With rapid technological advances in recent years, we in the graphic arts industry are all trying to adapt to a changing market. Today it’s all about the customer experience. Clients demand accurate work and fast turnaround. Thanks to many new technologies, companies are able to differentiate themselves with the efficiency and high quality attainable only through automation solutions. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” This idea, in a nutshell, is what automated job management allows. You need to measure key metrics like throughput, inventory, expenses, and customer satisfaction to better manage and control your operations. Progressive companies, like our speakers from Classic in Charlotte, NC, and DME in Daytona Beach, Florida, have systems to track these metrics and quantify their impact on performance, production workflow changes, and the effectiveness of the messaging they are providing their customers. Automated systems provide the most reliable data. So how do you begin improving your process and embracing an automated system? Here are answers to some of the common questions about implementing new automated technology in the production workflow. My company wants to optimize our job workflow to cut costs and increase production and quality. How do we get started? To get the greatest ROI, first take the time to look at each individual step in your workflow, from how your company acquires customers to how products are delivered and invoiced, and assess how an automated system will fit in. Go for low-hanging fruit—those areas that cause the most issues or bottlenecks. Once we have studied our current workflow, what automated solutions are available to track jobs throughout our facility? Tracking and connectivity can include JDF and JMF messaging, shop floor data collection, or a direct machine interface. These selections may be fully integrated into an MIS or a standalone third-party system where you decide how integrated it is with your existing production workflow. How do we choose between a fully integrated MIS vs. a third-party automated solution? Each choice offers its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the specific needs of your facility. The important factors you need to consider when choosing are 1) the workflow circumstances within your shop, 2) any existing automated workflow systems, and 3) the greatest waste origins like production facility bottlenecks. What benefits does an MIS offer? The benefits are limitless, but mainly it increases efficiency and profitability for your entire operation when well implemented. As the sophistication of the MIS increases, the ability to collect and track job data becomes more refined. What are some of the biggest advantages of embracing automation? There are multiple advantages of using automation, and some of them are summarized below: Tracking job performance metrics allows you to better manage...
Quiz: Lean Leaders in the 2014 CI Conference Tours
What do lipstick, and sheet metal, have in common? No, it’s not some college hazing stunt gone bad. It is all included in the range of exciting tours you can experience as part of the 2014 Continuous Improvement Conference in Dallas, TX. This year’s tours at Mary Kay Manufacturing and KARLEE get you in to see award-winning Lean manufacturing management and quality practices in progress. They will leave you so impressed you’ll be ready to “throw your hat over the windmill!” Although you may be familiar with these facilities (as well as some Texas colloquialisms) but you may be surprised by some of their most remarkable quality and manufacturing features. To give you a better look at what you can expect from these tours, we’ve put together this short quiz. So if you think you’re “as bright as a new penny,” take a shot at these stumpers. (Answers included below—but don’t peek!) 1. On average, Mary Kay Manufacturing’s 25 packaging lines produce how many tubes of lipstick? A. 7,000 B. 100,000 C. 25,000 D. 15,000 2. Recognized as an FDA-registered drug manufacturing plant, how many TimeWise®Day Solution Sunscreen SPF 22 can the facility produce in a typical 10-hour shift? A. 13,500 B. 25,500 C. 72,500 D. 18,500 3. Mary Kay’s commitment to consistent quality is evident in the number of different product and product component tests performed each year. With 100,000 analytical measurements of products, how many measurements of packaging components are performed each year? A. 50,000 B. 100,000 C. 250,000 D. 350,000 4. In what year did the President of the United States present KARLEE with the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for their “best in class” quality? A. 2000 B. 2003 C. 2010 D. 2012 5. In this same year, KARLEE employed more than 500 team members who helped the company reach a revenue of: A. $500,000 B. $10 million C. $50 million D. $80 million 6. KARLEE uses ISO 9001-2000, TL 9000, and AS 9100 registrations to develop, optimize, and improve processes by following this approach: A. The Precision Sheet Metal Benchmarking Standards B. The Total Quality Management trilogy C. The KARLEE Quality Standards D. The Quality manufacturing Standards of Texas Answers: 1: c—The Mary Kay Manufacturing plant can produce a whopping 25,000 tubes of lipstick in a normal shift, in addition to 35,000 trays of cheek color and 50,000 bottles of body wash. 2: d— Mary Kay produces and distributes products classified as over-the-counter drugs, such as about 18,500 bottle of sunscreen. 3: c— 250,000 measurements of packaging components are performed each year at Mary Kay plus more than 1,000 stability studies on products and 300,000 tests on...
Quiz: Lean Leaders in the 2014 CI Conference Tours
What do lipstick, and sheet metal, have in common? No, it’s not some college hazing stunt gone bad. It is all included in the range of exciting tours you can experience as part of the 2014 Continuous Improvement Conference in Dallas, TX. This year’s tours at Mary Kay Manufacturing and KARLEE get you in to see award-winning Lean manufacturing management and quality practices in progress. They will leave you so impressed you’ll be ready to “throw your hat over the windmill!” Although you may be familiar with these facilities (as well as some Texas colloquialisms) but you may be surprised by some of their most remarkable quality and manufacturing features. To give you a better look at what you can expect from these tours, we’ve put together this short quiz. So if you think you’re “as bright as a new penny,” take a shot at these stumpers. (Answers included below—but don’t peek!) 1. On average, Mary Kay Manufacturing’s 25 packaging lines produce how many tubes of lipstick? A. 7,000 B. 100,000 C. 25,000 D. 15,000 2. Recognized as an FDA-registered drug manufacturing plant, how many TimeWise®Day Solution Sunscreen SPF 22 can the facility produce in a typical 10-hour shift? A. 13,500 B. 25,500 C. 72,500 D. 18,500 3. Mary Kay’s commitment to consistent quality is evident in the number of different product and product component tests performed each year. With 100,000 analytical measurements of products, how many measurements of packaging components are performed each year? A. 50,000 B. 100,000 C. 250,000 D. 350,000 4. In what year did the President of the United States present KARLEE with the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for their “best in class” quality? A. 2000 B. 2003 C. 2010 D. 2012 5. In this same year, KARLEE employed more than 500 team members who helped the company reach a revenue of: A. $500,000 B. $10 million C. $50 million D. $80 million 6. KARLEE uses ISO 9001-2000, TL 9000, and AS 9100 registrations to develop, optimize, and improve processes by following this approach: A. The Precision Sheet Metal Benchmarking Standards B. The Total Quality Management trilogy C. The KARLEE Quality Standards D. The Quality manufacturing Standards of Texas Answers: 1: c—The Mary Kay Manufacturing plant can produce a whopping 25,000 tubes of lipstick in a normal shift, in addition to 35,000 trays of cheek color and 50,000 bottles of body wash. 2: d— Mary Kay produces and distributes products classified as over-the-counter drugs, such as about 18,500 bottle of sunscreen. 3: c— 250,000 measurements of packaging components are performed each year at Mary Kay plus more than 1,000 stability studies on products and 300,000 tests on...
5 Reasons You Should Consider Focusing on Sales and Marketing RIGHT NOW
In today’s business world, using current sales and marketing strategies can be daunting. This article comes from guest blogger, Kelly Mallozzi, speaker at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference and contributor to the Success.In.Print. blog at PIworld.com. “It always seems impossible until it’s done” –—Nelson Mandela What a spectacularly simple quote from one of the world’s greatest, bravest, and most influential leaders. Viewing something as impossible often has to do with fear. Fear is what keeps us from acting. There are all kinds of fear—fear of the unknown and fear of rejection are just two. So here are five reasons to motivate you to get beyond your fear and take some action with regard to your sales and marketing efforts today. Your competition is doing it. There is someone out there right now who does what you do and thinks they can do it better than you. And they are telling that story all over town. In fact, they are telling it to your customers. Please don’t get outsold because you are complacent or comfortable. The world has changed. Technology is not only available; it is the preferred method of communication for entire generations of people. While that may seem scary, it is also a fantastic opportunity. You can use technology to communicate with huge groups of people at once very cost-effectively. Your customers expect it. Websites, blogs, and social media presence are all considered MUST HAVES for any business today. Prospects will notice your absence in the sandbox. It’s not as hard as you think it is. See the quote above—while it’s not exactly a piece of cake, much of social media participation just requires showing up and sharing your knowledge. It is more than worth it. Making sales calls, focusing on your target market, developing a multi-touch communications strategy—these will all pay off for you. I promise. Just go ahead and try to prove me wrong! After 15 years in selling print, Kelly Mallozzi is now a consultant helping printers of all sizes sell more. Kelly joins a lineup of influential speakers at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference. In her session, “Selling the New Technology Economy”, she shows conference attendees how to optimize technology, including social media, to drive sales through case studies, demos, and more. Register For the 2014 BIA Annual Conference at www.printing.org/biaconference, heldMarch 30–April 2, at The Fairmont Dallas Hotel, in Dallas,...
5 Reasons You Should Consider Focusing on Sales and Marketing RIGHT NOW
In today’s business world, using current sales and marketing strategies can be daunting. This article comes from guest blogger, Kelly Mallozzi, speaker at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference and contributor to the Success.In.Print. blog at PIworld.com. “It always seems impossible until it’s done” –—Nelson Mandela What a spectacularly simple quote from one of the world’s greatest, bravest, and most influential leaders. Viewing something as impossible often has to do with fear. Fear is what keeps us from acting. There are all kinds of fear—fear of the unknown and fear of rejection are just two. So here are five reasons to motivate you to get beyond your fear and take some action with regard to your sales and marketing efforts today. Your competition is doing it. There is someone out there right now who does what you do and thinks they can do it better than you. And they are telling that story all over town. In fact, they are telling it to your customers. Please don’t get outsold because you are complacent or comfortable. The world has changed. Technology is not only available; it is the preferred method of communication for entire generations of people. While that may seem scary, it is also a fantastic opportunity. You can use technology to communicate with huge groups of people at once very cost-effectively. Your customers expect it. Websites, blogs, and social media presence are all considered MUST HAVES for any business today. Prospects will notice your absence in the sandbox. It’s not as hard as you think it is. See the quote above—while it’s not exactly a piece of cake, much of social media participation just requires showing up and sharing your knowledge. It is more than worth it. Making sales calls, focusing on your target market, developing a multi-touch communications strategy—these will all pay off for you. I promise. Just go ahead and try to prove me wrong! After 15 years in selling print, Kelly Mallozzi is now a consultant helping printers of all sizes sell more. Kelly joins a lineup of influential speakers at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference. In her session, “Selling the New Technology Economy”, she shows conference attendees how to optimize technology, including social media, to drive sales through case studies, demos, and more. Register For the 2014 BIA Annual Conference at www.printing.org/biaconference, heldMarch 30–April 2, at The Fairmont Dallas Hotel, in Dallas,...
5 Reasons You Should Consider Focusing on Sales and Marketing RIGHT NOW
In today’s business world, using current sales and marketing strategies can be daunting. This article comes from guest blogger, Kelly Mallozzi, speaker at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference and contributor to the Success.In.Print. blog at PIworld.com. “It always seems impossible until it’s done” –—Nelson Mandela What a spectacularly simple quote from one of the world’s greatest, bravest, and most influential leaders. Viewing something as impossible often has to do with fear. Fear is what keeps us from acting. There are all kinds of fear—fear of the unknown and fear of rejection are just two. So here are five reasons to motivate you to get beyond your fear and take some action with regard to your sales and marketing efforts today. Your competition is doing it. There is someone out there right now who does what you do and thinks they can do it better than you. And they are telling that story all over town. In fact, they are telling it to your customers. Please don’t get outsold because you are complacent or comfortable. The world has changed. Technology is not only available; it is the preferred method of communication for entire generations of people. While that may seem scary, it is also a fantastic opportunity. You can use technology to communicate with huge groups of people at once very cost-effectively. Your customers expect it. Websites, blogs, and social media presence are all considered MUST HAVES for any business today. Prospects will notice your absence in the sandbox. It’s not as hard as you think it is. See the quote above—while it’s not exactly a piece of cake, much of social media participation just requires showing up and sharing your knowledge. It is more than worth it. Making sales calls, focusing on your target market, developing a multi-touch communications strategy—these will all pay off for you. I promise. Just go ahead and try to prove me wrong! After 15 years in selling print, Kelly Mallozzi is now a consultant helping printers of all sizes sell more. Kelly joins a lineup of influential speakers at the 2014 BIA Annual Conference. In her session, “Selling the New Technology Economy”, she shows conference attendees how to optimize technology, including social media, to drive sales through case studies, demos, and more. Register For the 2014 BIA Annual Conference at www.printing.org/biaconference, heldMarch 30–April 2, at The Fairmont Dallas Hotel, in Dallas,...