Help with Job Orders & Organization in Press

[impresslb]

We are a small 4 color famly business and we are having a lot of difficulty organizing the work flow in our business.

Jobs come in to the design department and once approved go to pre-press and then to the press then delivery. We have tried all sorts of forms to fill out and job orders but we really dont know how to design a system (forms) to propperly organize the job and track it as it goes through the different departments to make sure we are following up and we dont forget any jobs. We know we need to make numbered NCR forms and have duplicates etc... but we were hoping some fellow more organized printers could share their systems r maybe even copies of the forms they use to stay on top of things. We tried to find a system out there to teach us, or templates to purchase but had no luck.

Any suggestions ? We desperately need some help.

If any of you would be kind enough to share some forms etc... please email them to email@impressadvertising.com

Thank you.

Fadi Rebeiz

[pacart]

We use Printsmith from EFI it seems to work very well, all of the job info is contained on the computer and a couple of sheets (usually one) of paper that follow the job jackets through the life of the job, pretty customizable and they offer training

[Bret Hesler]

You will get the most benefit from building a job ticket and a schedule board that are customized to your business, equipment, and capabilities. The job ticket travels with the job, and the schedule board has cards or magnets that correspond to the jobs (or forms of the job). The cards can be marked when plates are made, paper is received, ... Then, as each process is completed, the operator or supervisor moves the card to the next step.

Do you have people dedicated to customer service or production coordinators who can keep track of the jobs? You might have to look at how your shop is organized if jobs are getting lost or forgotten.

Bret

[impresslb]

We use Printsmith from EFI it seems to work very well, all of the job info is contained on the computer and a couple of sheets (usually one) of paper that follow the job jackets through the life of the job, pretty customizable and they offer training

Thanks for your reply. We have justed using a software from PRINTMIS in the UK for estimating , its reallyl good and we are still getting used to it. As far as job ticket and job jackets , this is the administration part we need help with. Not from a software side, more on what the ticket should look like, should it be on an ncr form ? how many copies ? should it have pricing info ? which may be too private to share with all the staff in the press ? Also the job jacket, when should it be opened ? what should be inside it ? IS it possile to get copies of the forms you use ? so we understand more how to set up the form and what small checkboxes etc... should be on it ? also maybe the job jacket. I know its not rocket science, but we are tryin to avoide a steep learning curve.

Thank you so much .

Fadi Rebeiz

[impresslb]

You will get the most benefit from building a job ticket and a schedule board that are customized to your business, equipment, and capabilities. The job ticket travels with the job, and the schedule board has cards or magnets that correspond to the jobs (or forms of the job). The cards can be marked when plates are made, paper is received, ... Then, as each process is completed, the operator or supervisor moves the card to the next step.

Do you have people dedicated to customer service or production coordinators who can keep track of the jobs? You might have to look at how your shop is organized if jobs are getting lost or forgotten.

Bret

We use Printsmith from EFI it seems to work very well, all of the job info is contained on the computer and a couple of sheets (usually one) of paper that follow the job jackets through the life of the job, pretty customizable and they offer training

Thanks for your reply. We have justed using a software from PRINTMIS in the UK for estimating , its reallyl good and we are still getting used to it. As far as job ticket and job jackets , this is the administration part we need help with. Not from a software side, more on what the ticket should look like, should it be on an ncr form ? how many copies ? should it have pricing info ? which may be too private to share with all the staff in the press ? IS it possile to get copies of the forms you use ? so we understand more how to set up the form and what small checkboxes etc... should be on it ? also maybe the job jacket. I know its not rocket science, but we are tryin to avoide a steep learning curve.

Thank you so much .

Fadi Rebeiz

[sallak]

had same problem
lately i used NCR forms, with two copies
1st part with pricing details kept attached , perforations below, part with all detaisl including oreder No. client name, description of job, quantity, paper type and weight, quantity, cut size, colour "in order".
machine to be used, No. of colours, duplex or one side
if there is numbering " from 0000 to 0000", die cutting, laminating, scoring or perforatiion, type of binding, method of packing. u may need some space for notes
every few months i adjust this form according to my needs and asking experts

[impresslb]

Hello ,

Thanks for the info, is it possible to get a pic of your board, we really have no idea how to set it up, and where to write the customer name and how to move it along, how to put the deadline etc....

Is there a source for such boards, that make it easier, are the completely blank when you buy them.

I just need a picture of the board or a sketch etc... anything to help us set it up.

Thank you.

Fadi Rebeiz

[ajr]

Have a look at google docs, you can make a spreadsheet online anyone can view it over the internet , they just need a link. You can design a spreadsheet with all your jobs on it and the progress can be updated by anyone anywhere, in the office on the press etc. You only need an internet connection, its free.

Worth a look

A

[Bret Hesler]

I've seen all sorts, but the last two shops I have worked in used magnetic, dry erase boards, available at most office supply stores. A blank board will let you customize it to your equipment. We have a grid on the board with thin black tape, similar to pin striping tape. Jobs were put on magnetic card holders, with job number, customer name, paper size, colors, impressions...

My current shop has a digital press, two sheetfed presses, cut, fold, stitch, and hand bindery. the board is about 4 ft x 8 ft, with the equipment along the top, and the days of the week (two weeks total) going down the side. The last shop I worked in had 3 webs and 7 sheetfed presses with bindery off site. They had the days of the week across the top, and the presses down the side, and had multiple, moveable boards spanning a couple months. When one board was done, they would move it to the end, and slide the others down.

In my experience, scheduling works best when you start with the due date and work backwards.

Bret

[gordo]

I've seen all sorts, but the last two shops I have worked in used magnetic, dry erase boards, available at most office supply stores.

I worked at a $30 million dollar printer and the scheduling system we used was also very basic.
We had a large whiteboard in the production department. It was divided into a grid. From left to right boxes represented the days of the week. I believe that it was divided left to right into 21 boxes/days.
From top to bottom the grid was divided into customer names. I think there were about 50 spaces.
We used colored Post-it notes to represent job status. Something like - white = in prepress, yellow = plated, green = in pressroom, pink = bindery, purple = in shipping.
Each morning there would be a manager's meeting to discuss job status and the Post-it notes would be moved from left to right on the board to show the job's progression. If status notes were required (e.g. proof waiting approval) they would simply be written onto the post-it note for that job. If there was a significant problem it was indicated with a star on the post-it note.

So simply looking at the board would tell any one in production or the CSR exactly how many jobs were in the shop and within each department and their status relative to the delivery date (which was marked with a star on the board).

The board would be updated at noon and at the end of day by department heads.

Worked pretty good though and I've seen similar systems in many shops.

best, gordon p