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Waunakee, Wisconsin

Articles

	NAPL's Leadership Excellence
	Plant and Production Minimum Steps To Maximize Technology
	By Hal Ettinger

 

Give Employees

• Adequate Services
• Latest Training
• Planned Production
• Suitable Systems

Today the printing industry is battling a two-headed beast: On one side, keeping up with and taking full advantage of new technologies; on the other, providing a work environment that supports employees and helps them adjust to new ways of doing things.

Technological advances that would have been dismissed 10 or 15 years ago as a science fiction are now a reality. The danger is that the printing industry may be so enamored with technology, it's overlooking the fact that all the technology in the world is useless if the work environment can't support it. An integrated work environment is vital to the success of a printing company, and more attention should be given to four key elements: Employee Services, Training, Well-Planned Production Areas, and Effective Building and Process Systems.

Essential to Efficiency

Employees services are arguably the most important element of a printer's work environment since they involve plant areas employees interact with during their work day, and are essential if employees are to perform efficiently. They should include, at a minimum:

• A meeting area where production or coordination discussions can take place without having to raise one's voice to be heard over the sounds of equipment, or without having to use a skid as a meeting table.
• A break area where employees can get away from the noise and collect their thoughts.
• Locker and toilet facilities that can be kept clean because of maintainable floor and wall materials.
• A lunch room that provides the essentials so employees don't feel camping out would be better.
• An exercise room--doubling as a meeting room--that encourages fitness and tells employees the owner is committed to their well-being.

Employees themselves are the best indicators of a company's commitment to employee services: Their body language, the look in their eyes reflects how they feel about their work. When employees feel good about their work environment, the payoff for the company is greater productivity. Compared with the cost of technology, the price to upgrade employee services is relatively small and a great investment.

Knowing that a company encourages individual growth through training, goes a long way toward helping employees feel good about themselves and about the company. Training-related components should include:

• A suitable area for new employee and ongoing training. Without such, any training is ineffective. Because space is often at a premium, a printer may be forced to make a training area a low priority, but with a little thought and creativity, the problem can be solved. Consider, for example, creating a multi-purpose space by clearing out an area used as an equipment graveyard or taking advantage of a building's height to create a mezzanine area for training.
• The latest training methods. Today a variety of audio-visual equipment, videos, and interactive videos, can enhance training.
• A room or area to simulate a specific task or procedure that employees are being trained to perform. The room can also double as a meeting room. A properly equipped training area sends the powerful message to employees: "You're important to this operation and the company will provide you with the tools to advance your skills and be able to perform at your highest level."

The production activity is the most visible component in a work environment, but companies seldom do much to improve it. A plant's production method is the quarterback of any printing operation and should be its highest priority. Modernizing the production area has both physical and psychological aspects:

• On the physical side, work flow should be discussed among management and plant personnel, and production areas arranged to optimize the flow of materials--from receiving raw materials to shipping goods. Handling is minimized with adequate work-in-process areas for quick retrieval of product to next-work station.
• On the psychological side, creating condition conducive to productivity is critical. Proper lighting schemes in operator areas reduce eye strain and improve the mood within the plant, thus increasing productivity; floor finishes and wall materials that meet the daily rigors of material handling and running equipment help make a plant presentable.

Promised Rewards

Building and process systems--including the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure--are the unsung heroes (or villains) in all operations of a plant, acting behind the scenes to support the work environment. These may also include pollution abatement, chill water and central inking systems.

Building and process systems often are the proverbial weak link in otherwise strong operations, but are critical to achieving maximum plant efficiencies. For example, climate control, primarily in sheetfed pressroom and binderies, reduces equipment jam-ups and downtime. An "out-of sight, out-of-mind" attitude about building and process systems is definitely counter-productive when it comes to improving a plant's work environment.

Printing plants that succeed in the 21st Century will be those that not only keep pace with technology, but also make an integrated work environment a top priority. Employee services, training, production areas, and building and process systems--only when these elements receive the attention they deserve will technology bring the rewards it promises.

 

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