How Much $$ to Process an Order? More Than You Think! Editor’s Note In the last PERF Print Report we took a look at “The True Cost of Processing a Print Job.”  In that study we interviewed many manufacturers and discussed workflow improvements, and where time and labor can be shaved off the process. In this issue, we dig much deeper, and we’ve included the actual costs based on the outline of typical steps involved in processing an order through a plant.

Everyone knows that the more you can automate your business and production processes, the more you can take out of your bottom line. Translation — the more money you make. But much of this discussion is theoretical. How many companies have taken the time to break down their order processing costs from end to end and really understand how much each step and sub-step costs them? Consequently, if you don’t know your costs, it’s impossible to get your mind around how expensive these inefficiencies and manual aspects of your workflow are. For this report, we broke down the administrative and production components in one specific job workflow and asked a number of manufacturers to assign each step an estimated hourly rate and an estimated time per task. Using these numbers, we created an average hourly rate and time per task that we used to estimate the average cost of each task for the survey group. For this exercise, we used a hypothetical (new, not repeat) order for a two-color, three-part unit set, 8 1/2x11, quantity of 10,000.

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IPEX 2006—Blending of Offset and Digital Printing Technologies By Ivars Sarkans Editor’s Note This is the second part of a two-part article on the large IPEX 2006 show in Birmingham, England. The first part of the article highlighted technologies and industry trends with significant implications for sellers and producers of business documents and related printed products.  The second part covers more specific new equipment and systems at IPEX 2006 for conventional and digital printing, finishing and specialty niche applications, and the associated new product opportunities.

The equipment displays at the IPEX 2006 international printing equipment exhibition showed both complementary and adversarial relationships between offset and digital printing technologies.  With over 20% of exhibit space devoted to digital printing equipment and related systems, the balance between technologies used in the printing industry is clearly shifting.  One major trend is the integration of offset and digital equipment as complementary printing plant capabilities.  This was one of the themes of the large Xerox booth.  The leading display promoting integration of offset and digital equipment in traditional printing plants was a new version of Xerox Free Flow digital printing production management and workflow software that can now interface with some of the popular offset production “front end” workflow systems. Many suppliers of digital presses promoted the various ways that short run and variable imaging advantages of their machines can complement what commercial, book, document and specialty printers can do with their offset presses.  Printers visiting IPEX 2006 appeared to be receptive to this message.  Digital printing was promoted to this audience with strong emphasis on business strategies, applications, marketing methods and new mixed printing technology workflows.  A sizeable number of exhibits focused on the many ways that digital printing can improve the service level and responsiveness of traditional printing plants, add value, provide access to new market niches and form stronger service-based bonds between printers and their customers.

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Contributors to this issue of the PERF Print Report: