Did you use #Color15 on Twitter? Check out some of the top posts from Color 2015! [View the story “Color 2015” on...

Did you use #Color15 on Twitter? Check out some of the top posts from Color 2015! [View the story “Color 2015” on...

A couple months ago, Printing Industries of America opened nominations for the 2016 Managing for Improvement Award. The award is bestowed on a manager in the printing industry who has demonstrated the ability to create real and lasting improvement for his or her company. The continuous improvement of processes and products—as well as innovative breakthroughs—is a business imperative. By improving quality, productivity, safety, and customer satisfaction, companies reap the rewards of prosperity and a safe workplace. But, what does managing for improvement look like in a real-world setting? For this answer, we’re taking a closer look at the 2015 recipient, Cary “Parrot” Ripsch, value stream manager at The Ovid Bell Press, Inc. Over a career of 45 years, Cary honed his management skills in such positions as finishing supervisor, customer/service/quality manager, process manager, and plant manager before assuming responsibility as Ovid Bell’s value stream manager. Along the way he became a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt. According to CEO John Bell, Cary’s direction maneuvered the company to a path of improved morale, safety, efficiency, and repair costs through pre-maintenance, quality, and profitability. “We have created a path to a bright future and a future that can be sustained in our difficult and challenging times,” said Bell. To reach this new level of improvement, Cary relied on a foundation of employee engagement and acceptance of the continuous improvement philosophy. The implementation of 5S throughout the plant organized production into an efficient flow using all visible tools at their disposal. Then, results were reviewed with a focus on improvement from baseline performance and establishment of future goals that drive business plans and objectives. Management then analyzed variations in performance in a Six Sigma methodology to ensure obstacles were removed and improvements sustained. Numbers certainly do not lie—Ovid Bell Press saw exciting results to their bottom line due to Cary’s commitment to Lean practices. You can find statistical improvements for the company over a 12-month period from Oct. 1 2011 through Sept. 30, 2012 below.   1.     Production Efficiency Press makeready time Decreased by 16% Press run time   Increased by 16% Press makeready waste Reduced by 19% Press run waste                Reduced by 28% Bindery throughput        Increased by 18% 2.     Delivery Efficiency On time delivery completion rate Increased from 92% to 96% 3.     Quality Efficacy External customer complaints Decreased by 31% Internal customer complaints Decreased by 40% 4.     Profit Gross profit margin year over year           Increased by 8.1% 5.     Safety Year Recordable Injury Frequency                Workers Compensation Claims                2011 6.36 $116,505 2012 5.72 $7,803 2013 1.91 $3,471 Many people at Ovid Bell Press, Inc., credit Cary’s work as a big part of the improvements made over the...

A couple months ago, Printing Industries of America opened nominations for the 2016 Managing for Improvement Award. The award is bestowed on a manager in the printing industry who has demonstrated the ability to create real and lasting improvement for his or her company. The continuous improvement of processes and products—as well as innovative breakthroughs—is a business imperative. By improving quality, productivity, safety, and customer satisfaction, companies reap the rewards of prosperity and a safe workplace. But, what does managing for improvement look like in a real-world setting? For this answer, we’re taking a closer look at the 2015 recipient, Cary “Parrot” Ripsch, value stream manager at The Ovid Bell Press, Inc. Over a career of 45 years, Cary honed his management skills in such positions as finishing supervisor, customer/service/quality manager, process manager, and plant manager before assuming responsibility as Ovid Bell’s value stream manager. Along the way he became a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt. According to CEO John Bell, Cary’s direction maneuvered the company to a path of improved morale, safety, efficiency, and repair costs through pre-maintenance, quality, and profitability. “We have created a path to a bright future and a future that can be sustained in our difficult and challenging times,” said Bell. To reach this new level of improvement, Cary relied on a foundation of employee engagement and acceptance of the continuous improvement philosophy. The implementation of 5S throughout the plant organized production into an efficient flow using all visible tools at their disposal. Then, results were reviewed with a focus on improvement from baseline performance and establishment of future goals that drive business plans and objectives. Management then analyzed variations in performance in a Six Sigma methodology to ensure obstacles were removed and improvements sustained. Numbers certainly do not lie—Ovid Bell Press saw exciting results to their bottom line due to Cary’s commitment to Lean practices. You can find statistical improvements for the company over a 12-month period from Oct. 1 2011 through Sept. 30, 2012 below.   1.     Production Efficiency Press makeready time Decreased by 16% Press run time   Increased by 16% Press makeready waste Reduced by 19% Press run waste                Reduced by 28% Bindery throughput        Increased by 18% 2.     Delivery Efficiency On time delivery completion rate Increased from 92% to 96% 3.     Quality Efficacy External customer complaints Decreased by 31% Internal customer complaints Decreased by 40% 4.     Profit Gross profit margin year over year           Increased by 8.1% 5.     Safety Year Recordable Injury Frequency                Workers Compensation Claims                2011 6.36 $116,505 2012 5.72 $7,803 2013 1.91 $3,471 Many people at Ovid Bell Press, Inc., credit Cary’s work as a big part of the improvements made over the...

The following post was submitted by Color 2015 sponsor, HELIOS Software.   Carlos Gonzalez, plant manager of Proquinal S.A. installed HELIOS Soft Proofing Solution in his plant. Here’s what he had to say: “Proquinal S.A. in Bogota, Colombia has more than 400 employees, with customers in many countries. Ever since Grafix World installed the HELIOS Software PrintPreview soft proofing and annotation solution, we have drastically reduced our conventional hard color proofs, increased our production and quality, and reduced our waste. Today, our files are 100%-secured and controlled—our customers can now access the files securely via HELIOS WebShare and iPad Document Hub to make changes and annotations remotely from anywhere in the world.” For more information on HELIOS Soft Proofing Solution, contact Tom Hallinan at...