Five Ways for Printing Enterprises to Improve Efficiency

Xu Changcheng's article “How to Improve Efficiency” describes the five ways to increase efficiency by using examples from foreign printing companies: the combination of technology, efficiency, process control, computer integrated manufacturing, and production and business strategy.

1. Play the role of new technologies and existing technologies: Improvements in prepress, printing and binding equipment have greatly increased production capacity. PDF workflow, prepress and binding automation increase productivity while reducing labor. Of course, investing in new equipment is not the only way to increase efficiency. Many printing companies are taking advantage of the advantages inherent in existing equipment. According to industry insiders, printers are analyzing their production processes. Because we have paid for these automation features, we should use them.

Technology is indeed a powerful tool for improving production capacity, but it is not a panacea. After all, the installation of new equipment cannot solve the human-related capacity problem. Observers say that production methods also need to recognize another important aspect of production – people, which leads to Here are two ways to relate people and processes.

2. Take effective measures to increase efficiency: Employers have the responsibility to provide employees with training opportunities to help them do better. A GATF technical advisor said that improving the preparation of printing presses is the key to improving production efficiency. Decreasing preparation time can give printers a lot of time.

Another GATF project to increase efficiency is overall production management, which addresses six issues: equipment failures and downtime; setting up machines or preparations; equipment idling or short-term shutdowns; reducing operating speeds; defective products; start-up losses Or slow down.

3. Achieve process control: The idea of ​​process control is to continuously improve, form a system and constantly adjust in production, so that companies can reduce scrap, increase production and find the most effective method of operation.

The core of effective production is the continuity of the process. In order to establish continuity in the process, many companies have developed standard operating procedures. Liberalism is harmful in production.

The key part of process control is the development of a system that alerts managers to problems in the process. At FLM Graphics, managers use waste products to measure the set of manufacturing systems and steps. According to the company, they said that they investigate and analyze the source of waste, so they can solve any problems in the production process.

Of course, business is changing and we need to constantly improve and adjust on the basis of rules. For example, an increase in the number of jobs requires that the procedures and systems follow, because the method used for 20 batches per day may not be suitable for 20 batches of daily work.

4. Understanding computer-integrated manufacturing: Although still in its infancy, many devices that require computer-integrated manufacturing systems (CIMs) are gradually in place. In the computer integrated manufacturing system, the various parts are connected electronically and work together. Equipment vendors are actively collaborating to develop standards for prepress, print, and postpress (CIP4) development that promote the integration of computer-based printing workflows.

5. Combining production and business strategy: Experts believe that when manufacturing managers concentrate on the production process, this cannot be the only concern. Production and manufacturing decisions are based on the company’s overall goals and strategies, which are based on the needs and requirements of users. The production method is "car", and the customer needs to be "horse". When valuing equipment and operating technology, do not ignore the fact that customer-driven business, the printing company's production strategy must meet the customer's overall needs.