The following post was submitted by 2016 Continuous Improvment Conference sponsor, Heidelberg.   Striving for the most efficient workflow to drive productivity and profitability is one of the underlying goals of many of today’s printing companies. Often, the focus is on being more productive with less by increasing production speeds and reducing makereadies while also reducing touch points throughout the workflow. There are many tools and techniques that can be used to drive these goals, from procedural/operational changes to new equipment/software acquisitions. The decision on what works best will depend on each individual production facility, the customer base, the verticals addressed and the business philosophy of the company. However, common principles can be applied to every company and optimized to the facility. Business growth can be equally as important as equipment optimization, depending on the particular company. Too many times the focus is on efficiency in the press room, while neglecting to increase sales, concentrate on the product mix, and optimize business practices prior to production. Focusing only on equipment will certainly improve efficiency, but without a corresponding change in business practices, full benefits will not be achieved. Prior to any optimization process it is essential to understand your current state, as this provides the benchmark for any improvements that are gained. It is also important to prioritize the areas of focus. Ask yourself the following question: “Can you analyze your current performance?” In many cases, there is no hard data to back up opinions of how your current equipment is performing and where the opportunities exist to gain additional time. There is often the option to evaluate the equipment itself through existing management systems or third-party data-collection solutions. There are four main areas that should be considered when optimizing equipment. Neglecting any of them can have a significant effect on the achievable impact:  1.     Materials and information arriving at the equipment: Often ignored, this needs to be both accurate and timely; problems in either case will lead to lost production and reduced efficiency. To ensure maximum efficiency, significant time savings and a reduction in errors, jobs entered into a management information system (MIS), need to be passed, along with the prepress data, through to the press. Delivery and scheduling press materials is another area to optimize, so operators are not waiting or transporting materials when they should be carrying out the makeready. In one facility, a reduction from 40 minutes to 10 minutes was achieved on a wide-format printer by primarily considering transportation issues.  2.     Equipment set-up and makeready: This applies to all manufacturing processes including offset, digital, and flexographic printing, as well as postpress activities. First, you need to understand your starting point through benchmarking....

The following blog post was submitted by 2016 Continuous Improvement Conference sponosor, Heidelberg. What is OEE?  When optimizing your production, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) provides a valuable independent measure of how well a piece of equipment performs over time. It also helps gauge the impact of changes to workflow and production methods. There are several ways to define this, but for the purposes of this blog, I have used the definition we use (at Heidelberg) of OEE as: OEE = Speed Index × Quality Index × Time Index Where: Quality Index = Total of all good products                              Total of all printed products  Speed Index = Average equipment speed                            Maximum equipment speed  Speed Index = Total production time                       Total available time A typical OEE chart from the printing industry is shown in Figure 1 below. This figure illustrates the relationship between OEE and run length, with different equipment/facility combinations shown on the chart. Since there is typically a larger percentage of time spent on makeready, OEE will change as the run length reduces. There are many other factors that can move this value such as equipment type, configuration, controls, job make-up, and production efficiency. Understanding where the equipment is currently, versus where it can be, is critical to improving overall productivity. (The actual result will vary dependent on the industry.) There are many steps that can be completed to achieve optimal equipment performance. Many of these changes are cultural and need to be embraced by management and recognized by all employees in the company.   Training. Some operators do not fully utilize all of the available controls on the equipment, and many have never had formal training. Data has shown that operators need active training with hands-on situations, including the opportunity to get involved with training others. Additionally, a well-managed and repeatable color workflow will minimize any color changes that need to be adjusted on press. Finally, lean manufacturing tools can garner efficiencies, from 5S to value-stream mapping and Kaizen events. In all of these, the objective is first to evaluate what the current state is and then to evaluate where the biggest impacts can be made. It also helps to obtain “buy in” from staff, who will personally see the benefit from these changes. On one implementation of 5S on a press, an operator objected, stating it was “just to make the press look nice!” Three weeks later, with an average of more than 10 minutes saved per makeready, the same operator was asking if 5S could be rolled out across the facility.   Obtaining the best OEE To fully optimize your equipment and obtain the best OEE, a maintenance program should be the cornerstone of...

The following blog post was submitted by 2016 Continuous Improvement Conference sponosor, Heidelberg. What is OEE?  When optimizing your production, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) provides a valuable independent measure of how well a piece of equipment performs over time. It also helps gauge the impact of changes to workflow and production methods. There are several ways to define this, but for the purposes of this blog, I have used the definition we use (at Heidelberg) of OEE as: OEE = Speed Index × Quality Index × Time Index Where: Quality Index = Total of all good products                              Total of all printed products  Speed Index = Average equipment speed                            Maximum equipment speed  Speed Index = Total production time                       Total available time A typical OEE chart from the printing industry is shown in Figure 1 below. This figure illustrates the relationship between OEE and run length, with different equipment/facility combinations shown on the chart. Since there is typically a larger percentage of time spent on makeready, OEE will change as the run length reduces. There are many other factors that can move this value such as equipment type, configuration, controls, job make-up, and production efficiency. Understanding where the equipment is currently, versus where it can be, is critical to improving overall productivity. (The actual result will vary dependent on the industry.) There are many steps that can be completed to achieve optimal equipment performance. Many of these changes are cultural and need to be embraced by management and recognized by all employees in the company.   Training. Some operators do not fully utilize all of the available controls on the equipment, and many have never had formal training. Data has shown that operators need active training with hands-on situations, including the opportunity to get involved with training others. Additionally, a well-managed and repeatable color workflow will minimize any color changes that need to be adjusted on press. Finally, lean manufacturing tools can garner efficiencies, from 5S to value-stream mapping and Kaizen events. In all of these, the objective is first to evaluate what the current state is and then to evaluate where the biggest impacts can be made. It also helps to obtain “buy in” from staff, who will personally see the benefit from these changes. On one implementation of 5S on a press, an operator objected, stating it was “just to make the press look nice!” Three weeks later, with an average of more than 10 minutes saved per makeready, the same operator was asking if 5S could be rolled out across the facility.   Obtaining the best OEE To fully optimize your equipment and obtain the best OEE, a maintenance program should be the cornerstone of...

Printing Industries of America mourns the loss of one of its long-time allies, James (Jim) Mayes, Jr. Recognized as a faithful supporter and vocal advocate of the printing industry, Jim leaves behind an indelible mark. Jim owned and operated Colorcraft of Virginia for many years prior to his retirement. He was exceptionally active in Printing Industries of Virginia (PIVA), Print & Graphics Association of the Mid-Atlantic (PGAMA), and Printing Industries of America (PIA). Jim served on several committees within all three organizations, chairing both, the PIA and PIVA organizations, during his career. His most recent tenure was spent as the Chair of the PIA’s Premier Print Awards, a position he whole-heartedly embraced. Jim’s spirit will continue on in the many young people he introduced to the printing industry through his vigorous support of printing educational programs, including Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation and the Monroe Technology Center. “Today is a very sad day for America’s printing industry as one of its greatest left this Earth. Jim Mayes was one of the most passionate promoters of print in the industry,” said Michael Makin, President & CEO of Printing Industries of America, upon hearing of Jim’s passing. “He was a consummate gentleman, champion of education, proponent of research and ambassador of print awards from coast to coast.  He will be sorely missed and PIA extends its heartfelt condolences to his wife Kathy, daughters Michelle and Meredith, and his grandchildren.” A funeral service will be conducted, Saturday, March 19, 2016 in Palmyra, Virginia. Friends and family may leave remembrances at the Thacker Brothers website. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Jim Mayes Memorial Scholarship Fund at Monroe Technology Center, 715 Childrens Center Road, Leesburg, VA 20175, Attention: Janice...

Printing Industries of America mourns the loss of one of its long-time allies, James (Jim) Mayes, Jr. Recognized as a faithful supporter and vocal advocate of the printing industry, Jim leaves behind an indelible mark. Jim owned and operated Colorcraft of Virginia for many years prior to his retirement. He was exceptionally active in Printing Industries of Virginia (PIVA), Print & Graphics Association of the Mid-Atlantic (PGAMA), and Printing Industries of America (PIA). Jim served on several committees within all three organizations, chairing both, the PIA and PIVA organizations, during his career. His most recent tenure was spent as the Chair of the PIA’s Premier Print Awards, a position he whole-heartedly embraced. Jim’s spirit will continue on in the many young people he introduced to the printing industry through his vigorous support of printing educational programs, including Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation and the Monroe Technology Center. “Today is a very sad day for America’s printing industry as one of its greatest left this Earth. Jim Mayes was one of the most passionate promoters of print in the industry,” said Michael Makin, President & CEO of Printing Industries of America, upon hearing of Jim’s passing. “He was a consummate gentleman, champion of education, proponent of research and ambassador of print awards from coast to coast.  He will be sorely missed and PIA extends its heartfelt condolences to his wife Kathy, daughters Michelle and Meredith, and his grandchildren.” A funeral service will be conducted, Saturday, March 19, 2016 in Palmyra, Virginia. Friends and family may leave remembrances at the Thacker Brothers website. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Jim Mayes Memorial Scholarship Fund at Monroe Technology Center, 715 Childrens Center Road, Leesburg, VA 20175, Attention: Janice...