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    PostPress

    Print Decorating, Binding and Finishing

    Enews January 2023

    Amado Lara Appointed President of Roland DGA Corporation

    Roland DGA Corporation, an Irvine, California-based leading provider of wide-format inkjet printers, cutters, milling machines, and other advanced digital imaging technology, has announced that it has appointed Amado Lara as its new president. Andrew Oransky, formerly Roland DGA’s president and CEO, will continue to serve as CEO, providing strategic input while serving on the board of directors of its parent company, Hamamatsu, Japan-based Roland DG Corporation.

    Lara, a sign and graphics industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, has held various management and executive positions at Roland DGA since joining the company in 1992, serving most recently as vice president of sales.

    Oransky, who has served as president of Roland DGA since 2016 and president and CEO since 2019, pointed out that the need for a new president became clear after he was named to Roland DG’s board of directors in March 2022.

    To learn more, visit www.rolanddga.com.

    GEW Aids Ukraine Printing House

    GEW has supplied a commercial printing company in Ukraine with a complete 40″ UV and LED curing system for the company’s Komori L640+C sheetfed offset press, free of charge.

    Pryvatna Drukarnya, based in Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine, had been forced to halt production in February 2022 so it could provide humanitarian support to some of the many refugees fleeing the conflict in the east of the country. This included using its two restaurants and a gymnasium, which were normally used by staff and customers, to prepare up to 1,200 free meals every day for refugees, and to accommodate up to 500 people every night. Pryvatna Drukarnya had an urgent need to get back into production to be able to continue as a viable business.

    Mikhail Gluhovski, managing director at Pryvatna Drukarnya, initially requested the GEW UV system be supplied on preferential payment terms to enable them to take on the risk of investment in such difficult business conditions. When GEW offered the UV system free of charge, Pryvatna Drukarnya immediately responded to say that it would in turn make several humanitarian donations to worthy causes in Ukraine.

    For more information, visit www.gewuv.com.

    PODTopic from Skandacor Adds Tactile Laminate Capabilities

    Skandacor, a supplier of print finishing supplies and equipment headquartered in Webster, New York, carries the PODTopic line. PODTopics allow printers to keep machinery real estate to a minimum while expanding product offerings.

    As well as being capable of efficiently doing standard single-sided lamination jobs, the PODTopic’s main strengths lie in print embellishment, with its ability to put down specialty laminates – including a range of tactile laminates such as SOFTpro, DECOpro Grit, DECOpro Linen, etc., as well as SLEEKpro digital foils and finishes.

    To learn more, visit www.skandacor.com.

    Resolutions for Workforce Development in 2023

    Another year, another fresh start to develop the workforce and implement new technologies. The best workforce to develop is the workforce that is already on the payroll. The best technologies to implement are those with the highest likelihood of success and ROI. The best combination of workforce and technology is one that pairs an eager workforce with empowering technology. Here are a few tips for using the workforce to its best advantage and adding technology to benefit the company and workers alike.

    Training: Keep the momentum going year-round

    Some manufacturers view winter months as crunch time. Increased work orders for the holidays combined with employee absences during cold/flu season can make winter seem like a good time to pause workforce training. Not so, asserts Rob Bright, CEO of Cloud Assess, a learning management system provider.

    “Choosing to pause vital training, even temporarily, is likely to pose challenges in the long-term,” said Bright. An interruption in training might well impact the plant’s productivity and output quality and could affect worker safety. “The challenge,” Bright said, “is ensuring this essential training is continued effectively and consistently, regardless of the demands of the business.”¹

    Bright suggests that employers add micro-learning to their training strategy. With micro-learning, training is focused on delivering a single learning outcome in a short, sweet session – a viable option for maintaining a plant’s training headway during the winter. Micro-learning might recap/refresh topics from prior training or introduce topics to be covered in more depth when the regular training schedule resumes.

    Automation infusion: Buy-in is pivotal

    Robots, cobots and automation are attractive as tools to up output, enhance quality and reduce safety issues, but too much gushing about the wonders of technology can leave workers feeling like technology is the enemy and that there is no future for humans in manufacturing.

    As Andreas Koenig of technology company ProGlove put it: “Robotics, artificial intelligence and automation are gifts, but if we just slap them upon our organizations, we do very little to reap their rewards. Instead, we may end up vilifying the blessings they may be able to deliver.”²

    Rather than merely decreeing and installing automation, manufacturers can enlist workers to participate in the automation planning, listen to their experience-backed input and earn their trust for the new technologies. Having workers who drive automation improvements is better than having those who merely accept the improvements, while having those who only accept technological advances is better than having workers who resist or, worse yet, undermine what they view as threatening automation initiatives.

    Hidden talent: generalists and the big picture

    When manufacturers have generalists in the workforce, the thing to do is tap that general knowledge and experience, as opposed to insisting that a generalist buckle down in one specialized area.

    A generalist’s understanding of a variety of market sectors, or of an array of manufacturing plant departments, or of a range of fabrication techniques is a boon. Not only can a generalist see a bigger picture than a specialist, but a generalist often can also speak many industry “languages,” making an employee of this caliber someone who can be a liaison between plant and customer, between plant and supplier, and among a plant’s departments.

    The new hire who has scant experience in a plant’s production niche but who has worked in logistics, shipping and warehousing is a new hire who already can understand and speak three valuable languages. The new hire who doesn’t know squat about manufacturing but who climbed rungs in the engineering career ladder, has evaluated and installed software, and has an inquiring mind could be a great player on the project to upgrade the plant’s CAD/CAM system.

    Automation infusion: robotics for zombie work,
    humans for the squirrelly stuff

    ProGlove’s Andreas Koenig has the chops to recommend robotics solutions, but he is just as strong when it comes to valuing the workforce. “The human worker,” said Koenig, “is probably the most underrated factor on the shop floor and in global supply chains.” Koenig noted some uniquely human qualities: a desire to learn, a willingness to collaborate and a work ethic to deliver that extra oomph to resolve issues quickly.

    “All of this is instrumental to make operations work because we cannot run businesses only on technology,” Koenig explained. He stresses the importance of choosing automation projects thoughtfully, with an eye toward helping workers better interact with the machines – production machines and automation aids – that surround them.²

    When manufacturers focus on implementing technology solutions to free up workers from boring, repetitive and strenuous jobs, those workers now are available to do more of what humans do so much better than machines. Only people can stay ahead of or on top of emerging production issues, jump into action or recruit help to solve a problem, and think about how to make their own jobs better while simultaneously improving operations and benefitting the company’s bottom line.

    Hidden talent: Find the experts and let them share

    In “Harnessing Unsung Employee Know-how,”³ consulting firm SUMMi7 founder Eric Strafel discussed the value of creating knowledge networks in manufacturing plants. Sprinkled throughout any company are individuals with an intense interest in and a deep understanding of a range of specialized topics. But if the company is unaware of this expertise, it remains a hidden talent that could otherwise have been tapped.

    Strafel cited the topic of blockchain, posing the hypothetical situation of a customer expressing a keen interest in using this technology. The sales and service departments of the plant know nothing about blockchain, and they bump the request up to their managers. “The problem is, those middle managers probably know as much, if not less, about blockchain than the frontline workers,” Strafel wrote. “The manager might tell the customer something like, ‘I’m not sure that we can help,’ or they might promise to look into it, but never get around to it. The customer either never gets a solution or has to wait for it. The longer they wait, the more opportunity a competitor has to offer the customer what they need and snag their business.”

    Somewhere in that company, though, there is a wonk who knows this topic inside and out. Strafel recommends that companies do a treasure hunt to find their hidden talent and their obscure experts, and then create a venue for sharing that knowledge. Managers can identify market trends and technology advances that are likely to be important to the business or its customers, survey the workforce for gurus, and then create a casual knowledge transfer occasion – maybe a “lunch and learn” – that uncovers hidden expertise and expands a company-wide network of knowledge.

    For 2023, resolve to keep up with the training, implement rewarding automation initiatives and discover hidden talent. Best wishes for a prosperous new year.

    References

    1. Helen Sydney Adams. “How manufacturers can integrate training during the winter,” Manufacturing. October 13, 2022. https://manufacturingdigital.com/procurement-and-supply-chain/how-manufacturers-can-integrate-training-during-the-winter.
    2. Andreas Koenig. “You Can’t Run a Business on Technology Alone,” Material Handling & Logistics. June 24, 2022. https://www.mhlnews.com/technology-automation/article/21245234/you-cant-run-a-business-on-technology-alone.
    3. Eric Strafel. “Harnessing Unsung Employee Know-how,” Material Handling. November 26, 2021. https://www.mhlnews.com/labor-management/article/21181343/harnessing-unsung-employee-knowhow.

    Monadnock Paper Mills Welcomes Southeast Regional Manager

    Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc., Bennington, New Hampshire, announced Brigitte O’Connor has joined the company as the southeast regional sales manager.

    O’Connor has more than 25 years of experience in the industry, with a strong background in graphic communications, paper, packaging and printing.

    To learn more, visit www.mpm.com.

    Top 5 PostPress Articles from 2022

    While work on the first issue of 2023 is well underway, we paused to see which PostPress articles from 2022 caught the eyes of our readers. The following stories were the top reads from 2022 for visitors to the website.

    1. Troubleshooting Foil Stamping Challenges on Press

    FSEA Executive Director Jeff Peterson recently queried a trio of industry experts about foil stamping and embossing challenges. Bertrand Hayoz, Bobst; Andy Dvorsky, Dvorsky Press Services; and Sean Hurley, MCD, offered advice for finetuning techniques, making jobs more cost effective and speeding up production.

    2. Revival of the North American Book Market

    Despite (or because of) the COVID-19 pandemic, more printed books were sold in 2020 as compared to 2019. We are seeing a general flight back to reading printed books. Also, the younger generation is reading more again.

    3. Top 10 Packaging Trends for 2022

    Explore the packaging trends for 2022, including contract packaging, automation and virtual/augmented reality packaging. Luxury and vintage-style packaging also need to be considered.

    4. Cast and Cure Finds Niche for Many Applications

    Although film casting, known as Cast and Cure™, is not a new print technology, many industry veterans still misunderstand how the process actually works. PostPress sat down with Tim Cain, president of Breit Technologies, to discuss Cast and Cure, the best applications, and the advantages and disadvantages of the process.

    5. Designing for Specialty UV Coatings

    To take full advantage of the creativity offered by UV coatings, it is helpful to understand their strengths and weaknesses as dictated by the underlying press being used – traditional vs. digital. And it takes design expertise to use UV coatings for the most effective and memorable results.

    Old Thinking Won’t Lead to New Ideas

    5 tips to instantly become more innovative

    By Susan Robertson, Harvard lecturer and innovation consultant

    When you really need new ideas or fresh thinking or a creative solution to a challenge, a typical, day-to-day approach in your thinking is not the optimal process. Using the same old thinking will simply lead you to the same old ideas you’ve already had or tried before. Instead, you need to do something different that will stimulate your brain in diverse ways and shift your perspective on the issues. Here are some ways to ensure you (and your team) shake up your thinking so that you actually come up with the fresh, new ideas you need.

    1. Change your environment. Get outside your own conference room or office. Debrief the latest research results or industry report in an art museum. Or take your team to the zoo with the objective of coming back with new ideas. Depending on what part of the country you’re in, you could send your teams to the Mall of America, Walt Disney World or a trendy area of Manhattan to look for inspiration and new ideas.

    If you can’t physically get out of the office, then find a way to get out metaphorically. Ask people to imagine how they would solve the problem at hand if they lived in Antarctica, or if viewed from the perspective of a submarine captain.

    2. Bring outsiders in. Overtly invite other perspectives into your discovery and idea generation processes. For example, for a project on new packaging and product ideas for a beverage company, invite a boat designer, a rainwater management expert, a sculptor and a water-park designer (among others). Your project team will be amazed at the range and diversity of new ideas that come when they are exposed to new perspectives on their challenge. They’ll think of ideas they’ll agree they never would have arrived at on their own – due to their own embedded assumptions about the topic.

    3. Truly engage with your customers. Don’t rely solely on second-hand data to understand your customers’ needs. You need to actually talk to them. Go to their homes or offices to see the problems they need solutions for.

    All too often teams looking for an idea generation project will say, “We don’t need to do any discovery in advance because we already have ‘lots of data.’” This should always make you wary, because it usually means they have numerous reports with reams of statistics about customers. Unfortunately, it rarely means they have discovered any real new insight into customer needs.

    If you’re expecting your team to understand the customer by reading a deck or attending a Power Point presentation, challenge yourself to find a more engaging and interactive process. It will be far more effective to immerse your team in real customer understanding.

    4. Question everything. Do some specific exercises that force people to confront and challenge their subconscious assumptions about the topic. An easy way to do this is to first ask for ideas that the team thinks would solve the problem, but they probably couldn’t implement for some reason.

    Then, ask them to reframe each idea by saying “We might be able to implement this idea IF … ” What comes behind the “ifs” will help surface a lot of assumptions people have that may or may not actually be barriers. Of course, some of the barriers will turn out to be real, in which case, don’t spend more time on those ideas. But in every case that I’ve ever done this with client teams, they also discover many supposed barriers that they could actually solve for.

    5. Let some crazy in the room. The academic definition of creative thinking is “the process of coming up with new and useful ideas.” The only way to get new ideas is to start with seemingly crazy ideas. Every truly innovative idea seems a little crazy at first. If you only start with ideas that are comfortable or clearly easy to implement, they’re probably not very new.

    So, encourage people to throw in extremely wild ideas. Then, play a game called “If We Could.” Instruct the team to temporarily let go of the problems in the idea and ask, “If we could implement this idea, what would be the benefit(s)?” Once you have identified the benefits of each crazy idea, narrow down to the most promising few and ask the team to look for possible solutions to the barriers.

    A team was on the verge of killing a truly original idea for a new kids’ cereal, because they didn’t know how to create the critical component. However, after “If We Could,” they agreed the idea was so interesting and unique that they needed to explore it. The R&D team made a few calls to other experts, and within a few weeks, they had solved it. This idea resulted in the most successful new product launch in the brand’s history!

    It is unfortunately all too easy to simply approach every new challenge using our typical day-to-day thinking. It feels familiar, it’s easy to access that type of thinking, and it works on most daily challenges. So, you subconsciously assume it will work on any challenge. But it’s incredibly helpful to do some meta-analysis on your thinking. I.e., think about how you’re thinking. Not every problem will benefit from the same type of thinking. Once you recognize that this new situation needs new thinking, it’s fairly easy to do some things to shift to a more productive mode for this particular challenge. Then shift back to the more familiar day to day thinking for your daily tasks.

    Susan Robertson empowers individuals, teams and organizations to more nimbly adapt to change, by transforming thinking from “why we can’t” to “how might we?” She is a creative thinking expert with over 20 years of experience speaking and coaching in Fortune 500 companies. As an instructor on applied creativity at Harvard, Robertson brings a scientific foundation to enhancing human creativity. To learn more, go to https://susanrobertson.co/.

    DataGraphic Creates Smyth-Sewn Book for Global Diversity Movement

    By Erin La Row, editor, PostPress

    Many great design pieces begin with an idea. This one begins with a movement: Rare with Google – an initiative to help, in Google’s words, “change the face of a notoriously homogenous creative industry.” The team at DataGraphic, a US specialty printing company in Commack, New York, was tasked with creating what resulted in a stunning and unique book for the program.

    To complete the assignment, the team had to dive into the mission. Rare with Google is a global diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program. According to the Rare website, “Rare with Google provides equitable opportunities for underrepresented creatives to thrive at every stage of their career.” Since its founding in 2017, Australian experiential design studio Semi Permanent has designed and produced Rare’s evolving program, which includes talks, workshops, mentorship opportunities and research projects. MAUD, an Australian design firm and a founding partner of Rare with Google, was the design company behind the program’s intelligent, punk-inspired graphic identity.

    “Of the plethora of physical and digital assets created to support the program, DataGraphic was asked to produce this striking, exposed Smyth-sewn book,” said Glenn Schuster, president of DataGraphic.

    While there’s nothing unusual about a Smyth-sewn book, what makes this one stand out is the exposed binding. Schuster said it’s a design trend: The book’s edges are not wrapped with a hard or soft cover, but intentionally left uncovered so the stitching and glue are bare to the touch.

    “The Smyth-sewn binding was chosen by the creative director of the project since it lends itself nicely to the punk/D.I.Y. brand aesthetic that was used throughout the program’s creative assets,” Schuster said. “What makes this example of exposed Smyth-sewn binding unique is the layering effect created by the screen-printed clear PET dust jacket, which contains and protects the binding while leaving it visible.”

    The project used 130# ColorPlan Lockwood Green for the cover and 100# Mohawk Superfine White Eggshell for interior pages. Machines used in production of the book include a M+R Screen Press for screen printing white gloss UV ink; HP Indigo for the interior printing; and a Smyth Sewing Machine for the spine binding.

    Overall, Nicole Cappiello, account management and development with DataGraphic, said production went smoothly. The biggest challenge was being thousands of miles and an ocean away from the client.

    “Working with clients overseas was a bit of a challenge. We typically invite our clients to come into our facility for press approvals and encourage involvement in the process as much as possible. We overcame this distance dilemma through our consistent communication,” she said. “In addition to this project having an ambitious schedule, we were able to meet the quick turnaround needed.”

    Other than the challenge of distance, Cappiello said the project easily fell into place. “The technology and techniques used – it was nothing that wasn’t already in our wheelhouse,” she said.

    The final result is a book that serves the spirit of the Rare with Google program, and one the design team is proud to showcase. “Our clients were very pleased with the outcome,” Schuster said.

    Making Projects Stand Out with Spiral Coil Options

    By Rafael Renderos, PEL Manufacturing

    Mechanical binding uses many products, including Wire-O, combs and spiral coils (aluminum spirals, wire spirals and plastic spirals). This article focuses on spiral coils, as they are the most popular and most customizable product within the mechanical binding method. Spiral coils come in several diameters, colors, thicknesses, hole spacings and materials.

    Spiral coils are measured by inside diameter, with diameters ranging from 3/16″ (4.76 mm) to 4 ½″ (114.3 mm). Currently, the largest diameter in plastic is 3 ½″ (88.9 mm), and 4 ½″ in wire or aluminum. With diameters, gauge (material) thickness comes into play, as each diameter recommends a suggested gauge. But the beauty of spiral coils is there are no “standards.” As mentioned, spiral coils are customizable – it depends on the look one is going for, budget and supplier. For example: a 9/16″ (14.29 mm) 2.5:1 (hole spacing will be covered later) may suggest a gauge thickness of .103, but a gauge thickness of .135 also can be used. Customization can be done with all diameters, hole spacings and materials (aluminum, wire or plastic).

    Hole spacing, also known as pitch, refers to the number of holes per inch. For example, a 4:1 pitch means that there are four holes for every inch. There are 10 different pitches available – all serving a purpose – depending on the look one is going for and overall thickness of the project. However, there is no need to worry about having all pitches available – having a couple of them will be enough for most projects. If possible, have a 5:1, 4:1 or 2.5:1. A 5:1 pitch is perfect for calendars, short books/binding edge and thin books/projects. It offers a more appealing look due to the holes being closer together. It is something a project manager may want to suggest to clients, especially when binding short books. A 4:1 pitch can cover a wide range of diameters. It can be used with coil from ¼″ (6.35mm) up to 2″ (50.8mm). This pitch is one to have in inventory. A 2.5:1 pitch is great for larger projects. With a 2.5:1 pitch, a 3 ½″ (88.9 mm) coil can be used. A wider pitch will make the coil easier to insert on thicker projects – something to keep in mind for projects that call for a 2 1/8″ coil or larger.

    There currently are three types of materials being used to manufacture spiral coils: plastic, wire and aluminum. In the 1920s, plastic spirals were common. Wire spirals were introduced in the 1980s, and in the 1990s came aluminum spirals.

    So, which one is better? This is a question often asked, and it is difficult to give a simple explanation. There are a few components to consider: type of binding project, the look the client is going for and the client’s budget, just to name a few.

    Plastic spirals are great for most binding projects, especially children’s books. Plastic spirals come in a variety of colors. About 40 colors readily are available, but custom colors always can be made. Plastic spirals also come in various lengths, ranging from 6″ to 40″, depending on the supplier. Among all three materials, plastic spirals are the most economical so, if the budget is tight, plastic spirals will be the way to go.

    Wire spirals, not to be confused with Wire-O, are single-loop spirals, just like plastic and aluminum (yes, the same punching and inserting equipment can be used with all three materials). They also come in a variety of colors, including custom colors. One common complaint is that the material is too thin and the spiral could distort after heavy use. This issue easily can be resolved with a little customization – a heavier gauge can be suggested. For example, many menu companies are using heavy-gauge wire for their projects – .055 gauge with a 7 mm spiral coil. Wire spirals also come in various lengths and pitches.

    Aluminum spirals, the newest of the bunch, are becoming popular. Aluminum spirals have been around for almost 25 years but did not gain popularity until the early 2000s, when planner companies started using them. Aluminum spirals also are in high demand with marketing companies, as they always are looking to stand out with a unique product. Many binderies are making a switch from wire to aluminum, as it is a strong alloy but lighter in weight, allowing them to save in shipping costs. The base color for aluminum spirals is silver or “plain aluminum,” but like the other materials, color can be added. Aluminum spirals, made in the USA, are manufactured from “virgin” aluminum and are an eco-friendly product. Like wire and plastic, aluminum spirals also are single-loop continuous coils. Aluminum spirals also offer a wide range of diameters, from 3/16″ (4.76 mm) to 3 ½″ (88.9 mm), and they can be manufactured in 10 different pitches.

    Mechanical binding offers a wide range of products, not just plastic spirals, and within each of the materials used there are options. Each binding project is different – each customer is different – and it is up to binders and finishers to make customers aware of all available mechanical binding options.

    Rafael Renderos is a sales and marketing specialist at PEL Manufacturing. Learn more at www.pelspiral.com.