No, we aren’t talking about their diet, we’re talking about the way they approach their business. Grand format digital printing is, by nature, innovative. To stay on top of their game, your printer must use the best of the best when it comes to tools and processes. That includes lean manufacturing principles.
What is lean manufacturing?
It’s an approach to business operations that focuses on two things:
- Eliminating or minimizing waste to create greater value.
- Continuously improving production processes to create better quality.
Lean thinking and management have become a way of life for manufacturers across virtually all industries. It enables them to work smarter and more effectively, saving time and money and passing those savings along to their customers.
Although lean manufacturing seems only about equipment and processes, the system is actually focused on people. Your grand format printer’s people are the ones who use equipment and processes to continuously devise new ways to provide you – their customer – with greater value.
Lean manufacturing promotes process automation.
For a grand format printer, pre-press automation is especially important. Pre-press is the critical foundation of each of your printing projects. It sets the stage so your customer’s design can be transformed from digital data to a unique, impressive finished product.
Set-up and making that final check involves highly detailed work, and every detail matters. When your printer automates the pre-press step:
- The process goes faster. You and your customer get proofs in significantly less time, reducing overall turnaround time. Big rush? Pre-press automation allows your printer to manage the process reliably to meet your deadline.
- The process goes more smoothly. Automation enables your printer to “gang” projects being produced on the same material. Your job shares with another, saving production time and reducing material waste. You save money.
Your customer may not care about the specifics of set-up, but they do care about the speed and quality of the job you’re completing for them. As a print shop/broker, you’ll be more valuable and more competitive working with a grand format printer who adopts the latest best practices.
Lean manufacturing is based on continuous improvement.
Why choose a printer who is happy with the status quo? Your customers expect more than that, and so do you. New technologies – and, therefore, new capabilities – are constantly emerging. Dedication to continuous improvement assures your printer can respond beautifully to every opportunity you dream up.
So before you choose a grand format printer for your next customer project, ask whether they are “thinking lean.” For more help with choosing a grand format printer, download our free eBook. Just click the button below.
