This post was submitted by 2017 Continuous Improvement Conference sponsor, Heidelberg. Author: Oliver Demus, Director, Business Consulting Today, most print shops have an up-to-date estimating system and prepress workflow. However, many are not taking full advantage of its capabilities. How is your workflow utilized? Consider this scenario: A request for quote (RFQ) comes in with some major information missing such as delivery date, color, or even the exact quantity. Your sales representative promises to provide the information at a later date. The estimator provides a quote based on the information given. Later, the sales representative gives the OK for production and provides updated information for the delivery date and quantity. The estimate gets converted, and a job ticket is written. Production Starts! In theory, the job should already exist in prepress through the connectivity between estimating and workflow. In most cases, however, the job is manually created again. Then the job flows through the shop in many manual steps depending on the degree of automation of the print shop’s system. This example is just one of many. When a print shop implements a new system, they typically want it to replace their old software plus provide additional features and benefits. In order to fully utilize the system to its best ability, the print shop will likely need to change some internal processes to match the automation of the software. If done correctly, you could ideally achieve a zero touchpoint process from RFQ through to platemaking. Take a look at your own print shop to see how often someone touches a job (beginning with estimating). How close are you to zero...

On March 19-22, the TAGA 2017 Annual Technical Conference will take place in Houston, TX. At the event, attendees will learn about the latest industry advances and those of related fields, as well as brainstorm with other experts about solving problems and road blocks in order to move our industry forward. Members come to the Annual Technical Conference from all over the world and from all facets of the graphic arts industry. Papers accepted and presented at the TAGA 2017 Annual Technical Conference will be published in the TAGA Proceedings. TAGA is recognized worldwide as the most prestigious and comprehensive literature resource for graphic arts sciences and technologies. On Tuesday, March 21, Anoosheh Oskouian from Ship & Shore Environmental will give his paper presentation, Energy Efficient Approaches to Innovate the Printing Process & Gain the Competitive Edge. Energy efficiency is one of the most overlooked opportunities in the printing process.  With increasing environmental regulations, energy efficiency has become required or the “right” thing to do; studies have also shown it can significantly cut costs.  Learn the critical steps to transform existing waste into productivity and profits by identifying sources of emissions, wasted heat, energy and non-value added activities. This will provide valuable insight as to where consumption, loss, defects, inconsistencies, non-value time, activities and overall waste occur.  By identifying these areas, process improvements and savings opportunities can begin.  Arming printers with the tools to identify process waste allows companies to become proactive players in the flexographic printing game and gain the competitive edge. By identifying and eliminating the most common areas of waste, flexographic printers can become aware of the competitive opportunities and cost savings slipping through their process and fingers.  Additional benefits may include opportunities to take advantage of possible incentive programs, increase credibility, and choose qualified vendors. To learn more about Oskouian’s paper or to hear others, register for the TAGA 2017 Annual Technical Conference at...

On March 19-22, the TAGA 2017 Annual Technical Conference will take place in Houston, TX. At the event, attendees will learn about the latest industry advances and those of related fields, as well as brainstorm with other experts about solving problems and road blocks in order to move our industry forward. Members come to the Annual Technical Conference from all over the world and from all facets of the graphic arts industry. Papers accepted and presented at the TAGA 2017 Annual Technical Conference will be published in the TAGA Proceedings. TAGA is recognized worldwide as the most prestigious and comprehensive literature resource for graphic arts sciences and technologies. On Tuesday, March 21, Anoosheh Oskouian from Ship & Shore Environmental will give his paper presentation, Energy Efficient Approaches to Innovate the Printing Process & Gain the Competitive Edge. Energy efficiency is one of the most overlooked opportunities in the printing process.  With increasing environmental regulations, energy efficiency has become required or the “right” thing to do; studies have also shown it can significantly cut costs.  Learn the critical steps to transform existing waste into productivity and profits by identifying sources of emissions, wasted heat, energy and non-value added activities. This will provide valuable insight as to where consumption, loss, defects, inconsistencies, non-value time, activities and overall waste occur.  By identifying these areas, process improvements and savings opportunities can begin.  Arming printers with the tools to identify process waste allows companies to become proactive players in the flexographic printing game and gain the competitive edge. By identifying and eliminating the most common areas of waste, flexographic printers can become aware of the competitive opportunities and cost savings slipping through their process and fingers.  Additional benefits may include opportunities to take advantage of possible incentive programs, increase credibility, and choose qualified vendors. To learn more about Oskouian’s paper or to hear others, register for the TAGA 2017 Annual Technical Conference at...

This post was submitted by 2017 President’s Conference sponsor, KBA.   As we get ready to join our colleagues at the 2017 PIA President’s Conference, we’ll be bringing the message that our own president and CEO of Koenig & Bauer AG, Claus Bolza-Schünemann, announced after drupa last year: “Print is on the rise again.” It’s been less than a year since drupa 2016, and our company is still maintaining momentum from the show. After some challenging years, print made a dynamic comeback in Düsseldorf with proven products, new technologies, and even more applications. The high numbers and nationalities of the visitors as well as the positive mood in the show’s halls revealed the bright future of our industry. Our company’s presence at drupa received much praise. Visitors were drawn to our innovative one-stop-shop that featured digital, flexo, and offset printing as part of our well-attended live demonstrations. Experts from around the globe could ask for print samples straight off the press and had the opportunity to have some crucial questions competently answered. We were clearly focused on growth markets like digital, packaging, and LED-UV printing for the commercial space. It was plain to see that the KBA Group is actively working on solidifying its strong position in the packaging market. If you weren’t able to attend drupa, we are bringing it to you with our interactive website, KBA @ drupa. We think you’ll enjoy this virtual experience. KBA, like other manufacturers, has done its homework and adapted to new market realities. We’re continuing to invest in new technologies, future-focused products, and new markets. Sitting amid other business owners, presidents, CEOs, and their executive management teams at the PIA President’s Conference gives us the opportunity to share our upbeat mood and learn what others are...

This post was submitted by 2017 President’s Conference sponsor, KBA.   As we get ready to join our colleagues at the 2017 PIA President’s Conference, we’ll be bringing the message that our own president and CEO of Koenig & Bauer AG, Claus Bolza-Schünemann, announced after drupa last year: “Print is on the rise again.” It’s been less than a year since drupa 2016, and our company is still maintaining momentum from the show. After some challenging years, print made a dynamic comeback in Düsseldorf with proven products, new technologies, and even more applications. The high numbers and nationalities of the visitors as well as the positive mood in the show’s halls revealed the bright future of our industry. Our company’s presence at drupa received much praise. Visitors were drawn to our innovative one-stop-shop that featured digital, flexo, and offset printing as part of our well-attended live demonstrations. Experts from around the globe could ask for print samples straight off the press and had the opportunity to have some crucial questions competently answered. We were clearly focused on growth markets like digital, packaging, and LED-UV printing for the commercial space. It was plain to see that the KBA Group is actively working on solidifying its strong position in the packaging market. If you weren’t able to attend drupa, we are bringing it to you with our interactive website, KBA @ drupa. We think you’ll enjoy this virtual experience. KBA, like other manufacturers, has done its homework and adapted to new market realities. We’re continuing to invest in new technologies, future-focused products, and new markets. Sitting amid other business owners, presidents, CEOs, and their executive management teams at the PIA President’s Conference gives us the opportunity to share our upbeat mood and learn what others are...