Automate orders onto the press – zero staff from file to press
We have seen press room staffing reinvented in some sites, and huge savings realised, fast. The goal here is to 1) queue, batch, and get files onto the press in a zero-touch way and then 2) embed all the rules of what products are printed on what presses on what substrate and imposed to the right finishing option all automatically.
The objective is to stretch your sights as far as no staff involvement or costs between the file and the moment ink meets paper. This means that for this type of workflow that prepress can be removed and a big reduction in the size of the print press room achieved. It also means that all the rules around how orders are manufactured are stored inside workflow and so staff can’t hold the business hostage or absences interrupt production. While it’s challenging to eliminate people entirely due to the maintenance and support required for the printing presses, the aim should be to eliminate all variable costs associated with getting work onto the printing press. One of our clients, for example, eliminated all senior press operators, retained a single Press Room Manager for each shift, and rehired casual workers to supply consumables to the presses and handle paper removal. This move resulted in the removal of hundreds of thousands of dollars in press room costs.
Next > Imposition: Optimise press impositions
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