Start Your Journey with Your Customer
Short-run printing often starts with a customer request. Integrating shorter jobs will impact your business in more ways than just the bottom line.
August 2008 by Chris Mc Loone
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Printers like to hear their presses running, because hopefully money is being made and customer demands are being met. But shorter runs can tie up a press with more frequent setups. Integrating short print runs into an overall business plan isn’t as easy as it might sound. To accommodate customer demand for these types of runs, a package printer must do its homework long before actually accepting the orders.
Impact of shorter runs
Print jobs that are shorter than the norm impact printers’ businesses and business operations, but not necessarily negatively as long as they are proactive.
“Our short-run sales increased by 50 percent since the acquisition of our first HP Indigo digital press,” says Pierre Roberge, owner, Profecta Labels (Boucherville, Quebec). “In terms of our overall operations, a few changes were made to accommodate the speed at which these short-run jobs are processed.” These changes include short-run estimating software and specific procedures for order entry to differentiate the short-run jobs from Profecta’s regular flow of flexo jobs.
Syracuse Label Company (Syracuse, N.Y.) President Kathy Alaimo says package printers delving into the short-run realm should expect to experience a few effects on business operations. Among them are an increase in the number of setups, which results in more time to set up jobs and less time running them. She also says package printers will have to reallocate duties to encompass the time needed in the setup/cleanup (changeover) process to maximize efficiencies. Also important to remember is that a contributing factor to material waste comes from the set-up process.
Once a printer has committed to integrating shorter runs into its overall business, Roberge says to expect an adjustment period of up to six months. After going through this learning curve, however, things turn around quickly. “Once the ball starts rolling and the excitement of all that is possible with digital technology comes to light, it gets everyone’s creative minds going—a major motivational boost for everyone involved,” he says.
Investments for the long haul
Investing in people, lean manufacturing principles, and equipment can go a long way should package printers decide to enter the short-run field. Training employees in lean manufacturing principles will help eliminate some of the waste associated with more frequent setups, claims Alaimo. She suggests keeping equipment in good working order, and having a preventive maintenance program. She also says to make sure printers have flexibility in staffing to ensure trained/qualified personnel are available to assist in setups/cleanups. “Explore lean manufacturing concepts to eliminate unnecessary waste and reduce non-value added steps in the process,” she says. “Be proactive in continual improvement efforts by monitoring, identifying, and implementing efforts.”
Impact of shorter runs
Print jobs that are shorter than the norm impact printers’ businesses and business operations, but not necessarily negatively as long as they are proactive.
“Our short-run sales increased by 50 percent since the acquisition of our first HP Indigo digital press,” says Pierre Roberge, owner, Profecta Labels (Boucherville, Quebec). “In terms of our overall operations, a few changes were made to accommodate the speed at which these short-run jobs are processed.” These changes include short-run estimating software and specific procedures for order entry to differentiate the short-run jobs from Profecta’s regular flow of flexo jobs.
Syracuse Label Company (Syracuse, N.Y.) President Kathy Alaimo says package printers delving into the short-run realm should expect to experience a few effects on business operations. Among them are an increase in the number of setups, which results in more time to set up jobs and less time running them. She also says package printers will have to reallocate duties to encompass the time needed in the setup/cleanup (changeover) process to maximize efficiencies. Also important to remember is that a contributing factor to material waste comes from the set-up process.
Once a printer has committed to integrating shorter runs into its overall business, Roberge says to expect an adjustment period of up to six months. After going through this learning curve, however, things turn around quickly. “Once the ball starts rolling and the excitement of all that is possible with digital technology comes to light, it gets everyone’s creative minds going—a major motivational boost for everyone involved,” he says.
Investments for the long haul
Investing in people, lean manufacturing principles, and equipment can go a long way should package printers decide to enter the short-run field. Training employees in lean manufacturing principles will help eliminate some of the waste associated with more frequent setups, claims Alaimo. She suggests keeping equipment in good working order, and having a preventive maintenance program. She also says to make sure printers have flexibility in staffing to ensure trained/qualified personnel are available to assist in setups/cleanups. “Explore lean manufacturing concepts to eliminate unnecessary waste and reduce non-value added steps in the process,” she says. “Be proactive in continual improvement efforts by monitoring, identifying, and implementing efforts.”
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