Postpress Automation — Backing into IT

At the back end, binding and finishing operations come closest to being what people think of as a traditional manufacturing environment. It's about precise measurements and exacting specifications, as well as repetitive actions and heavy lifting.

Postpress operations almost never get the same attention as what comes before. So it's ironic that striving to become manufacturing operations is now touted as key to the survival of industry companies. Granted, people tend to talk in terms of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM), and the bindery isn't a hotbed of electronics.