RUsure
Active member
LEAN is interesting . . .
LEAN is interesting . . .
. . . and certainly a worthy goal in print production.
However, I am a Prepress guy recently hired & layed-off (May>Sept.) at the Tampa (Clearwater, actually) shop referenced by DGornick. The shop has numerous husband/wife, father/son and brother entanglements, plus employees who have been with the company for 15-20+ years. These folks (& their habits) are untouchable.
The Sales Dept. is of the opinion that without them, the shop will fold - basically accurate, as all shops need work to be "brought in". But, the extreme scenario that exists has the following consequences:
A) Job info can be spotty & questions are treated as an indication of incompetence
B) "fix-it" work is rarely billed, much less figured into turn-around time
C) proofing becomes a hit & miss proposition, as the third option "Fix&Go" is horribly misused
Examples of "C" abound - a flood varnish job that becomes "reverse-out certain patterns" & "hit only logos with gloss", or files that go through Planning>Preflight>Prepress - get proofed, then the client (& sales) whistle a "new doc file" into the mix (most times via e-mail to?) that is rubber-stamped (not viewed) by Planning as they drop the job back into Prepress as a "Fix&Go". Sometimes the preceeding Preflight activity is noted (& noticeable in semi-updated work orders), so that their work can be re-created by the Prepress Operator. The efforts at "updating" the work order are laudable, but from May>Sept. the only effect has been to take one of the most experienced Prepress guys out of production to "design & re-design" the various dept. sheets as they are "tweaked".
Anyway, the 6a-2pm*, 10-6pm, 2-10pm & 9p-6am people (one each shift - *being manager) are under the gun. As Sales (8a-6p) drop things haphazardly into Estimating or Planning, the propensity of the Planning (6-3p & 9-6p)/Preflight (6-2p & 7-4p) flow is to eject intricate "RUSH" or "Fix&Go" jobs into Prepress at 4-6:30pm, as they leave. This is compounded by a shop-wide insistence that Prepress is the place where every deficiency gets noticed & fixed. Fonts that don't get collected by Preflight, templates from Planning (Preps>ApogeeX) that require adjustments (90 degree layout spins to jobs w/2 docs - one being a spread of two 2/S 8.5x11", the 2nd being 2/S 11x17" but one template), and the ever-present Sales oversights & complications . . .
IMHO the function of the Sales>Planning>Preflight>Prepress "walk of life" is that of a filtering organism. Questions get answered, problems get solved & the workflow has enough eyes to QC all changes, et cetera. Not "Fix&Go" situations where a job is being plated by the guy who had the proof (& job) handed to him at 5pm with the caveat "it's running tonight".
LEAN is apparently on hold there (decided this week) for whatever reasoning (meeting length?). I was present for one 2hr. meeting presided over by DGornick & it was very informative - but (as was admitted during said meeting) it would seem to be a tough row to hoe in that particular culture. Not only because the race to invoice (w/out ruffling client feathers w/pesky AA charges) is paramount - or because the shop is "slow". But because the hoped-for "pull" function/method of production is being overridden by the culture of long-term position/personality & front-end "push".
I would welcome a chance to work in a viable shop that could recognize workers willing to try a LEAN approach - as opposed to a place where headhunting is an exit strategy, not a reliable method to add quality, flexible people . . .
LEAN is interesting . . .
. . . and certainly a worthy goal in print production.
However, I am a Prepress guy recently hired & layed-off (May>Sept.) at the Tampa (Clearwater, actually) shop referenced by DGornick. The shop has numerous husband/wife, father/son and brother entanglements, plus employees who have been with the company for 15-20+ years. These folks (& their habits) are untouchable.
The Sales Dept. is of the opinion that without them, the shop will fold - basically accurate, as all shops need work to be "brought in". But, the extreme scenario that exists has the following consequences:
A) Job info can be spotty & questions are treated as an indication of incompetence
B) "fix-it" work is rarely billed, much less figured into turn-around time
C) proofing becomes a hit & miss proposition, as the third option "Fix&Go" is horribly misused
Examples of "C" abound - a flood varnish job that becomes "reverse-out certain patterns" & "hit only logos with gloss", or files that go through Planning>Preflight>Prepress - get proofed, then the client (& sales) whistle a "new doc file" into the mix (most times via e-mail to?) that is rubber-stamped (not viewed) by Planning as they drop the job back into Prepress as a "Fix&Go". Sometimes the preceeding Preflight activity is noted (& noticeable in semi-updated work orders), so that their work can be re-created by the Prepress Operator. The efforts at "updating" the work order are laudable, but from May>Sept. the only effect has been to take one of the most experienced Prepress guys out of production to "design & re-design" the various dept. sheets as they are "tweaked".
Anyway, the 6a-2pm*, 10-6pm, 2-10pm & 9p-6am people (one each shift - *being manager) are under the gun. As Sales (8a-6p) drop things haphazardly into Estimating or Planning, the propensity of the Planning (6-3p & 9-6p)/Preflight (6-2p & 7-4p) flow is to eject intricate "RUSH" or "Fix&Go" jobs into Prepress at 4-6:30pm, as they leave. This is compounded by a shop-wide insistence that Prepress is the place where every deficiency gets noticed & fixed. Fonts that don't get collected by Preflight, templates from Planning (Preps>ApogeeX) that require adjustments (90 degree layout spins to jobs w/2 docs - one being a spread of two 2/S 8.5x11", the 2nd being 2/S 11x17" but one template), and the ever-present Sales oversights & complications . . .
IMHO the function of the Sales>Planning>Preflight>Prepress "walk of life" is that of a filtering organism. Questions get answered, problems get solved & the workflow has enough eyes to QC all changes, et cetera. Not "Fix&Go" situations where a job is being plated by the guy who had the proof (& job) handed to him at 5pm with the caveat "it's running tonight".
LEAN is apparently on hold there (decided this week) for whatever reasoning (meeting length?). I was present for one 2hr. meeting presided over by DGornick & it was very informative - but (as was admitted during said meeting) it would seem to be a tough row to hoe in that particular culture. Not only because the race to invoice (w/out ruffling client feathers w/pesky AA charges) is paramount - or because the shop is "slow". But because the hoped-for "pull" function/method of production is being overridden by the culture of long-term position/personality & front-end "push".
I would welcome a chance to work in a viable shop that could recognize workers willing to try a LEAN approach - as opposed to a place where headhunting is an exit strategy, not a reliable method to add quality, flexible people . . .
