PrintingNews.com

The 2007 Digital Smart Factory conference in mid-Jan. in Orlando, hosted by the R&E Council of NAPL, the trade association for excellence in graphic communications management, was the latest in a series that began in 1997. Originally seen as a forum for helping printers adapt to CIP3, the meeting was initially run by and for technology gurus and consultants trying to make everything work together.

Today, the CIP4 protocol has most major printing equipment and software manufacturers at least trying to communicate with each other, and the recent meeting moved it to the next level-that of helping print business owners and managers integrate the technology into their businesses.

More specifically, the conference dealt with printers' efforts to automate what is often seen as one of the last bastions of manual effort, trade practices, and disparate operations.

Although conducted by NAPL, the conference featured presenters from Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, and IPA, indicating a common interest not always seen among various trade associations.

Also participating in the meeting were two important teaching universities in the graphic arts-Rochester Institute of Technology and Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada.

Clearly the most encouraging aspect of the meeting was the number of printers and mailers telling of their success in making technology not only work, but improve profitability. Printing News readers were among those successful technology adapters describing their automation efforts.

Tales from the Front Lines

Ron Snyder, chief information officer of Direct Group, Swedesboro, N.J., told the crowd that his company prints and mails some 1.5 billion pieces of direct mail annually. The complex structure of the Direct Group operation, and the accuracy requirements imposed both by clients and the United States Postal Service (USPS), mean that managers and supervisors need real-time data-both as a means of better managing the operation, and being able to keep customers current regarding the status of their work.

Before Direct Group automated its finishing and fulfillment operation, information was batched in its MIS system, and reports were available to management from 24 to 28 hours after data had been gathered. Now, information is available in real time, and Direct Group personnel can track product as it moves through the plant and beyond. Managers and supervisors no longer need to spend time reviewing manual reports, and specific questions from customers can be answered when they arise.