Action Printing

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor There's always a danger of any promising new technology or big idea becoming just so much hype. As expectations are built up, so too can be a sense that it all sounds too good to be true. All the talk of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) and Job Definition Format (JDF) is approaching, or already reached, the point where some in the industry are tempted to tune out. Skeptics believe there are a number of reasons to doubt that implementation of CIM/JDF will bring the promised benefits or, at a minimum, they question the ROI. For that reason and others,

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor From start to finish, the printing process traditionally has had a split nature. Digital technology initially increased that divide, but now promises to tie all of the process steps together. On the front end, prepress has been as much about art, or at least craft, as it has been production. It's also where the digital revolution began, bringing an ever greater degree of computerization and automation. 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

Editor's note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2001. Therefore, companies that revised their 2000 revenues may have changed their '00 ranking as compared with the ranking that appeared in last year's Printing Impressions 400. Similarly, the percentage change in sales is calculated on the most recent information provided. 2001 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company:Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants: 301302Color Ink, Sussex, WI$20.50E$19.50+5Jim Meissner112COM 45%; PKG 25%; DM 10%; PUB 5%0420Private1  2001 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company:Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants: 302324Mossberg & Co., S. Bend,

Peter Doyle of Action Printing in Fond du Lac, WI, and I have concluded that printers use job costing simply for the purpose of pricing jobs. Most don't do post-production variance analysis or compare actual results with estimates. Nor do they do any variance analysis comparing actual job costs with General Ledger results. If they did, the variances would be devastating. Maybe they did so a time or two in the past but, because we're so frustrated by the differences, they just toss a dust cover over that "elephant in the living room." So why do we persist in using job cost estimates

The health services industry has an error record worse than printing. But they bury their mistakes, while much of the time we must redo and remake our boo-boos. In commercial printing, in common with medicine, we have millions of customers with an amazing array of demands. And we also have thousands of practitioners. Communication of customer/patient needs and demands, the raw materials, equipment, training, technologies, interpretations and complexities are almost beyond the grasp of mortal printers and physicians. It's an environment that breeds mistakes and dissatisfactions. Both industries seek to throw a dust cover over this elephant in the living room and

If you know the name of a printing company that you think appears on the Printing Impressions 400 list, but you're not sure of its ranking, here's an easy way to locate that firm. Simply find the company in the alphabetical listings on this page. In addition to each company's name and headquarters location, a corresponding number appears indicating that firm's ranking on the Printing Impressions 400. ABS Graphics (Addison, IL) 400 Action Printing (Fond du Lac, WI) 353 Adams Business Forms (Topeka, KS) 96 AdPlex Inc. (Houston, TX) 102 Advance Business Graphics (Mira Loma, CA) 153 AFL Web Printing (Voorhees, NJ)

Editor's note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2000. Therefore, companies that revised their 1999 revenues may have changed their '99 ranking as compared with the ranking that appeared in last year's Printing Impressions 500. Similarly, the percentage change in sales is calculated on the most recent information provided.2000 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company:Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants:351340Jacob North Printing, Lincoln, NE$16.80$16.25+3David T. Calhoun125COM 50%; PUB 15%; CAT 15%; DM 10%16228Private 2  2000 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company:Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants:352376Robin Enterprises, Westerville, OH$16.78$14.60+15Robin Hance126COM

Jim, Peter and I have a secret. Jim is James Geinke, president of Arandell Corp. in Menomonee Falls, WI. Peter is Peter Doyle, manufacturing manager at Action Printing in Fond du Lac, WI. Our secret is an exciting old way of constantly increasing the efficiency of a printing plant. Now, you'll read this and either forget it or be unwilling to try it. Well, maybe a couple of readers will give it a go. But Jim and Peter won't keep their productivity train in the station. They're ahead and you'll have to play catch-up. The secret is people: respect, trust and confidence in their

Chicago—Pressroom personnel and suppliers from across the United States, and as far away as Germany and Switzerland, gathered here recently at the 25th annual R&E Council Pressroom Conference to hear the latest news about technologies affecting the pressroom. Hosted by the Research & Engineering Council of the Graphic Arts Industry, this 25th in the series of annual meetings focused on improving productivity in the pressroom. Among the technical topics discussed at the meeting were soft proofing, closed-loop color control, and coating and curing. In addition, a significant portion of the meeting was devoted to personnel recruitment, retention and management issues, and to