As we begin 2017, the economy is in its eighth year of growth and printing companies are, on average, enjoying the highest level of profitability since before the Great Recession. Growth, however, may have been accommodated with decisions counterproductive to reducing waste and improving performance. Floor space may have been haphazardly filled with inventory or additional equipment. Clutter and disorganization may have become the norm. Safety priorities may have been overlooked in order to stay on schedule. Now would be a good time to for companies to reassess their operational performance. Printers that pursue operational excellence do so in part by putting in place disciplined processes for employees to search for and remove non-value-added activities (things customers wouldn’t want to pay for). That helps bring manufacturing costs down, develops an energizing culture, and reduces lead time. Here are eight types of waste companies can use to assess the efficiency of their operations. All key employees should be sensitized to each of these so they can be spotted and dealt with. If a company is ignorant of its current situation, things are unlikely to improve. Defects: This refers to more than the product itself, but the time and materials wasted in producing defective product then re-running it. Waste from product defects includes employee time spent, materials, and equipment utilized inspecting and sorting defective product, and in identifying, handling, and segregating non-conforming product. Overproduction: Overproduction is when a process produces product earlier or in an amount greater than the next process or customer needs. The result is large amounts of product spending long periods of time in work-in-process (WIP). Symptoms of overproduction include pulling jobs off equipment in the middle of a production run to make room for another job, production overtime that customers don’t pay for, large amounts of floor space clogged with skids of WIP, process bottlenecks, bindery extras that are never used, and warehouses filled with finished goods inventory. Waiting: Waiting for other processes and people to complete activities, scheduled downtime, equipment breakdowns, defective product, and inaccurate and incomplete job information are all non-value-added waste. Transportation: Think about the time spent and extra equipment used to valet information, tooling, materials, supplies, and WIP around the plant. Moving product on pallets from one side of the building to another and back again is a perfect example. Inventory and WIP: Inventory should be whittled down to the bare minimum. There is a dollar cost in time and resources to hold excessive raw materials, lots of work-in-process, and a warehouse full of finished goods. This is why “just in time” is a mantra at many companies committed to Lean thinking.  Motion: Thisincludes time wasted searching for and retrieving tooling and materials, getting...

As we begin 2017, the economy is in its eighth year of growth and printing companies are, on average, enjoying the highest level of profitability since before the Great Recession. Growth, however, may have been accommodated with decisions counterproductive to reducing waste and improving performance. Floor space may have been haphazardly filled with inventory or additional equipment. Clutter and disorganization may have become the norm. Safety priorities may have been overlooked in order to stay on schedule. Now would be a good time to for companies to reassess their operational performance. Printers that pursue operational excellence do so in part by putting in place disciplined processes for employees to search for and remove non-value-added activities (things customers wouldn’t want to pay for). That helps bring manufacturing costs down, develops an energizing culture, and reduces lead time. Here are eight types of waste companies can use to assess the efficiency of their operations. All key employees should be sensitized to each of these so they can be spotted and dealt with. If a company is ignorant of its current situation, things are unlikely to improve. Defects: This refers to more than the product itself, but the time and materials wasted in producing defective product then re-running it. Waste from product defects includes employee time spent, materials, and equipment utilized inspecting and sorting defective product, and in identifying, handling, and segregating non-conforming product. Overproduction: Overproduction is when a process produces product earlier or in an amount greater than the next process or customer needs. The result is large amounts of product spending long periods of time in work-in-process (WIP). Symptoms of overproduction include pulling jobs off equipment in the middle of a production run to make room for another job, production overtime that customers don’t pay for, large amounts of floor space clogged with skids of WIP, process bottlenecks, bindery extras that are never used, and warehouses filled with finished goods inventory. Waiting: Waiting for other processes and people to complete activities, scheduled downtime, equipment breakdowns, defective product, and inaccurate and incomplete job information are all non-value-added waste. Transportation: Think about the time spent and extra equipment used to valet information, tooling, materials, supplies, and WIP around the plant. Moving product on pallets from one side of the building to another and back again is a perfect example. Inventory and WIP: Inventory should be whittled down to the bare minimum. There is a dollar cost in time and resources to hold excessive raw materials, lots of work-in-process, and a warehouse full of finished goods. This is why “just in time” is a mantra at many companies committed to Lean thinking.  Motion: Thisincludes time wasted searching for and retrieving tooling and materials, getting...

This post was submitted by 2017 President’s Conference sponsor, Fujifilm.  Fujifilm’s Graphic Systems Division is proud of its long-standing support of Printing Industries of America and honored to once again be a sponsor at the President’s Conference in 2017. Our loyalty to PIA and its members aligns with Fujifilm’s goal to be a leader in the graphic communications industry.  Our commitment to our collective industry is second to none, both in terms of personnel and investments. In the North America market alone, we have a combined field sales and service team of more than 325 skilled professionals. Over the years, the Graphic Systems Division of Fujifilm has invested more than $1 billion in targeted acquisitions in the digital print technology category and invested in research and development projects that have resulted in many award-winning products, including Fujifilm Dimatix Samba printheads and the Fujifilm J Press 720S sheetfed inkjet press. Fujifilm stands apart based upon our broad perspective on both the legacy, analog components of your business and every aspect of the newer options for digital print production. Whether its pressroom supplies or the premier portfolio of offset and flexo printing plates and equipment, we serve a wide range of print providers in a number of print segments. When it comes to digital print, we span the gamut from toner-based solutions to hybrid combinations of traditional and digital, to the cutting edge of 100% digital inkjet solutions for applications ranging from commercial to packaging and wide format. Our renovated and expanded Fujifilm Chicago Technology Center encompasses more than 23,000 square feet, offering our customers opportunities to evaluate a wide array of innovative printing solutions. From offset to packaging, wide format to narrow web labels, digital toner presses to high-speed production inkjet presses, and workflow to color management, Fujifilm delivers a hands-on educational experience for print providers, all in one facility. A visit to the Technology Center includes one-on-one demonstrations allowing you to run your files on your substrates. We offer VIP tours, informative Technology Summits, and industry events. We can arrange a private tour for you and your company as well. With the most diverse product and solution portfolio in the graphics industry, Fujifilm can provide an insightful, close-up experience on how the latest innovative technologies can expand and grow your printing business. Your attendance at the President’s Conference is a testament to your leadership approach within your organization; seeking to network and learn from subject-matter experts and your peers is a key success factor in our ever-changing industry. If you are a current customer, thank you for your business. We don’t take our business relationship for granted. If you aren’t currently a Fujifilm customer, we would appreciate the opportunity better understand you, and your business,...

This post was submitted by 2017 President’s Conference sponsor, Fujifilm.  Fujifilm’s Graphic Systems Division is proud of its long-standing support of Printing Industries of America and honored to once again be a sponsor at the President’s Conference in 2017. Our loyalty to PIA and its members aligns with Fujifilm’s goal to be a leader in the graphic communications industry.  Our commitment to our collective industry is second to none, both in terms of personnel and investments. In the North America market alone, we have a combined field sales and service team of more than 325 skilled professionals. Over the years, the Graphic Systems Division of Fujifilm has invested more than $1 billion in targeted acquisitions in the digital print technology category and invested in research and development projects that have resulted in many award-winning products, including Fujifilm Dimatix Samba printheads and the Fujifilm J Press 720S sheetfed inkjet press. Fujifilm stands apart based upon our broad perspective on both the legacy, analog components of your business and every aspect of the newer options for digital print production. Whether its pressroom supplies or the premier portfolio of offset and flexo printing plates and equipment, we serve a wide range of print providers in a number of print segments. When it comes to digital print, we span the gamut from toner-based solutions to hybrid combinations of traditional and digital, to the cutting edge of 100% digital inkjet solutions for applications ranging from commercial to packaging and wide format. Our renovated and expanded Fujifilm Chicago Technology Center encompasses more than 23,000 square feet, offering our customers opportunities to evaluate a wide array of innovative printing solutions. From offset to packaging, wide format to narrow web labels, digital toner presses to high-speed production inkjet presses, and workflow to color management, Fujifilm delivers a hands-on educational experience for print providers, all in one facility. A visit to the Technology Center includes one-on-one demonstrations allowing you to run your files on your substrates. We offer VIP tours, informative Technology Summits, and industry events. We can arrange a private tour for you and your company as well. With the most diverse product and solution portfolio in the graphics industry, Fujifilm can provide an insightful, close-up experience on how the latest innovative technologies can expand and grow your printing business. Your attendance at the President’s Conference is a testament to your leadership approach within your organization; seeking to network and learn from subject-matter experts and your peers is a key success factor in our ever-changing industry. If you are a current customer, thank you for your business. We don’t take our business relationship for granted. If you aren’t currently a Fujifilm customer, we would appreciate the opportunity better understand you, and your business,...

Attention, printers—it’s OSHA 300 Log(s) season! Now is the time to make sure you complete the steps below! Review the 2016 OSHA 300 Log to verify it contains accurate entries for all recordable injuries and illnesses that occurred throughout the year. Make any additions or corrections necessary to ensure accuracy. Verify that each injury and illness recorded on the 300 Log is accurately recorded on a corresponding 301 Incident Report Form (or an equivalent form). Total the columns on the OSHA 300 Log (if you had no recordable cases, enter zeros for each column total) and on Form 300A. Enter the calendar year covered, the company’s name, establishment name, establishment address, annual average number of employees covered by the OSHA 300 Log, and the total hours worked by all employees covered by the OSHA 300 Log. Transpose the column total numbers from the 300 Log over to the 300A Summary Form. After verifying the accuracy of the Log(s), someone must “certify” the 300A. The person who certifies the 300A can be any of the following: Owner of the company (only if the company is a sole proprietorship or partnership) Officer of the corporation The highest ranking company official working at the establishment Once the 300A is properly “certified,” post the summary no later than February 1 and keep the posting in place until April 30. You MUST post a copy of the annual summary (Form 300A) in each establishment in a conspicuous place or places where notices to employees are customarily posted. You must also ensure that the posted annual summary is NOT altered, defaced, or covered by other material during the February 1–April 30 time frame. For any questions regarding an OSHA Log Summary Posting, contact the PIA Environmental, Health, and Safety professionals at ehs (at)...