Business Management - Productivity/Process Improvement

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

PITTSBURGH—October 5, 2007—Printing managers from companies across the country recently traveled to the Pittsburgh, PA headquarters of PIA/GATF to attend the inaugural presentation of Lean Manufacturing for Print Managers. This three-day program, one of the industry’s first on the topic, showed printers how to apply the fundamental concepts of Lean for faster turnaround, fewer defects, and lower costs. Attendees learned the eight sources of waste, the use of various Lean tools, strategies for overcoming barriers, and what “living Lean” means for management. It also gave attendees the unique opportunity to participate in a simulated printing plant and measure productivity increases from Lean tools such as

EARLIER THIS year, The Industry Measure, an industry research firm, sent uncomfortable ripples throughout the printing industry when it released a report stating that adoption of Web-to-print had stalled among print providers. While clearly, Web-to-print has not stalled among corporate users—in fact, adoption in this marketplace is accelerating—the fact that the momentum has largely (if not entirely) switched sides has raised a lot of questions. According to “Web-to-Print: A Service Provider’s Perspective” (The Industry Measure, 2007), approximately one-quarter of print providers now offer some kind of Web-to-print solution, whether as a static online store, for creating customized/personalized documents, or for creation and dissemination

PITTSBURGH—September 19, 2007—The Board of Directors of the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) passed a major Key Initiative concerning sustainability during its last Board Meeting. As a result, PIA/GATF has joined with the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) and the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) to form one central location for information on sustainable, “green” printing activities. Recently within the printing industry, the importance placed on the level of a company’s “environmental friendliness” has increased dramatically. Many printers are facing a growing number of inquires regarding sustainable printing practices, and according to a recent survey conducted by PIA/GATF, over 90 percent of

DAYTON, OH—August 28, 2007—WorkflowOne announced today that its Goshen, Ind. plant passed a milestone last month, marking one million man-hours - more than four years - without a lost-time accident. The Goshen facility joins over 20 other WorkflowOne plants and warehouses that have gone more than a year without a lost-time accident. WorkflowOne is a leading provider of print and promotional products and supply chain management services across the U.S. The Goshen plant manufactures labels, business forms and other printed items that help organizations operate more efficiently. “Employee safety is a major focus at WorkflowOne,” said Mark Harper, manager of environmental, health, safety and security