Industry consolidation, economic uncertainties, soaring costs for raw materials and energy and many other forces are changing our industry at the speed of thought. At NPES’ 75th Annual Conference, November 15-17 in St. Pete Beach, FL, participants will have an opportunity to learn firsthand how one progressive print organization managed to overcome these challenges. Read on for this preview of how, by developing strategic partnerships with industry manufacturers and service providers, the Valpak Manufacturing Center in St. Petersburg, FL has become a showcase of automated print production—and has managed to hold the line on costs for its customers, increased its productivity and morphed its employees into a skilled workforce for tomorrow. Valpak is one of North America’s leading direct marketers with $260 million in annual revenue and about 1,200 employees in Pinellas County. Valpak reaches more than 45 million unique addresses each month in the United States and Canada and is owned by Largo-based Cox Target Media.
Business Management - Productivity/Process Improvement
SEWICKLEY, PA—PIA/GATF’s newest economic research, Management Metrics for Digital Printers, is now available for free download at http://www.piagatfconverge.com . The report is a compilation of metrics that lets digital printing executives compare their operations against industry leaders. The findings are the basis for one of the sessions at PIA/GATF’s upcoming event, Converge Conference: Variable Data,…
IN THIS DAY and age, most of us take it for granted that technology can make a process easier and more efficient. But sometimes it is necessary to take a step back and review if a device is delivering what it was originally designed to do. Take reverse auctions, for instance. These types of transactions were created with the intention of leveling the playing field among printers. Every print supplier is provided with the same print specifications, turnaround time and distribution details for a particular job. In theory, this levels the playing field between printers and generates the best price. Sounds sensible, right?
PITTSBURGH—May 21, 2008—More than three-fourths (77%) of North American printing company managers have heard or read about Lean manufacturing. About two-thirds of those managers are familiar with the concepts and techniques of Lean manufacturing, and about 40 percent of printing companies are using Lean manufacturing tools to improve business performance. These are among the conclusions suggested by a recent survey conducted by Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) and Point Balance, LLC. Lean manufacturing—often simply called “Lean”—is the term used to describe the management and production methodologies that were originally developed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Lean focuses on avoiding and eliminating
MICHAEL MURPHY likes to keep his ear close to the ground. The president of Japs-Olson Co. in St. Louis Park, MN, is a frequent conference attendee who tries to stay constantly attuned to what technological movements are afoot in the commercial printing industry. JDF, or Job Definition Format, is of particular interest. One would be hard-pressed to find someone who is not a strong advocate of JDF in principle, if not practice. The practice area is where it starts to come apart, especially if the topic at hand is full, true JDF workflow. These are almost as uncommon as Elvis sightings and, to some,
PRINT RUNS are getting shorter. Everyone in the industry now takes that as a given, but what does it mean? Is a short run in the hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands? The answer varies depending on the piece and the platform used to print it. One thing that is clear: A trend toward shorter runs at any level requires producing more jobs to achieve the same sales volume. Printers need to have highly efficient technology and processes in place to maximize their revenue and profits from this business. They must be able to get more jobs on and off a press per shift.
For the last several years, Lean Manufacturing has been growing in the printing and packaging industries. The problem printers have had with Lean is they have felt there are too many variables and that Lean applies to manufacturers that make widgets or automobiles.
PITTSBURGH—January 10, 2008—Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) and International Cooperation for the Integration of Process in Prepress, Press, and Postpress (CIP4) are excited to announce the formation of a JDF User Group to focus on the implementation of JDF-enabled systems and cross-vendor implementations. The first JDF User Group meeting will be held March 24–25, 2008 in Pittsburgh, PA. The first day starts at 2:00 p.m. at PIA/GATF and will provide a hands-on look at JDF implementations within the facility and a discussion of the challenges to creating successful implementations. Day two will consist of panel discussions, case studies, and peer networking;
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to rain on industry efforts to better define quality expectations in printing. Certainly industry standards, such as SWOP, GRACoL, SNAP and Bridges, are noble and important. These standards seek to help buyers and their print solution providers communicate quality issues more effectively. And when used properly, they are effective. But with the exception of perhaps SNAP, print buyers for the most part aren’t paying that much attention to industry standards. And some print buyers don’t even know what they are.
In a Print Buyers Online.com survey of over 62 top print buyers, buyers were asked “How relevant
ANY TALK concerning the efforts to improve postpress efficiency invariably degrades into a philosophical discussion over what, exactly, entails binding, finishing and friends. Ah yes, there is more than meets the eye, especially when mailing, fulfillment, kitting and other sometimes labor-intensive duties are added to the mix. After all, magazines are more apt to get caught up in discussions about definitions. But a workflow is a workflow, and it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Whatever stands between receiving the order and the truck pulling away from the dock impacts the workflow. While hardware and software manufacturers have yet to devise a tonic that
