The Top 10 “Must Do” List —Sherburne

Can you produce them competitively? If not, consider investing in hardware, software and the right people to get you there.

As part of the assessment of your production platform, you should also consider how much of your workflow is automated. We have already talked about the importance of taking waste out of the process. But this is even more focused. Examine every touch point for a job that runs through your shop and work hard to eliminate/automate as many of them as possible. Every touch point costs you time and money, and presents opportunity for error. One print service provider who was an early adopter of Web-to-print—which can automate an amazing amount of the process when properly implemented—reports that his company saves $40 on each job by having it come through the Web interface. That $40 may not be much on a $50,000 job but, as jobs get smaller and turnaround times compress, it could be the difference between being profitable or losing your shirt.