow.

"When we looked at the next step of upgrading our operations, we found the need to track the activities in our environment more accurately," explains Dean Fairley, vice president of manufacturing. "We weren't able to truly understand the benefit of our increased efficiencies or how to measure them in order to add a competitive advantage in the marketplace."

By integrating production and business systems, the management of JohnsByrne has gained greater visibility into their entire operation. By being able to access information, they can make better decisions and eliminate communication errors and waste, reduce cycle times and capture costs previously lost in the print process.

"With our computer-integrated manufacturing environment, we've had the opportunity to reduce our cost of doing business," reports Jack Gustafson, COO. "It has allowed us to compete in this business and let us maintain the margins we expect to make."