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Testimonials

“I am very happy with the layout that you put together for us. We are filling up the western side of the building's office space with a design company, a music company and a large format output device. We are going to be rebranding as the COT Media Group later this month. We now need to refine a few Standard Operating procedures to maximize the work flow. Things however are dramatically improved with the new layout. I will keep you posted and please feel free to have anyone contact me for a reference.”

Nigel Worme

Managing Director
COT Caribbean Graphics

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Articles

Evel Kneivel only tried to jump a canyon, not build a printing plant, but he planned his jump down to every detail because he wanted to know exactly what would happen before he started down the ramp. There comes a point in any plant construction project where the owner has "started down the ramp" and he'd better have planned thoroughly and exercised as much control as possible before he starts rolling because, once he does, he is going to find himself at the mercy of a great many forces over which he has little control.

Building a new printing plant-even expanding or remodeling an existing facility-can be a costly, disruptive, costly, unpleasant, difficult, costly, time consuming, and costly process that only distracts the owner/manager from his most important business, i.e. his business, for the duration of the project. Ergo, there had better be a pretty big pay-off at the end to make the whole enterprise worthwhile.

An important concept to keep in mind when approaching such a project is that many of the biggest obstacles may be our own ideas, especially if we are approaching such a task for the first time. Here's a quick look at some of the more common misconceptions, and the types of problems that can result.

• It's no big deal. We're just building a printing plant! We know a lot about our business, and we tend to think that means we are the best judges of what is required in a new facility and how to go about getting it. Don't be deceived. Although we know print production workflow, we are not architects or contractors. Printing is a highly technical process that can benefit or suffer greatly from even small changes to the buildings that house it.

We can also fall into the trap of thinking that our experience with the relatively complicated process of printing means that we can successfully organize other types of projects. The problem here is that native intelligence and printing knowledge aren't the same as years of experience in construction, building codes, and material strengths and weaknesses.

Today and Tomorrow

Another issue we may overlook is planning a facility that will meet our future needs. We have to give consideration to being able to handle coming technologies and business trends as well as current operations. We also need to account for the possibility of eventually moving away from the facility, whether because of further expansion, shifting markets, mergers, etc.

Too much rigid design around the current requirements of printing or our existing processes may result in a severely reduced price in the real estate market down the road. Knowing how to look beyond current uses and technologies is an important way to maximize the value of your investment.

• Contractors are out to kill me and if they don't the architect surely will! This mindset can poison relationships with service providers from the outset of the project, causing delays and excessive cost at every turn. The irony is that thinking this way can produce exactly the result that we are trying to avoid.

  In dealings with design and construction professionals, try to work with them on their side of the table to anticipate problems. Develop a good working relationship that fosters openness and trust, and then capitalize on that base with frequent communications and consultations. The application of basic principles of purchasing and accounting will provide sufficient notice of any questionable practices or expenses for you to follow up accordingly.

• The project will be delayed and over budget. Although project overruns and delays are not uncommon, they are also not inevitable. Additional costs during construction do occur, but with proper preparation, realistic expectations, and good communications, you can prevent or significantly reduce these problems and help bring the project in on time and within budget.

Common Scenarios

You can't go it alone and expect either to complete the project successfully or to achieve what we call "Best Market Value" for your dollars. To obtain these desirable results, you have to take an organized approach to the entire project in the context of your organization and the larger marketplace, both for graphic communications and the construction industry.

"Plan for new technologies and trends as well as current needs."

Even with professional help, you will still have a variety of options to investigate at each turn. One concerns the relationships and responsibilities of the various parties during the project. We can work with architects and construction companies in several ways. Again, our own expectations will have a lot to do with the way these interactions are structured. Here are a few common scenarios and some of the results we can expect:

• Drive the car and tell me when we arrive. In this model, we seek to hand over the reins and let someone else take care of the entire project, presenting us with the keys to the building when it's done. The hope is to avoid spending a lot of time, and perhaps minimize mistakes, by letting someone else take responsibility. But no one else has the responsibility but you, and you can't just abdicate it.

  Although we encourage the enlightened use of professional help, we would never suggest that you follow blindly wherever it leads. See your involvement in the project as an opportunity to develop new skills and experience while ensuring that the company gets what it needs.

• Pre-conceived ideas of who does what and how. It's easy to confuse titles with the people who bear them, and this tendency can stand in the way of getting the best use from available resources. You will need to get to know the companies and the people who are working on the project with you beyond the surface impressions.

  When you begin to assemble the players, ask them what special experiences, interests or abilities they might have. Spread this information around the group and look for ways to put the entire spectrum of skills into play.

• I will share my ideas; you give me the solutions. In many ways similar to the first scenario, this has additional elements of challenge and rigidity. We aren't interested in compromise, discussion, or rethinking any of our requirements with the pros. Unfortunately, instead of maximizing value, this may force others to make guesses and assumptions. The result is too often shock and dismay when the results are unveiled and we discover they aren't what we wanted.

A Team Sport

Although you should not dodge ultimate responsibility for the project, that doesn't mean you should shoulder the entire burden. The best way to handle such a complex undertaking is to assemble a project team. Many such efforts fail because of the overwhelming demands placed on one individual. Sadly, sometimes it's just a real or perceived lack of time that prevents the project manager from getting other people involved; sometimes it is past bad experiences with delegation or committees.

"Look for ways to put the entire spectrum of skills into play."

Whatever the reason, an expansion project is a good opportunity to take advantage of the power of a smooth running project team, which can also help ensure that the needs of some areas are not overlooked or short-changed.

Every area of a printing plant has its own requirements, and all must interface successfully to ensure a smooth and efficient workflow. It's the same with an expansion project. Each group has its own perspective on the best way to organize space to serve the customers, but we need to combine these viewpoints to form the whole picture.

Sales representatives and owners want a pleasing appearance, with comfortable appointments for customer waiting areas. Private areas for conversations and negotiations are needed, and there should be a wide variety of service areas and equipment, from dining and washroom facilities to viewing and conference rooms. There will be a need for ample parking and building access, with appropriate security that does not intrude any more than necessary.

The warehouse, on the other hand, may be much more interested in the number of loading docks and the optimum aisle width for the best combination of safety, space usage, and product protection and identification. Instead of carpets, this area needs floors that can handle material handling traffic in large volumes with little maintenance. Heating and air conditioning equipment will have to handle much larger volumes of air and reliable, economic operation will be key considerations.

The pressroom will need good control of temperature, humidity, and airborne contaminants. Material flow and handling will be given much consideration, along with layouts that maximize machine productivity in any way possible.

The bindery will have to deal with segregation of jobs, disposal of large amounts of scrap material, storage and handling of packing materials and material from outside suppliers. Flexible machine placement and storage of auxiliary equipment are much more important than in most pressrooms, while both areas need to control high volume doorways that can cause problems with traffic and environmental control.

Successful management of our business requires us to listen to all these areas and make informed decisions about how best to proceed. One of the most important concepts to keep in mind is that it is possible to give voice to all stakeholders if you make it part of your plan to do so. The task you face is understanding and knitting all these priorities and needs into a unified functional workplace.

Coming Attractions

How does this all work in the real world? Here's a peak at what you would be doing for the next 12 to 18 months if you decided right now- today-to go ahead, full steam, on building a new printing plant, expanding your existing operations, or renovating the building across town you've just bought.

"Many of the biggest obstacles may be our own ideas."

First, you'll have to set up a project team. Then you'll have to put your arms around what it will take to bring relief to your existing production bottlenecks and determine where sales and equipment are driving you. Next you'll need to begin developing various scenarios and determining if moving, expanding, or retrofitting is the solution for you. A "typical project" will take anywhere from nine to 18 months, although some building expansions and plant renovations may be finished in less time and some major projects may take longer (see sidebar).

The primary goal of any expansion should be to improve production efficiencies, not just make the building look nicer from the outside. Fight the tendency to spend money on aesthetic improvements and not on interior building improvements that will lead to better operating efficiencies and a quicker return on you capital investment. Shipping docks may not be the prettiest part of your building, but they make you the most money.

'Rules' for Efficient Expansion

If building a new facility or expanding/retrofitting an existing one for new services or equipment is part of your business plan, following these three simple "rules" will help increase the odds for a successful outcome:

• Develop your plant layout from the general to the specific. For each area or department, there are two layouts: the general (where it fits within the overall plant layout) and the specific or internal (the layout of operations within the department; how it handles its own process). The design process should always begin from the general-a department adjacency perspective-rather than from an internal department plan.
• Refer to the overall design ("master") plan during every stage of the process. Design choices at any point in the process are determined-and constrained-by the choices that preceded them. To avoid problems at later stages, align every decision along the way with the master plan. (The overall plan can be adjusted to meet any circumstantial changes, e.g., decision to add new equipment, etc., but it should not be ignored halfway through the process.
• Consider everything with equal attention. In the layout planning stage, give the same level of attention to every area. Often, too much time is spent on more visible areas-the pressroom, main entry, and executive offices-while back-end operations such as shipping are given short shrift. Less glamorous, but equally important, areas also deserve attention.

(This is the first of a two-part article. In the next issue, Hal Ettinger will provide guidelines for setting up an expansion project team and selecting consultants.)

Hal Ettinger is president of RBE Company, Lawrence, Kan., which provides project management, plant layout, and engineering design services exclusively to the printing industry.

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