Offset Printing - Sheet-Fed

The stakes are high and the iron-producing players are few in the world of 40˝ and larger sheetfed presses. Today, manufacturers are looking at what printers want in a press tomorrow. BY ERIK CAGLE The crystal ball is working overtime at manufacturing facilities around the world. While you make your way at DRUPA 2000 through the hundreds of thousands of people cramming the aisles of the 18 buildings at Messe Dusseldorf, the R&D people, the tech heads and marketing gurus are looking past the present. They're thinking DRUPA 2004. Phrases float through their brains: increased automation, but what's left on the press?...what is the

Being able to run a 20˝ (or smaller) sheetfed offset press without a broad operator learning curve tops commercial printer demands of press manufacturers. BY ERIK CAGLE Commercial Printers have felt the pinch recently, with the amount of skilled press operators seemingly dwindling each year. Rather than choosing from a long list of prospects to operate their presses, many employers are faced with few options. As a result of the tight employment market, printers seek equipment that doesn't require lengthy operator training sessions—one of several issues facing not only those who buy small-format (20˝ and under) presses, but also those who manufacture them. While

Chicago—Pressroom personnel and suppliers from across the United States, and as far away as Germany and Switzerland, gathered here recently at the 25th annual R&E Council Pressroom Conference to hear the latest news about technologies affecting the pressroom. Hosted by the Research & Engineering Council of the Graphic Arts Industry, this 25th in the series of annual meetings focused on improving productivity in the pressroom. Among the technical topics discussed at the meeting were soft proofing, closed-loop color control, and coating and curing. In addition, a significant portion of the meeting was devoted to personnel recruitment, retention and management issues, and to

With automation reaching or nearing its peak, manufacturers look for ways to bring prepress and the pressroom closer together. BY ERIK CAGLE Want to see all of the neat, new sheetfed offset press models that will be unveiled at DRUPA 2000? If the answer is yes, go renew your passport because we're not going to show you. Sorry, we'd show you if we could, but Germany will be the place to be next May, as the printing industry's top manufacturers will use the exhibition to wage a battle of one-upsmanship in the sheetfed press division. Building the better mousetrap is becoming increasingly more difficult;

Chicago—The Windy City was the gathering spot for the annual Sheetfed Pressroom conference recently. More than 450 attendees got to sit in on up to 26 sessions, plus another 10 pre-conference workshops in the three days. One particular session, on productivity increases, was the first of its kind. Speaker Ira Goldratt's books on production management have been part of the various printing associations' member libraries for years. His philosophy on isolating bottlenecks or constraints has been successfully applied by McNaugh- ton & Gunn, a book specialist from Saline, MI. The company's senior manager in charge of process improvements, Jim Clark, described how his

There are many unique things about Metro Business Connection (MBC), a small Minnesota instant printer. Take, for instance, its name. Unlike many print shops, the name Metro Business Connection does not connote anything to do with printing. Its work force and location—three employees working out of a separate 1,000-square-foot shop beside the owner's home—are not necessarily the norm. But in its seven years of existence, MBC has grown to enjoy its remarkable success due to the quality and service the company offers. "We're very service-oriented," says Neil Stromme, vice president, who operates the shop along with his wife Sarah, president, and a third employee.

CHICAGO—The eighth annual GATF/NAPL Sheetfed Conference brought 420 attendees and 53 sponsors together recently to hear predictions of the future and case studies of innovative success stories. Consultants Frank Romano and Ray Prince offered some technology projections for the next couple of decades. Prince reminded the audience that printing press development has historically followed five-year time frames, adding that enhancements have invariably been driven by demands for higher productivity, not quality. He expects several new digital presses and many new robotic and automation advancements to be introduced at DRUPA 2000. Presses of the future will be simpler (to operate, not maintain!) with reusable plates/cylinders,

"I feel the need...the need for speed." So quipped Tom Cruise's cocky fighter pilot character Maverick in the action flick, Top Gun. Those same sentiments can be echoed by any commercial printer with medium- to large-sized (for purposes of this article, 26˝ and larger) presses. Except, Cruise's Maverick had it easy—just a few competitors to deal with and only one battle necessary to test his meddle. Increasing customer demands, pricing pressures and shorter turnaround times all combine to put sheetfed owners' metal to the test—on a daily basis. "Large-format sheetfed press manufacturers feel the same price pressures as their customers. Continually shorter run