"A New Building Is Just the Beginning"
When print shops reach their limits, the question presents
itself - expand, build new or reorganize? Erich Zahn from
Heidelberg Business Consultancy has the answer. For almost 20 years
he has been supporting businesses from the print media industry
worldwide in planning their space and the ideal layout for
production lines and processes. Heidelberg News asked what's
important.
Mr. Zahn, what significance do aspects such as the flow of materials, logistics and factory planning have at Heidelberg?
Zahn: Those are very key topics for us. We want our customers to achieve optimum result in all areas, after all. For that we have to pay attention to a lot more than just the machine's direct surroundings.
What is typically wrong with a printing press' surroundings when a customer turns to you for support?
Zahn: Usually there's simply not enough room available. Earlier, four-color machines and maybe coating were used for folding cartons. Today, the printing presses and folder gluers are twice as long and significantly wider. The machine's performance abilities on the same amount of space have also grown incredibly. The entire flow of material in printing folding cartons is much stronger and in the case of commercial print products much more varied, meaning all the space is used up. When reorganizing, you therefore need to see how the available production rooms, which usually serve as a buffer, can be better used. The other option is to plan and build a completely new factory. In both cases, processes and workflow need to be closely examined of course. So the starting point can be very different. In the end, however, the question for us is always how we can help our customers manage their businesses faster, better and more economically than before.
Aside from spatial changes, where is the largest room for improvement based on your experience?
Zahn: That varies from company to company. Nevertheless, very often the same functions are separated from one another, for example incoming and outgoing goods. Businesses that combine them save space, forklifts, work and administrative work. The various materials in the storeroom - raw materials, finished goods, auxiliary supplies and spare parts - should also be consolidated. That helps reduce volumes and allow them to be used more flexibly. At another print shop organizational changes could be the key to success. For example, when there are a lot of stoppers during printing because the paper wasn't cleanly cut at the paper factory or because the pile wasn't prepared enough and the sheets can't be easily separated at the delivery. In this case, jogging and airing the pile in a pile turner could help. Although that means additional work, the printing press' higher productivity would well compensate for that.
You can download the complete interview on the top right-hand side.
Mr. Zahn, what significance do aspects such as the flow of materials, logistics and factory planning have at Heidelberg?
Zahn: Those are very key topics for us. We want our customers to achieve optimum result in all areas, after all. For that we have to pay attention to a lot more than just the machine's direct surroundings.
What is typically wrong with a printing press' surroundings when a customer turns to you for support?
Zahn: Usually there's simply not enough room available. Earlier, four-color machines and maybe coating were used for folding cartons. Today, the printing presses and folder gluers are twice as long and significantly wider. The machine's performance abilities on the same amount of space have also grown incredibly. The entire flow of material in printing folding cartons is much stronger and in the case of commercial print products much more varied, meaning all the space is used up. When reorganizing, you therefore need to see how the available production rooms, which usually serve as a buffer, can be better used. The other option is to plan and build a completely new factory. In both cases, processes and workflow need to be closely examined of course. So the starting point can be very different. In the end, however, the question for us is always how we can help our customers manage their businesses faster, better and more economically than before.
Aside from spatial changes, where is the largest room for improvement based on your experience?
Zahn: That varies from company to company. Nevertheless, very often the same functions are separated from one another, for example incoming and outgoing goods. Businesses that combine them save space, forklifts, work and administrative work. The various materials in the storeroom - raw materials, finished goods, auxiliary supplies and spare parts - should also be consolidated. That helps reduce volumes and allow them to be used more flexibly. At another print shop organizational changes could be the key to success. For example, when there are a lot of stoppers during printing because the paper wasn't cleanly cut at the paper factory or because the pile wasn't prepared enough and the sheets can't be easily separated at the delivery. In this case, jogging and airing the pile in a pile turner could help. Although that means additional work, the printing press' higher productivity would well compensate for that.
You can download the complete interview on the top right-hand side.
