Running a productive printshop is as much a matter of working smart as it is working hard. Even incremental improvements in material costs, machine repairs, and maintenance, for instance, can lead to significant long-term gains in productivity and profitability. Many printing businesses find that a few strategic alterations to their workflows are all they need to reduce waste and boost output, without putting undue strain on their production assets and staff. Here are some practical tips for improving productivity throughout your printshop.
Proactively Manage Your Machinery
Waiting for a breakdown to happen is a recipe for disaster, and is one of the quickest ways to derail productivity. Unexpected downtime in a small printshop can grind production to halt and also land you with an unpleasant emergency repair bill, all while your team are being paid to stand around twiddling their thumbs. While mechanical & electrical faults can never be ruled out, implementing a proactive maintenance schedule is a far more effective way of managing your label printing machine repairs than a purely reactive strategy. For critical equipment, regular visual checks and basic inspections can prevent the need for expensive and unexpected repairs. Train your operators to perform daily end of day cleaning and inspection routines. This allows your team to spot minor issues between services, such as worn parts or calibration drift, before they escalate into major stoppages.
Streamline The Flexo Printing Process
The flexo printing process is speedy and efficient on long print runs, but setup times can eat into your productivity. To counter this systemic weakness, focus on standardising your workflows for flexographic printing. For example, a detailed checklist for job changeovers can help make sure that every step is completed consistently, correctly, and quickly. Organising plates, inks, and substrates so that they are readily available for the next job or shift can save precious changeover time, while investing in modern plate-mounting systems can also reduce your setup complexity, allowing you to get the press running faster and complete more jobs on each shift.
Take Control Of Your Inkjet Printing Costs
Digital printing gives businesses extensive flexibility in the types of jobs they can produce, but costs can quickly mount up if not managed carefully. The inkjet printing cost is a major variable in digital printing, so it pays to be strategic. Use your printing software to accurately estimate ink consumption before starting a cycle. This allows you to price projects correctly and avoid surprises that might eat into your margins. You should also make sure your machine is correctly calibrated to prevent over-inking. Nesting smaller jobs together within a single run is another effective strategy for optimising your material use and minimising wasted ink, improving your overall cost efficiency. Don’t forget to factor in Print head maintenance if you do not have a monthly maintenance contract. You may need to replace several heads per year , as well as Filters.
Investing In Your Team
Your most valuable productivity asset is a well trained and experienced team of operators. Providing ongoing training on new techniques, technologies, software, and machine operation strategies will help your staff to work productively and adapt to new challenges. A knowledgeable and well-motivated team is also more likely to identify opportunities for process improvement and take greater ownership of quality control than a demoralised and stressed team. This investment in skills also reduces the likelihood of errors, so that more quality work can be produced within each shift, without needing to recruit more people.
Next Steps
Speak to Focus Label today to find out how targeted investment in new print technology can help improve productivity throughout your printshop. Click here to send us a message, or feel free to call us directly on 01949 836223.
Image source - Canva
