Here’s to a prosperous and productive 2006

Jan 1, 2006 12:00 AM, By Katherine O'Brien

From the Pressroom

Productivity is the common thread running through this issue. In “The match game” on p. 18, GATF’s Joe Marin describes the evolution of the proofing process from analog to digital. In the old film-based days, says Marin, press operators forced the press to match the proof.

Many operators of this era, as you may recall, got their training at the Frank Sinatra School of Pressroom Operations. When an operator was asked how he or she actually achieved the press-to-proof match, the invariable answer was, “I Did It My Way.” In today’s digital workflow, the press is king—all prepress calibration is defined by how the press prints. Therefore, it’s essential for operators to conform to a specification. “Printing to the numbers will result in more consistent color, but only if you follow the specification from job to job, shift to shift and day to day,” says Marin. “Failure to run consistently to a specification in the pressroom will render digital proofs and plates useless.”

Management must take a stand
In “Great expectations,” on p. 26, Bob Rosen, president of RH Rosen & Associates (Pittstown, NJ) stresses the need for management to set clear production standards.

“A 20 to 25 percent increase in pressroom productivity can be achieved simply with attention to little things—just by establishing certain expectations and removing small obstacles,” says Rosen. “But, you have to change the process.”

The consultant adds that before the process can be changed, management might have to purge itself of some outdated operational principles. “The first problem with productivity is that most printers are still living in a time when it was enough to get a job produced correctly—the emphasis was on getting the job right. Presses had a difficult time picking up a sheet, registering one color to the next, putting down the dots and delivering the sheet at a certain speed. It was a struggle, and all too often, printers operated under a ‘Do you want it fast or do you want it right?’ mentality.”

Rosen suggests owners “take a chair and sit near their biggest and newest press. Watch a makeready by every different crew running that press. It’s almost certain that the makeready process is different for each crew. While each crew might have something to contribute to the process, there is only one best way for your company’s mix of work. You have to decide what that way is and not allow operators to improvise.

“While new ideas are to be encouraged, crews should understand that deviating from the agreed upon makeready procedure is unacceptable,” the consultant adds.

The need for speed
Press speed is another key factor impacting productivity. Rosen advocates directly addressing press operators’ perceived obstacles to higher press speeds. If you have a good supply of plates ready, he says, operators won’t be worrying about what they’ll be doing next (and perhaps subconsciously running slower). If you observe a press running slowly for no apparent reason, find out why. “Sometimes you’ll put your most senior operator on a press,” relates Rosen. “He or she is used to hearing the press run at a certain speed. The operator might tell you it sounds better at that speed. Well, no, it sounds more familiar as that speed, which doesn’t necessarily make it better.”

A New Year’s resolution
It’s been several years since I last wrote about the SkillsUSA Competition (previously called VICA).

Thousands of young people have tested their skills in trades ranging from construction technology to transportation/aviation and, of course, printing.

Baumfolder and Xanté have joined Heidelberg as SkillsUSA supporters. Heidelberg’s Larry Kroll would like to see more supplier and student participation.

“We are competing for talented individuals to lead the graphic arts industry,” says Kroll. “Last June, more than 4,000 students participated in the SkillsUSA national competition. Less than 50 were in graphic communications. That’s not very impressive for one of the nation’s largest employers.”

I’ve been meaning to learn more about Skills USA for years. I hope you’ll join me. This year’s national competition will be held June 21-22 in Kansas City, MO. See www.skillsusa.com.

It’s ‘Johnson’s World’ after all
Finally, I’m pleased to announce Steve Johnson’s column will now appear in every issue. After all, it’s “Johnson’s World”—we just live in it!

E-mail feedback to kobrien@primediabusiness.com.

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