2017 Aug/Sept

Finishing First: Changing Mindsets to Ensure Greater ROI

September 8, 2017

by Lance Martin, vice president of national accounts, MBO America

One of the things that end users can do for themselves is to think about finishing first. The printing part of the process is undeniably sexy – the vivid colors are beautiful and watching the print process is just cool – but as finishers like to say, you can’t sell a roll or a sheet until you actually do something to make it into what you want.

Having the mindset of “finishing first” will enable businesses to capitalize on greater return on investment (ROI) while making sure they are best able to serve their customers. Many times, the end user will go down the path of the press without fully considering the job they are doing or how that job will be finished. This often results in missed ROI opportunities and is not an infrequent occurrence. It’s partially a flexibility issue, and making sure end users educate themselves properly in the buying process is one of the most important things they can do. You have to go outside the box when you look at finishing.

From afterthought to forethought

Flexibility and education are key issues in today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving market. End users run the risk of putting themselves in a box – and out of business – when they fall into the rut of producing products in certain ways without opening themselves up to new ideas and new ways of doing things. Education can play a significant role in helping to avoid such instances, and it can begin with something as simple as learning to ask the right questions. If end users just ask more open and general questions of their suppliers, they might get different answers from a finishing expert than they would from non-experts. That can make all the difference.

Current end users are not the only ones we would like to see increasing their knowledge about the finishing side of the equation. Today’s college training programs are not typically geared toward finishing and focus more on the printing side. So, a great way to educate young people is for suppliers of finishing and binding equipment and supplies to get involved with local and regional colleges and technology schools. With this type of outreach, companies can get an idea of what’s going on, what students are learning about the industry and what that will mean for the printing/finishing business in the future. It is going to be very important to get programs like this in the education system involved with the finishing/binding side of graphic arts to help grow and educate the industry.

That doesn’t mean it will be easy, however. Many of those in the industry currently come from an environment that has long been characterized by self-maintenance and self-training. It’s still an offset world, and there are a lot of conventional printers out there. As a result, we have to do things differently than we used to. We’ve had to change to keep up with the times. Part of keeping up involves initiating new training programs.

Training programs that are closely tailored to the hands-on finishing experience are the most effective. When working with a customer, it is recommended that operators have the opportunity to work on the new equipment first-hand in a training facility or showroom. This will provide the best environment for pre-installation training, where operators can set up a few jobs with educated trainers to help.

This is especially useful for facilities looking to move from offset to the digital world since digital is a very different animal. You have to do things differently, so approaching customers differently is the best answer. The more flexibility you can build into the system, the more you can do what your customer needs you to do.

One size does not fit all

When flexibility is not built in, businesses have little choice but to drive their customers to existing solutions, which may or may not be the best fit for all customers. In my experience, the most successful businesses do it the other way around. Thriving businesses not only ask what the customer needs to be successful, they also are able to produce it for the customer. Relying on this premise, offering finishing/binding systems that are built to provide customers not just with what they need now, but also with the ability to change as the industry changes, is of utmost importance.

Building flexibility into a finishing system means decreasing the number of times pieces need to be touched during the finishing process. Fewer touches means fewer opportunities for error. In the old offset world, you would print the piece and sheet it, then take the sheet over to X unit to perform one function before going to another unit to do the next thing. Given the increase in customer demand for short lead times and cost reductions typical of digital inkjet printing and finishing, that approach is just not practical anymore. You have to touch the piece as little as possible.

The pressure to increase efficiency and reduce costs can be a compelling argument for printing and finishing in one pass wherever possible, especially where finishing requirements are relatively simple and straightforward. However, problems can arise when you put a series of complex finishing processes inline with a press that is able to run at 95 percent efficiency and above. In that case, what you’ve actually done is reduced the efficiency of the entire system by increasing the chance for error due to makeready delays, jams and other issues.

For example, if your finishing system applies glue, folds the piece four times, adds a Post-it note to the outside and then perforates and folds it over into a direct mail piece, the chance of something going wrong increases greatly. The resulting shutdown and cleanup even if it takes only a few minutes – can dramatically reduce both productivity and profit.

That’s when you do the math and realize you’ve just taken a $2 million production inkjet web capable of running at peak efficiency and turned it into a 70 percent production machine. Given the dynamic nature and progression of inkjet technologies, therefore, printers are often well-advised to choose fast, efficient offline finishing systems to complement their high-speed production inkjet webs.

When considering a finishing system, printers and finishers owe it to themselves to ask questions. How flexible is the equipment relative to the demands of the market? Can it be adapted to meet those demands if the printer’s product mix changes? Can it handle a wide range of substrates and formats? Questions like these are why MBO takes a modular approach to finishing, where every digital finishing unit is compatible with any other unit. This means that finishers can add onto existing systems as requirements change and new opportunities come along. Each unit rolls quickly and conveniently into or out of a given system so a finisher can reconfigure his finishing system at a moment’s notice.

Finishing first

In either an inline or offline finishing environment, the need for a skilled finishing operator cannot be overstated. When the finishing process is simple (incorporating few or no extra functions), all the finishing operator may need to know is how to cut a sheet. On the other hand, when the finishing process is more complex, as in the example above, an operator must learn both how to print and how to be a good finisher. However, the talent pool for finishers is not especially large, and it can be difficult to find knowledgeable, experienced operators. Among other things, the “finishing first” mindset requires a practical understanding that finishing is not a matter of simply pushing a button and being able to guarantee that a beautiful, complex piece comes out the other end.

Again, this is where training programs come into play. Providing customers with the opportunity to train on new machines – even before those machines have been installed in their individual facilities – and encouraging end users to educate themselves in the buying process, are necessary steps toward encouraging a shift in mindset whereby finishing becomes a primary consideration instead of an afterthought.

As noted earlier, quality finishing requires thinking outside the box. Printers and finishers have to do things very differently now. Conventional practitioners already know what it means to go from prepress to the final product. As the industry has evolved, however, printers and finishers have had to change their mindsets and learn how to incorporate more flexibility into their systems to achieve greater efficiency.

Lance Martin is the vice president of national accounts for MBO America. MBO America, Marlton, New Jersey, offers a broad array of cutting-edge, high-performance finishing solutions for conventional, digital and hybrid print operations and fulfills specialized needs upon request for pharmaceutical, commercial finishing, packaging, diecutting and digital finishing sectors in the Americas. From intricate folds and diecuts to niche packaging with special standards, MBO gives printers the edge over the competition with next-generation achievements in digital finishing, high-speed systems and workflow flexibility. For more information, visit www.mboamerica.com> or call 800.336.1164.

How is the Economy Doing? It Depends on Which One

September 8, 2017

by Chris Kuehl, managing director, Armada Corporate Intelligence

The most common query received by an economist is “how is the economy doing?” This generally sends me into a flurry of qualifiers and a certain amount of dissembling. There really is no adequate answer to such a question as there will always be parts of the country that are booming and others that are wallowing in recession. There are industries that are thriving and those that are in a decline, which may not have much to do with the economic conditions of the moment. Lately, an even bigger divergence has been seen, as far as the economy is concerned, and it is not all that easy to explain. The optimists are either deluding themselves and seeing things that may not exist, or the pessimists are overreacting and expecting disaster when there is little evidence of it.

As is often the case, reality may lie somewhere between the two. For the last nine years, the US economy has been more or less in recovery mode, with steady and unfortunately anemic growth. Normal conditions these days seem to be a growth rate of between 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent – it has been rare to be either under or over that rate. The puzzling part of the economic assessment is that there is evidence that would seem to point to a much more robust economy, as well as evidence that points to one that is starting to slow down considerably.

One factor that is consistently overlooked is the impact of government stimulus. In almost every other recession or downturn, the response from government has been similar. This response includes both big spending hikes and tax cuts, as the aim is to bolster the economy with a nice little shot in the arm. This time, there was one rather anemic and ultimately misguided attempt – an $800 billion spending effort in 2009. It was thought that states would spend that largesse quickly – remember those “shovel-ready” projects? The states didn’t do their parts at all and instead used the federal money to avoid making big budget cuts – and that allowed them to delay their response by a year. The cash was not stimulative and the economy has been trying to get itself in gear with the low interest rates and other policies of the Fed – an institution that is not designed to be the sole support for stimulation.

The markets have been on a tear for well over a year, hitting new records every week. The investment analysts keep staring at this like one looks at a balloon that is getting way too much helium. They just know this is going to burst, but it has been on the edge of that correction for months and just keeps on rising. Nobody wants to get off this ride too soon as leaving money on the table is as bad as losing it by staying in too long.

There are many reasons suggested for this enthusiasm. For instance, a record level of foreign investment is occurring as the markets in Europe and Asia have been so weak that these investors have been seeking better opportunities in the US. There is the usual frenzy that accompanies a growing market, and thus far the collapse is only an existential threat. Then there is the fact that many of the decisions being taken by the Fed and others are feeding the enthusiasm – namely, the Fed sees no reason to truly clamp down on the access to easy money provided by low interest rates. If one simply looks at the markets, the assumption would be that breakout growth is just around the corner.

The overall economic data of late is not telling such an optimistic story. We see that retail sales have been down for the last two months, and it is evident that consumers are returning to their cautious ways. This is partially motivated by the fact that wage growth has not taken place, despite the lower levels of unemployment. There also are growing concerns as far as economic policy change is concerned as consumers are no longer expecting any of the reforms suggested at the start of the year to take place. The gridlock in Congress is worse than ever, and confidence levels have remained low – 44 percent express no confidence in the legislature. This is as confident as people have been in five years – in 2016, it was at 52 percent. Confidence in the presidency has fallen to levels not seen since 2008, as 42 percent of those polled indicate very little confidence as opposed to readings in the 30s through most of the last decade. When half the consumers are less than confident, that is not good news as far as renewed vigor in the economy.

The job numbers have been decent but without the corresponding boost in wages. The indices, as far as manufacturing are concerned, have been strong but not quite as strong as they had been earlier in the year. Exports are doing better as the dollar has weakened somewhat and the economies of Europe and China have been improving. Inflation has been very tame, and that has been a little puzzling given the low rate of joblessness. The lack of overall wage hikes has been a factor and so has the low price of commodities such as oil and industrial metals. All of this adds up to a disconnect with growth twinned with decline. The question now is whether the stock market can pull the rest of the economy or if the economy as a whole starts to weigh on the investors.

The US economy will be depending on three developments as far as further growth is concerned, and only one of these is really under the control of the US. The US remains an export-oriented country – one whose GDP is 14 percent dependent on exports. If the rest of the world is not in recovery, the US will not be able to gain much traction. The second factor is inflation. The US could use just a bit more as this would allow some hike in producer prices and, therefore, wages. That has not happened thus far, and that is due to the consistent decline in the price of many industrial commodities, such as oil and metals.

The last motivator is more a matter of mood. The US is driven by consumers – they account for some 70 percent of the GDP and almost 80 percent of jobs. The consumer was in a great mood at the start of the year, but that has faded as people are less and less convinced that the big changes will be taking place. If there is a shot in the arm for the consumer, the economy would respond but at this point it is hard to determine what that would be.

Chris Kuehl is managing director of Armada Corporate Intelligence. Founded by Keith Prather and Chris Kuehl in January 2001, Armada began as a competitive intelligence firm, grounded in the discipline of gathering, analyzing and disseminating intelligence. Today, Armada executives function as trusted strategic advisors to business executives, merging fundamental roots in corporate intelligence gathering, economic forecasting and strategy development. Armada focuses on the market forces bearing down on organizations. For more information, visit www.armada-intel.com.

BOPP Films are an Excellent Choice for Beverage Packaging

September 8, 2017

by Maika Collado, Operational Marketing, Derprosa Specialty Films USA

Package design is a critical element in establishing brand identity and differentiating a company from its competition. In the world of food and beverage today, the message that sells is one of luxury, premium quality and craftsmanship. This can be seen in the massive market growth of craft beers in recent years and a return to a preference for top-shelf spirits and the highest quality wines and champagnes. The phenomenon is even making its way into non-alcoholic beverages, where products like soda, iced tea, lemonade and flavored or sparkling water are getting a high-end makeover, complete with beverage packaging designed to appeal to consumers who are interested in high-end products.

The wine and spirits sector, as a whole, is still experimenting with the ways in which packaging design can elevate brand image, but we already have seen how premium spirit brands with bold and unique packaging design are more effective at attracting consumer attention and claiming stake in a crowded market. Long-established premium beverage brands are expected to meet a certain level of quality in their products, and this must be reflected in the beverage packaging to retain loyal customers and attract new ones.

Creating well-designed, distinctive premium beverage packaging is perhaps even more important for new craft beer brands that are trying to break into a competitive market as a lesser-known name. The product’s packaging is the primary tool to attract consumers’ attention and persuade them to take a chance with a new beverage instead of the old standby.

Luxury films for beverage packaging

Many elements go into an effective and impactful beverage packaging design, including the format of the bottle packaging itself, and, of course, the artwork and typography employed in the design. Often overlooked, however, is the importance of the finish on the label or carton. This can sometimes be the element that sets the beverage or other product apart.

One type of finishing technique that can create an element of elegance and also works to protect the carton or label is the use of luxury Biaxially-Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) films, which includes premium finishes and effects that can set a brand apart from the competition.

Specific applications for beverage packaging

Beverage packaging applications continue to evolve with brand owners wanting to find the best and most attractive way to display their product. The following are a few popular applications where luxury BOPP films are commonly used:

Premium carton cylinder/tube bottle packaging. Cardboard tube or cylinder packaging for bottles is one of the most classic designs used in premium beverage bottle packaging, and one that instantly sends cues of luxury and exclusivity to potential customers. This format of beverage packaging makes any bottled beverage feel special, which is why it has been used by the highest quality wine, champagne, scotch, bourbon, vodka and rum manufacturers for many years. It often is employed for special limited-edition releases for brand milestone anniversaries, holidays and other special events. Since this type of premium beverage packaging usually is intended to be kept and displayed, it is important to take measures to ensure they are resistant to common sources of damage, such as scratching, moisture, oils, etc. An overlay with high-quality polypropylene films provides superior protection in this regard, while contributing to the feeling of luxury and exclusivity through a variety of high-quality finishes and visual and tactile effects.
Window gift boxes in premium beverage packaging. Special edition gift sets are another popular format for premium beverage packaging. These sets typically include a standard or special edition bottle of champagne or spirits along with an added value accessory, such as branded drinking glasses. The paperboard boxes usually include a transparent window to display the items inside, with the brand’s iconic artwork styled in a slightly different way to emphasize the limited-edition nature of the product. Premium BOPP films provide a protective coating in a variety of finishes that can enhance the original artwork with visual effects (metallic, mirror, pearlescent, etc.) or tactile effects, such as soft-touch.
Premium malt beverage carriers. Beer and malt beverages have developed their own consumer culture, and certain brands have elevated themselves to be truly premium quality beverages. Naturally, they need premium beverage packaging to match. Most high-end craft beers or malt beverages are sold in beverage carriers in sets of four or six, and the design of these carriers must be consistent with the luxury image that the brand is trying to convey. High-quality polypropylene films are an excellent tool that can be used, in conjunction with distinctive artwork and package design, to provide a premium finish, complement and enhance the artwork, and provide a high level of moisture resistance – a property of BOPP films that is particularly important in these beverages, which often are refrigerated in their carriers.

Innovative films for the most demanding lamination jobs

Polypropylene has been widely used in lamination and other packaging applications due to its resistance against damage from moisture, oils, odors, scratches and scuffs. An improvement on the original PP films, biaxial orientation of the polymer has resulted in BOPP (biaxially-oriented polypropylene) films, which retain the protective properties of polypropylene while also boasting superior optical clarity. This has made it a suitable and desirable material for use in the laminating of graphic arts and high-end packaging design, allowing the design to shine through in ways that once were not possible.

BOPP films are manufactured by orienting the film in two directions, creating an improved laminating film product for many applications. Benefits of BOPP films include being lightweight and resistant to UV rays, having exceptional clarity and providing ultimate protection from scratching and weathering.

From a decorative finish standpoint, there are many choices with films beyond the standard gloss. Matte finishes have become popular and provide an elegant look, and many types of metallic laminating films are available in silver, gold and brush effects. In addition, opaque, white and even black films have become popular.

Probably the area of highest growth of late for laminating films is the use of DL SoFT TOUcH® BOPP films. Although there are soft-touch varnishes and UV coatings on the market, high-quality soft-touch films still provide the most elegant and softest feel of all the techniques in the marketplace.

In addition, there are other specialty BOPP films in the marketplace, including anti-scratch films that provide even more resistance than conventional films to scuffs and scratches. There also are bacteria-resistant films available today that help eliminate bacteria that comes into contact with the film surface. The antibacterial properties make it uniquely suited to applications in the medical field, personal care product packaging, food service, childcare, etc.

With over 28 years of experience, DERPROSA™ is the graphic arts brand of the worldwide BOPP leader: Taghleef Industries (TI). DERPROSA™ specializes in the development, manufacture and marketing of biaxially-oriented polypropylene film for graphic arts, food packaging, labels and other industrial products. The company’s innovation centers, production sites, logistics hubs and sales offices reach more than 70 countries across five continents. For more information, visit www.derprosa.com or send an email to staff.es@ti-films.com.

BIA News

September 8, 2017

Printing Industries of America’s Educational Conferences

Mark your calendars to attend, or have some of your staff attend, one of the following PIA educational conferences in 2018:

President’s Conference – March 4-6, 2018 – San Antonio, Texas The President’s Conference targets the industry’s most influential industry leaders. Sponsors of the event will gain visibility with CEOs, presidents, owners and other industry executives who are seeking tools and resources to help them make the important decisions necessary to grow their businesses. Your representatives will have the opportunity to build personal relationships through face-to-face networking with approximately 200 of the industry’s top leaders. For more information, visit www.presidentsconference.com.

Continuous Improvement Conference – April 8-11, 2018 – Rosemont, Illinois The Continuous Improvement Conference is the only industry event focused on helping organizations achieve operational excellence by using the concepts of lean manufacturing and other management and quality systems. Your representatives will have the opportunity to build personal relationships through face-to-face networking with approximately 275 attendees. For more information, visit ci.printing.org.

New Look for BIA’s Website

Printing Industries of America has launched a new website, which means BIA’s webpages will have a new look. We will continue to populate the website with new information, but your help is required. If you want to be listed in Find A Bindery or BIA Supplier, please send the following information:

company logo
company description
contact information
links to your site

Check out the new BIA website at www.printing.org/programs/groups/bia. Please send your information to Mike Packard so that we can promote your company and services!

Continuing Education Opportunity

We are still looking for help with the Post Press and Finishing Orientation Course, which is new for 2017. This course will highlight key areas of bindery, such as safety, cutters, folds, binding options and finishing options. This course will be geared toward new postpress employees.

Suppliers, we need your support! If you are a company interested in sponsoring the Post Press and Finishing Orientation Course, you will have the opportunity to demo your product in a video within the training.

BIA Member Benefits

Don’t forget to take advantage of the benefits you receive as a BIA member!

Members receive the following:

Exclusive discounts on products, as well as networking and educational events
Access to professional peer-networking forums
Free economic reports focusing on postpress companies (participation in the survey required)
An informational monthly enewsletter
Discounted online learning at the iLearning Center (www.printing.org/iLearning)
Free technical support
Quarterly magazine focusing on postpress
Access to the BIA member-only listserv

Benefits for your business include the following:

Learn about cutting-edge trends in finishing equipment and technology and how to apply them to your operation.
Discover ways to expand your offerings and product lines.
Branch into growing markets, such as packaging, with the necessary skills, equipment and other resources.
Increase on-time order delivery and meet customer demands.
Become more competitive in your market.

By joining BIA, you belong to an organization dedicated to supporting and enhancing our industry. We are your advocate, helping you increase growth and profitability every day. BIA is your postpress resource. Joining BIA helps your organization by offering benefits you cannot get anywhere else. Members gain access to an abundance of resources that deliver results to enhance your success today and in the future.

For more information about membership in BIA, please contact Mike Packard at 412.259.1704 or by email at mpackard@printing.org.

Avoiding Bindery Bottlenecks

September 8, 2017

by Melissa Larson, contributing writer

Rollem’s Jetstream 8-up postcard sheet runs at speeds up to 4,000 sph and eliminates the needs for guillotine cutting, allowing for increased efficiency in production.

Most experienced printing professionals are accustomed to thinking that printing bottlenecks occur in the prepress department. That’s the black hole, right?

Bottlenecks can occur anywhere in the workflow, and these holdups in the bindery or finishing area are rarely examined and poorly understood. This has become even more relevant with the growth of digital printing technologies and working with digitally printed output.

We’ve talked to postpress professionals to get their best practices in avoiding bottlenecks, whether through making the most of the equipment a printer or binder already has or investing in new technology.

Think “Finishing First”

Si Nguyen, vice president of sales at Duplo USA, was quoted at the recent Dscoop 11 event in San Antonio, Texas, as saying, “If print service providers want to be profitable, they need to think Finishing First. Eliminating postpress bottlenecks will create a smoother workflow, generating efficiency and profits. In addition, when print service providers use finishing techniques to add value to their products, they can become one of the top profit-makers in the printing marketplace.”

Doug Sherwood, national sales manager at finishing machinery builder Rollem Corp. International, put it succinctly: “Make sure you have the right finishing equipment. So many times I go into facilities that have invested heavily in the latest press technology, only to have finishing technology that is outdated, hard to use and in need of specialized operators. Equipment that is user-friendly, easy to maintain and versatile, with the ability to run multiple substrates with high-quality, will go a long way toward efficient production.”

Start with a flowchart

Crafting a flowchart of the work moving through a printing or binding/finishing shop can help determine where the bottlenecks lie.

An essential component of this exercise is to put down the number of minutes each machine or operation takes to process an order. Work-in-progress areas normally will be spaced between the operations. When the flowchart is complete, walk out to the production floor and look at the real-time workflow.

Think the bottleneck must be the operation with the most inventory in front of it? You may have to think again. It could be the job down further in the workflow after digital or offset printing, including older and slower binding or finishing equipment, that is causing the problem. The old adage about the weakest link is true: your workflow is only as fast as the slowest operation.

The key is to look at the underlying reasons for the bottleneck and not just address the symptoms. This means gaining a whole new understanding of your overall workflow and hopefully getting input from production staff about the reasons the blockage is occurring.

Look at the layout

According to Brad Emerson, general manager at FixYourOwnBindery.com, “Layout is paramount. If you can move smaller finishing machines, if only to save one footstep, you should consider doing it. In this feast-or-famine sales world we live in today, a layout should be friendly to inline and near-line production, where minimal staffing can make one box of books with minimal footsteps, as well as max production, with max personnel stacking materials on and off pallets if needed, again with minimum footsteps.”

Be on the lookout for new bottlenecks

Digital press technology offers greater flexibility in how jobs are printed and arranged. Valuable sheet space can be maximized by laying out multiple-up images, which can then be trimmed, scored, slit and even perforated in one process.

Eventually, you probably will conclude that you need to increase the capacity of the operation causing the bottleneck. This can be accomplished by adding team members, adding equipment or by taking advantage of new technology that speeds up a particular process – or a combination. And, asking if the equipment or new technology is something you need to have in-house or if it is best to partner with a reliable vendor for that technology – these are all questions that must be asked.

Although many binding/finishing operations can be performed in-house, either inline or near line with a digital or offset printing operation, there are situations where the binding/finishing functions may be better suited for a trade binder or finisher that has invested in specialized equipment for such things as complicated folds, special diecuts or specialty decorating techniques, such as foil or embossing. So, planning and avoiding bottlenecks with jobs that are outsourced to a binder/finisher also is very important to an operation.

As you improve one bottleneck, you may find the bottleneck now has moved to a different operation or different portion of the job. It is vital that you continually monitor the effects of your process changes to identify when the bottleneck does indeed change – then change your focus accordingly.

Make software your ally

Combatting bottlenecks increasingly includes the use of software – from MIS and enterprise resource programs (ERP) that have existed in some form for decades, to programs that are specifically designed for print production, from prepress through post-printing.

One commercial printer has made a seven-figure investment in an ERP system that allows for finite scheduling. It tells production what jobs should run on a machine and in what order and moves an operation to the next day when that day’s hours have been filled, synchronizing all work centers. Despite the expense and the fact that it involves numerous data points, the system has made identifying and avoiding bottlenecks easier.

A recent white paper from Kodak and Epicor, however, emphasizes that printers should “choose ERP that is designed and built to accommodate the specific needs of the printing and packaging industry.” And, the authors don’t accept that modified, adapted or enhanced ERP software will work for most printers.

“The differences and needs of printing and packaging are so fundamental to the basic structure of how ERP works that modification and work-arounds will not suffice,” stated the piece, titled “Five Reasons Why Generic ERP Doesn’t Work for Printing and Packaging”.

“Printing and packaging companies should look for an ERP system that is designed specifically for their industry, with estimating, product and job structuring, scheduling and material control capabilities that are properly attuned to the specifics of their world,” stated the piece. “These fundamental capabilities, however, should be tightly integrated with industry-leading customer relationship management (CRM), workflow, quality and supply chain management applications for a comprehensive enterprise solution.”

Epicor and Kodak have partnered to offer the Epicor solution for printing and packaging, which includes Kodak UpFront production planning software, Kodak Preps imposition software and Kodak Prinergy workflow integrated to Epicor CRM, lean manufacturing and supply chain solutions. Epicor solutions comply 100 percent with service-oriented architecture and include service connect and business link for connectivity with other systems.

Muller Martini’s Connex software is designed for digital production planning. It simplifies complex workflows by tracking, monitoring and analyzing a job’s data and its variability throughout the entire production process, from file to finished product, thus significantly reducing bottlenecks on the production line.

Software systems are important for trade binding/finishing operations as well. Having an efficient way to track a job from start to finish and keep the customer up-to-date on the progress is crucial. “There is more pressure on printers to have binding and finishing all done in-house, so today’s trade binderies and finishers must be more efficient than ever when they are called upon by the printer for help,” states Dienamic MIS Software President Mark Porter. Dienamic has developed a software platform that is specifically designed for the special and unique needs of the binding and finishing businesses. Dienamic offers a fully integrated system, including estimating, management information system, customer service software and E-commerce solutions. Porter tells PostPress that the Dienamic software platform is designed to strengthen the bonds and communications between staff and customers. This is a key aspect for trade binders and finishers.

Search for the right equipment, in the right configuration

Rollem’s Sherwood urged customers to value versatility. “Automating the process has been a key focus of Rollem for some time,” he said. “Having the ability to perform multiple functions to complete a product, or run inline with other equipment, eliminates the bottleneck aspect, as well as improving quality and minimizing labor.

“The goal is to take a job from printed sheet to finished product in a single process that keeps up with, and in most cases exceeds, the output of the digital press,” Sherwood continued. “By eliminating the need to take a job to multiple stations, the job is completed in the most efficient and cost effective way possible. For example, many customers products require UV coating, which is a popular configuration of a UV system coating the sheet and feeding it directly to the slitter. This eliminates the need for moving the stock and instead delivers the coated, cut products at rapid speeds, greatly increasing turnaround.”

Again, not all jobs will be able to be completed in-house by the printer, so printers must seek out competent and reliable partners for binding and finishing as well. Those binders/finishers that have the right equipment for handling digitally printed output, as well as more traditional offset printed material, will be in the choices printers will make. So, having binding/finishing equipment that is flexible and can complete multiple types of bindery functions will be very important.

Embrace new technology

Andy Fetherman, vice president of sales and technology at Muller Martini Corp., extolled the benefits of what he called touchless workflow, stating, “Touchless workflow combines both automation and connectivity and is critical to achieving not only smooth production, but a quality end product.” He went on to explain that, “A touchless workflow starts with either simple barcodes or more sophisticated JDF integration. This enables our equipment to achieve uninterrupted finishing, oftentimes without any manual intervention.”

“Another advancement is hybrid systems. Our bindery equipment processes both offset and digitally printed products, either separately or concurrently, thus avoiding the need to utilize separate machines and resulting in reduced makeready during production and a more balanced quality of the finished product,” said Fetherman.

Conclusion

“We know that the finishing process is more complex than ever before. The ability to seamlessly adapt to variability is of paramount importance, not only for the efficiency (i.e. profitability) of the press run but the quality of the end product,” said Fetherman. “The nature of variability is its unpredictability and that can cause bottlenecks within every phase of the process, from prepress to printing to finishing to distribution. That’s why a higher, centralized level of intelligence needs to drive the workflow and oversee, troubleshoot and validate the integrity of the entire runThe system only delivers complete, verified, good books at the end of the process.”

Sherwood concluded, “Many times adjusting workflow or product orientation to accommodate the finishing technology can be a huge asset to improving overall production and eliminating bottlenecks. The big advantage of the digital press technology is the flexibility in how jobs are printed and arranged. The better communication we have as to how the product goes ‘downstream’ the better the flow of production will be.”

Whooo? Wins Gold Leaf Award

September 8, 2017

by Lara Copeland, assistant editor, PostPress

Every fall for the past 14 years, Admore Folders, Macomb, Michigan, has created a Halloween-themed folder for self-promotion. The folders are mailed to its entire customer base as Halloween approaches and just as children anticipate the coming of candy and costumes, Admore’s clients eagerly await the new folder. The most recent folder features an owl on the cover, a vertical pocket on the inside shaped like a spooky tree, an insert featuring a poem and an owl-shaped coupon.

The marketing team at Admore plans the design every summer in June or July – typically starting with an image they like and letting it grow from there. Marketing Manager Lisa Goebel said, “We always wanted to do an owl – they are such an iconic Halloween image and birds with feathers are great to sculpture emboss.” She noted that most importantly, the final product needed to be fun while also fitting the theme, which explains why the team chose a more stylized image as opposed to a more realistic owl. “The oversized eyes, beak and claws were perfect for foil stamping with bright colors,” she noted. The piece also must tell a story. Referring to the poem insert, Goebel said, “in this case, the storyline is a customer seeking wisdom from a great owl.” In the poem, the customer asks, “Whooo do I buy my folders from,” and, Goebel said, the answer is clearly Admore Folders.

In addition to demonstrating to customers the unique ways a folder can be used as a promotional tool, the annual promo piece also is designed to showcase Admore’s technical capabilities. The 2016 piece was stamped on a full sheet before diecutting due to the critical registration. Mohawk Fine Paper’s 80# Carnival Felt New Black was used, while all the dies came from Universal Engraving – the foil dies are copper and the sculptured emboss die is brass.

“The bright, eye-popping foils used in the owl’s eyes, beak and claws are from Kurz Luxor,” Goebel confirmed. In total, there were five registered foil and emboss passes on Admore’s BOBST 102 with an Eagle foil unit. First, Infinity Foils, Inc.’s #99 black foiled the owl outline on the front, in addition to the back-cover type. Next, the tree on the pocket also was foiled in black and the second ring of the owl’s eyes was foiled in Kurz #357 blue. The third pass used Kurz #404 orange for the final eye color. Then the beak and feet were completed with Kurz #28586 gold. Lastly, all copy on the front cover was sculptured embossed. The folder was diecut with a custom diecut die and then folded and glued on a BOBST folder.

The poem insert included with the final piece was printed 4/0 4-color process, 4-up on a 40 Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102. “A high-gloss UV coating was applied offline to the sheet,” Goebel stated. “The custom, diecut owl coupon was printed 8-up, 4/4 in 4-color process with gloss spot UV coating.” Thoughtfully crafted, the tail of the “Whooo-pon” fits into a custom slit in the “tree limb” on the inside folder pocket, so the owl appears to be sitting in the tree. Both the insert and the “Whooo-Pon” were printed using Braden Sutphin Earth Pride inks.

Goebel admitted that the yearly promo folder is something customers not only look forward to but treasure. “We have a bit of a cult following and by the end of summer customers start prodding our customer service reps to tell them what the next one will be,” she said. It’s no surprise that Admore takes great care in creating a piece to impress, but thorough work such as this does not come without challenges.

In fact, Goebel said that the biggest concern focused on being able to machine fold the folder. The 12×6″ vertical pocket – glued at the top and the bottom – is diecut around the image of a spooky Halloween tree, and the narrow tree branch with the custom slit further complicated the folding issue. The team created several mock-ups and adjusted the design. “We had to shorten the tree limb because it kept hanging up and ripping during the fold test,” she revealed. After all was said and done, all 10,000+ folders were machine folded.

“Our customers have loved every one of our Halloween promotions, and ‘WHOOO?’ was no exception,” Goebel acknowledged. In the spring of 2017, Admore’s piece won a Foil & Specialty Effects Association Gold Leaf award for best use of foil and embossing – presentation folder. This award, and the praise from its customers, confirms the efforts the marketing team puts forth in this venture every year.

Going Gaga Over Printing Arts’ Promo Kit

September 8, 2017

by Lara Copeland, assistant editor, PostPress

Mattel’s Chicago-based Public Relations firm and the Monster High product development team called upon Printing Arts, Broadview, Illinois, to help design and package a promotion kit in preparation for the Lady Gaga-inspired Monster High doll’s October 2016 debut.

More than 50 years ago, toy-maker giant Mattel introduced the world to what would soon become the figurehead of its company – Barbie. The 11.5″ plastic doll, that first wore a zebra-striped swimsuit and donned a brunette or blonde top-knot ponytail, has towered over the toy industry through the decades. More recently, however, a new variety of doll inspired by sci-fi thrillers and monster movies has been embraced by today’s youth. The aptly named Monster High dolls pose a striking difference in appearance to their wholesome predecessor – think goth teen as opposed to teenaged fashion model. Because of their cutting-edge appearance, the dolls have been marketed as modern and relatable and many consider them to be a representation of diversity.

A symbol that celebrates differences, the Monster High doll collection inspired American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga to create a doll in her likeness to benefit her non-profit foundation, Born This Way (BTW). Mattel’s Chicago-based Public Relations firm and the Monster High product development team called upon Printing Arts, Broadview, Illinois, to help design and package a promotion kit in preparation for the doll’s October 2016 debut.

Originally, the PR firm asked for the promo kit’s box to be shaped like sunglasses, but after completing the first round of designs in this manner, Printing Arts found it to be too costly to be executed. As a solution, the company presented a structure in the shape of a triangle, which also is Lady Gaga’s hallmark symbol used in her “Born This Way” music video. From there, Director of Marketing Services Doug Still explained, “Our structural designers followed cues from this symbol,” and they created a puzzle box featuring imagery that reflected the desired look, feel and attitude. Pictured on the front of the box is a sketch of “Zomby GaGa” blowing a pink bubble with her gum and sporting a pair of thick, black framed glasses – an appearance that closely resembles Lady Gaga in her “Born This Way” video. Instead of the box being shaped like sunglasses, the kit included two pairs of sunglasses in addition to an informational 4×4″ postcard and two packs of “Gaga Gum.”

The intricate design of the puzzle box proved to be a challenge during construction, and, due to the complexity of the box folds, the client opted for Printing Arts to execute the layouts. “The biggest hurdle we faced in production was the crossovers on the three-cornered triangle box,” Still clarified. “Getting the pieces to diecut, fold and glue with reasonable line-up of the graphics was rather challenging.”

The foil application and printing/coating were performed on a MAN Roland 700 8-color UV offset press equipped with the Prindor cold foil unit. A spot adhesive was printed first and then Kurz Silver cold foil was applied with a 4-color process, and an overall gloss UV coating covered the graphics. “We decorated the package using a spot cold foil application; most areas of pink, as well as highlights in the doll’s silver hair and sunglasses, received the foil effect,” Still confirmed. To avoid the foil effect being overused, he noted that Printing Arts was cautious when applying foil to the duplexed 24-point SBS. This substrate was used in lieu of a rigid box/wrap because “it improved our speed-to-market and lowered project costs,” he recalled.

Once the box was diecut, hand assembled and glued, 600 packs of bubblegum were wrapped with a custom “GaGa Gum” label. The wrapper was created using a new digital foiler from Kurz Transfer Products called the DM Foiler. The wrapper was produced on an 80# gloss litho label. Still noted that the DM Foiler works in conjunction with the HP Indigo 6-color digital press. Spot Black toner was applied to the sheet designating where the foil would be applied, then the sheet went through the foiler for foil application and back to the Indigo for overprinting of the foil.

The success of the doll’s launch was due in part to its style and look being shrouded in mystery. Moreover, in the days leading up to the doll’s worldwide debut, “350 promo kits were sent to global publications and leading Gaga social media outlets,” Still said. The recipients then used social media to create a frenzy. They received a message asking them to take a selfie while wearing the sunglasses provided and blowing a bubble with the “GaGa Gum” included in the kit. Next, the recipients were asked to post their image or video to their social media accounts using the hash tag #kindmonsters.

“This strategy was to target the social media stars with the most followers in hopes of spreading the word about the doll’s worldwide debut in the shortest timeframe possible,” Still affirmed. He acknowledged that reactions were “superb,” and that “the client was very pleased with the response by social media and the overall buzz created.” In addition to this praise, the promotional kit won the Foil & Specialty Effects Association’s (FSEA) Gold Leaf award for best use of cold foil – folding carton (sheet or rotary).

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