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Top Stories
The Appropriate Document Factory (the Other ADF)
7 Ways to Differentiate Your Printing Business
The Value of Shop Floor Data Collection
ON DEMAND 2011 Conference
Attend the Print-Centric Sessions Produced by WhatTheyThink?
The Appropriate Document Factory (the Other ADF)
I, like many others, have written about the “Automated Document Factory” or “ADF” concept before. But what is it really? The term ADF was originally coined by an Xplor member who worked for Gartner about 15 years ago. The original ADF concept was comprised of four modules: input, transformation, production, control and reporting.
• Input – where all the data and the instructions needed to transform the data into documents enter the ADF
• Transformation – where the data and instructions meet and the documents are produced in the appropriate media
• Production – where documents are prepared for delivery to the recipient
• Control and reporting – manages production aspects of the ADF
continued
7 Ways to Differentiate Your Printing Business
Seth Godin stresses in his book, The Purple Cow, that every business must be exciting to make the customer experience special. He uses the analogy of seeing brown cows in Ireland quickly becoming boring, but how exciting it would be to see a purple one. Now how do you make your print operation exciting compared with the 20,000+ printers in the country?
What makes your printing operation exciting? What makes you different? What do customers say when asked where to buy print? How do you get your customers to talk about you instead? Every printer says they meet deadlines, have the highest quality, offer the best service. That is boring. Everyone does that. Think for a minute. What makes them say “Wow! Now that is different.” or “That is so cool they do that”. continued
The Value of Shop Floor Data Collection
It's 9:30 a.m. Back in the pressroom a pressman completes one of six jobs waiting to be run. Before going on to the next job, he quickly scribbles some notes down on a yellow pad. Later, as he keys his notes into the shop floor data collection computer, he makes an innocent mistake and types “1500” sheets instead of “15000” sheets. This information immediately circulates throughout the company's business management system, distorting the decisions of the scheduler, customer service rep, purchaser, and other managers.
When purchasing a business management system, most companies, large and small, overlook the significance of the data collection component. Shop floor data collection provides essential feedback to the entire system and company. It is the catalyst to sharper estimates, smoother scheduling, quicker customer response, just-in-time inventory, increased productivity, and improved profitability. Nevertheless, owners often cut costs when purchasing these systems. continued
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ON DEMAND 2011 Conference
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Attend the Print-Centric Sessions Produced by WhatTheyThink?
Disrupting the Future:
A Printers Guide to Offering Cross-Media Services |
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Based upon the book by Dr. Joe Webb and Richard Romano, these sessions will be produced by the whattheythink.com top analysts. Targeted at trade service providers, these user forums will offer a step by step approach to making cross-media services a profitable revenue stream.
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Wednesday, March 23
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Thursday, March 24
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