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IMPROVING WEB PRESS PRODUCTIVITY
Apr 1, 2000 12:00 AM, Richard C. Holliday
Old timers remember well the salad days when web offset, flexing its economic muscles, bullied its way into market segment after market segment. Print buyers discovered they couldn't afford to print growing numbers of catalog, magazine, brochure, book and even packaging jobs on large sheetfed presses, letterpresses and, in some cases, gravure presses.Heatset web offset was the printing industry success
WINNING THE PAPER WASTE WAR
Apr 1, 2000 12:00 AM, Mayu Mishina
Paper is almost always the most expensive aspect of a web printing job," says Jack Hobby, vice president of marketing, Heidelberg Web Systems. It's no surprise, then, that printers are "extremely interested" in reducing waste, according to Hobby.In this age of squeezed profit margins, waste reduction is key to achieving better financial gains. "Where they once printed a single run of 1 million copies
10 WAYS TO INSPIRE EMPLOYEES
Mar 1, 2000 12:00 AM, Debbie Johnson
Finding and keeping skilled employees in today's tight job market is no laughing matter. In some cases, finding employees to produce the work has become a bigger challenge than finding the work. And, once employees are on board, keeping them happy and productive is key."Companies must now sell themselves to employees," observes Debra Thompson, president of TG & Associates (Tuscon, AZ), an HR consulting
MAKING YOUR COMPANY MORE COMPETITIVE
Mar 1, 2000 12:00 AM, Paris Walker
When we talk about being more competitive in the marketplace, some will immediately turn their thoughts to pricing. Yet study after study has shown this is not the definitive edge used by successful quick printers.Some will start immediately wondering what kind of equipment I am going to recommend to keep you ahead of your competition. Yes, equipment decisions are important. We cannot build tomorrow's
EIGHT REASONS FOR SUCCESS
Dec 1, 1999 12:00 AM, AP STAFF
Speed, flexibility and service have become the cornerstones of growth for Cardinal Colorprint (Chicago), allowing it to move beyond its humble beginnings to become a printer with loyal, long-established accounts.Cardinal began in 1952 when Pat LeBeau Sr. and a business partner agreed to buy the company from the retiring owner for $8,000. LeBeau eventually bought his partner's share and merged with
HOT MARKETS FOR 2000
Dec 1, 1999 12:00 AM, vincent mallardi, c.m.c.
Leave it to fate and fortune that the two biggest drivers of the extraordinary growth are the world's first and second oldest media--printed publications and telephony. Print and non-print, joined at the Internet, are feeding each other to record one-fourth of all printing demand.Non-newspaper publishing is ranked No. 1 for 2000 and lead by triple-digit gains that will be recorded in technical, professional
MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES
Oct 1, 1999 12:00 AM, KATHERINE O'BRIEN
Deep down, some graphic arts execs understood what happened to Jean Van de Velde. The French golfer blew a three-stroke lead on the final hole of the British Open. Not only did he blow it, he slapped the ball around in spectacular Sunday-duffer fashion, taking a scenic seven-strokes to complete what is supposed to be a 487-yard-par-four. Not only did the Carnoustie collapse occur in front of thousands
24-KARAT GOLD WINNERS
Sep 1, 1999 12:00 AM, MOLLY JOSS
The economy may be flourishing, but running a successful business still demands the highest levels of experience, dedication and skill. To help hone their business acumen, people who want to learn more about the business of printing take time out to participate in the Management Plus program offered by the National Assn. for Printing Leadership (NAPL). This program, which is co-sponsored by american
MORE THAN A PRINTER
Sep 1, 1999 12:00 AM, AMERICAN PRINTER STAFF
In 1983--long before outsourcing and downsizing came into vogue in the corporate world --Roland Garcia was running the in-plant printing operation at Burger King headquarters in Miami. Then Burger King top management decided that printing wasn't part of its core business and would be outsourced.As a 15-year Burger King middle management employee, Garcia qualified for a franchise, but the printer couldn't
CHARTING ITS OWN COURSE
Aug 1, 1999 12:00 AM, MAYU MISHINA
Sailing in uncharted waters is a frightening prospect. Metaphorically speaking, a business changing its normal course of operations and navigating into the unknown--say, entering a new market--could encounter stormy seas in the form of stiff competition and unexpected challenges, and possibly even shipwreck. But when choosing that path less traveled also means firing 80 percent of your customers,
CHECK PLEASE
Aug 1, 1999 12:00 AM, DAVID L. ZWANG
Preflight has been around for a long time in one form or another. Checking mechanicals always was a customer service function, but as we moved to digital page production, somehow those customer service representatives (CSRs) got left out.So what is preflight anyway? It is a way to inspect and qualify materials received from customers to ensure that they are compliant with the rest of the process.
BOOSTING BINDERY PRODUCTIVITY
Jul 1, 1999 12:00 AM, KATHERINE O'BRIEN
Are you so eager to show off your postpress area that you start plant tours there? Do you proudly inform customers and prospects that your bindery will soon be a completely digitally networked operation? Can you say you'll soon be CIP3 compliant-that everything from the folders to the cutters to the stackers to the stitchers will be tied back to the pressroom and prepress? Do your state-of-the-art
KEEP 'EM COMING BACK FOR MORE
Jul 1, 1999 12:00 AM, LOUIS A. LAURENT
Do we really need more advice on how to retain customers? Hasn't it all been said before? Don't most firms have a process in place to ensure the retention of their current customers? Is this issue still of concern to printers? Emphatically, yes.Have you ever asked why the issue of customer retention is so widely discussed? Customer retention is a fundamental requirement in making a business more profitable
FASTEST GROWING PRINTERS: FAST AND NIMBLE
Jun 1, 1999 12:00 AM, JILL ROTH
Business is good for printers, it seems, if we look at this year's Top 50 Fastest Growing Printers award winners. There are more new entries, and the average percent of sales growth has increased from 40 percent to slightly more than 50 percent. Competition was tough this year, and many proven innovative firms, recognized for their achievements in past years, didn't make the cut. We are, however,
ALL TOO HUMAN
Jun 1, 1999 12:00 AM, KATHERINE O'BRIEN
There's something wrong with the majority of today's sheet-fed presses. Automation is not the issue--the blanket and roller washing, plate loading, hickey picking, etc., works just fine. We can't fault bearer-to-bearer ring contact, or plate-to-blanket squeeze, or the shore hardness of rollers or water and fountain solution pH and conductivity, either. So what's the problem? We are. Old-fashioned
MANAGING TECHNOLOGY: PLAN AHEAD
Apr 1, 1999 12:00 AM, JOSEPH P. TRUNCALE
Consider ancient Sisyphus. He was ordered to push a huge rock up the side of a mountain. But just before he reached the top, the rock would roll all the way back to the bottom, forcing poor Sisyphus to start over again and again. That was surely among the most miserable fates in classical mythology.Today, many printers must feel like Sisyphus as they face the task of dealing with new technology. They
MANAGEMENT: FIRE 'EM UP--MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES
Mar 1, 1999 12:00 AM, LISA LELAND
When it comes to motivating your employees, money isn't everything. Workers today are looking for much more than a paycheck, as evidenced by national surveys listing good wages fourth or fifth among rewards people want most from a job.Basically, people want to be treated as human beings--cared about, listened to, treated fairly, respected for their individual contributions as well as their role in
What print buyers really want
Jan 1, 1999 12:00 AM, Katherine O'Brien
On the surface, it would seem that print buyers crave creature comforts. Why else would so many printers set aside special lounges for them? While buyers are grateful for comfortable leather couches, color televisions, and good food and drink, most would gladly sacrifice these luxuries for just one thing: the peace of mind that comes with a job well-done. How do you deliver the goods? We asked printers,
HOT MARKETS FOR 1999
Dec 1, 1998 12:00 AM, VINCENT MALLARDI
After the longest (91 months) and largest (+324 percent) expansion in history, the U.S. economy appears to be slowing down. However, as printing lags the 10 leading indicators by about 22 months, New Year demand will be about the same, but certainly not better, than in 1998.Ten growth sectors will continue slowly upward and six counter-cyclical demanders will kick in. The remaining nine categories
SALESPEOPLE AND COMPENSATION
Dec 1, 1998 12:00 AM,
Few topics inspire more debate among print industry execs than sales compensation. If you've ever wondered how your scheme compares to others, you'll want to see the Printing Industries of America's 1997-1998 Survey of Sales Compensation. More than 500 firms participated in this survey, representing more than 1,600 sales representatives in the printing industry.Figures for national, regional and state
