How do you cut costs in print-on-demand fast? One way is to optimize the press room.
Humans are wonderful. But also error-prone and in complex plants unable to manage the number of press / product / substrate / brand / SLA combinations to ensure that work is scheduled and batched to optimize the work of the plant.
And it’s critical that this be done right – these batching decisions create the reality that all downstream workflow has to work within.
Here are our principles for maximizing press room performance:
- Automated order processing and queuing of like product SKUs to SLA principles
- Automated batching on least cost principles with flexible rules
- Just in time imposition (allowing choice of optimal press-finishing combination)
- Automated routing to press
- Automated press-RIP error handling
- Press load balancing
Correctly implemented the benefits mount up:
- You can remove prepress entirely
- Shrink the print press room by 50-75%
- By storing business rules inside a workflow, staff can’t hold the business hostage and absences can’t interrupt production.
What we are aiming for is to cut the variable costs of production. I saw this done really well at one of our clients where they eliminated all Senior Operators, kept a single Press Room Manager for each shift, and rehired casual workers to supply consumables to the presses and handle paper removal.
Reducing costs in the press room is crucial for optimizing print-on-demand operations. Implementing strategies such as improved imposition techniques, streamlining workflows, and embracing automation not only enhances efficiency but also ensures significant cost savings in the long run.
The result, a permanent saving of $00’000’s per annum. A big win.
Go well.
