e-Kanban: Lean when Breeding Proactive SuppliersWritten by Sam Bayer
According to Sam Bayer, President of Datacraft Solutions (www.datacraftsolutions.com). “Kanban implies partnership. Both parties have a responsibility to share information and strive towards process improvement. Sounds great in theory but how do you enable it in practice? Share real time “actionable” information between both parties.” This level of e-kanban Lean efficiency is achievable.Fax Kanban is not Efficient and not Lean At ten minutes per fax, someone is spending 3.5 hours per day in administration time. That inefficiency results in less time to utilize more suppliers or improve relationships with existing suppliers. Furthermore, even if 99% of those faxes are trouble free
| | Digital Printing Press: An UpdateWritten by Marlon D. Ludovice
Way back in 1998, digital printing world refined its processes and made significant production operating cost reductions, as well as introduced various new equipment and technology in printing. This revolutionary trend is expected to accelerate as industry moves in coming years. Digital printing progress is being made in both fixed-imaging on-press plate making approach, as well as direct-to-paper technology (plateless variable imaging) alike. The popular "I can do it better, faster and cheaper than you can," was battle cry of Indigo, Xeikon, IBM, Xerox and Agfa, as variable imaging digital color printing press pioneers intensified their maneuvering for market share. A good sign of variable digital color printing's expanding reach into traditional print market is press dealerships. The association of new models and noticeable modifications on existing modern machineries opens a better and less expensive production performance which will provide a better service to general customers. All moving at direction where cost of digital variable printing has declined considerably. And a decline in cost is enlarging market. Xeikon one of leading provider of hi-tech digital printing services recently announced strategic partnership with Varis which is expected to result in sophisticated full-color digital printing software becoming available early this year. Indigo has announced two new press configurations, one at each end of cost and performance spectrum.
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