New PIA/GATF Seminar Guides Companies to Lean and Green Status
PITTSBURGH—January 29, 2008--PIA/GATF will explain how graphic communications companies can take advantage of two of the industry’s hottest trends, lean manufacturing and green printing, when its National Seminar Tour resumes this spring.
The one-day Lean and Green seminar, being held at eight locations across the country will help companies trim manufacturing waste and time. It will also focus on sustainable manufacturing practices that can have the dual benefit of meeting customer demands and reducing costs. Ken Rizzo, PIA/GATF’s director of consulting and head of its Center for Lean Practices, and Gary Jones, PIA/GATF’s director of environmental, health, and safety, will co-present the program.
The seminar will take place from May 6 through August 28 in the following cities...
Waukesha (Wisconsin): May 6
Minneapolis: May 8
San Diego: May 13
Phoenix: May 15
Miami: June 24
Nashville: June 26
Boston: August 26
Baltimore: August 28
“Lean manufacturing systematically identifies and eliminates all kinds of waste and non-value-added activities,” said Rizzo. “Companies are using lean concepts and tools like 5S, quick changeover, and visual management to reduce turnaround time and decrease costs. In the last few years printers have started to take advantage of these powerful concepts, and I hope that this tour will help accelerate that trend.”
Jones pointed out that customers are demanding that printers produce “green” products, and some customers now require that printers produce “green” products in a sustainable manner, which includes more than the environmental issues associated with the printed product. “A lean manufacturing approach creates the culture that allows sustainability to flourish,” he added.
Content for the full-day event will introduce attendees to the concepts and drivers of the sustainability and lean manufacturing trends, as well as show how lean tools are used to search for and eliminate numerous types of production and environmental waste. The criteria for being considered a green and/or sustainable printer (as established by the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership) will also be reviewed.
Adobe Systems, Kodak, and Komori are the principal sponsors for this vital industry event.
For more information, visit www.gain.net (Events & Training) or call 1-800-910-4283, ext. 715.
About PIA/GATF
PIA/GATF is the world’s largest graphic arts trade association, representing an industry with more than 1.2 million employees. It serves the interests of more than 12,000 member companies. PIA/GATF, along with its affiliates, delivers products and services that enhance the growth, efficiency, and profitability of its members and the industry through advocacy, education, research, and technical information. For more information, visit www.gain.net .
