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
Graphic Arts
05/20/08—Having taken the UK by storm and ready to do the same on the global digital printing scene, RedTie Ltd will be unveiling two unique web-to-print software solutions at the DRUPA: an instant quotation tool - RedTie Quotation-(RTQ) and a marketing template system - RedTie Template -(RTT). One of Red Tie’s biggest clients HP, has opted to feature the Red Tie solution as part of its showcase at DRUPA. Together, these solutions are helping blue chip giants such as HP and Suzuki, and independent print companies alike to drastically cut print production costs. In an increasingly environmentally conscious world, Red Tie’s solutions also help
Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group has made a contribution of $85,000 to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH). The contribution provides funding to build a house in an area that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Kodak employees and customers were invited to volunteer to help build the new home. Wausau Paper has opened a new East Coast distribution center in Allentown, PA, enabling it to offer overnight and same day delivery service to a geographically broader group of customers across the region. As a result of its acquisition of Stora Enso North America, NewPage Corp. has taken steps to restructure and streamline
Hall of Famer Touts Large-Format Presses NORTH BERGEN, NJ—Edison Litho & Printing embarked on its “The Future of Your Business is with Edison Litho” theme at the recent GlobalShop show to promote the large-format printing capabilities of its two six-color, 81˝ KBA Rapida 205 sheetfed presses. Edison also showed visitors examples of plastic, canvas, lenticular and styrene substrates that can be printed on the Rapida 205 presses. While at the booth, visitors got the chance to meet Dan Hampton, a retired Hall of Fame Chicago Bears football defensive tackle and current radio personality. Hampton signed calendars depicting former teammate William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Edison’s
NEW YORK—April 30, 2008—Mimeo.com (http://www.mimeo.com), the innovator of online, on-demand digital printing for business documents and marketing materials, announced today the hiring of Holly Muscolino as Vice President, Product – Print Solutions, and Chuck Gehman as Vice President of Product Platforms, two newly created positions. Combined, the two print industry experts possess nearly 40 years of print-industry experience and expertise. In her new role, Muscolino will be responsible for the development of new Mimeo.com print product offerings. She will lead Mimeo.com’s efforts to determine what print products and services will be offered to customers and drive the delivery of these products. In
PITTSBURGH—Dr. Tim Claypole was presented with the Michael H. Bruno Award during the 60th annual TAGA Conference, sponsored by the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts (TAGA). Dr. Claypole is the founder and director of two university spin-off companies, Swansea Printing Technology, providing software and support services, and Teclyn, which offers a manufacturing service for electronics and displays. He is also a driving force behind the Print Forum Wales, which focuses on raising awareness of advances in printing technology. The Board of Directors of TAGA singles out a professional with a distinguished career to receive this award each year in appreciation of his
FOSTER CITY, CA—April 16, 2008—EFI® (Nasdaq: EFII), the world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, will be showcasing its most extensive range of productivity and revenue generating print solutions ever in Europe at drupa 2008, from 29th May to 11th June in Dusseldorf, Germany. Visitors to its stand C01, Hall 5, will experience the industry’s broadest array of leading digital solutions, from the latest Fiery®, VUTEk® and Jetrion® digital printing innovation to the Print MIS and web-to-print solutions that are critical to increasing operational efficiency and profitability as printing businesses worldwide continue the analog-to-digital transition. Visitors will also be able to view EFI’s products
PITTSBURGH—April 15, 2008—The Technical Association of the Graphic Arts (TAGA) presented the Michael H. Bruno award to Dr. Tim C. Claypole during the 60th annual TAGA Conference. The Board of Directors of TAGA singles out a professional with a distinguished career to receive this award each year in appreciation of his dedicated service and contribution to the advancement of the graphic arts internationally. The late Michael H. Bruno was the founder of TAGA in 1948. He was a past president and the first recipient of the TAGA Honors Award in 1976 (renamed in 2005 in his honor); Mr. Bruno dedicated his life to the
AMHERST, NY—April 14, 2008—Printing Industries Alliance announced the scheduling of its 2008 Human Resources Conference which is being held on May 1 - 2, 2008 at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York. This conference will feature a combination of educational programming and networking opportunities for Human Resource professionals, owners and other staff who are responsible for managing the Human Resource function in the graphic communications industry. The PIA 2008 Human Resources Conference program features the following presenters: Nicholas Fiorenza, Esq. - Mr. Fiorenza is managing partner of Ferrara, Fiorenza, Larrison, Barrett & Reitz, PC, one of the leading labor law
PITTSBURGH—April 4, 2008—Industry interest in and programming on sustainability helped increase attendance at the 2008 National Environmental Health & Safety Conference by a remarkable 53%. About 225 people attended the March event at the Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Hotel, a number the 13-year-old conference hasn’t experienced since 2002. The keynote presentation by Mark DiVito, “The State of Sustainability in Graphic Communications,” was based on a survey by Reed Business Information. This survey identified how different printing stakeholders are addressing green issues. The results included: Companies that felt the emphasis on sustainability in printing had increased in the past year: 75%. Companies with a
