Wide-Format Pain Points

Recently, I had the pleasure of participating in SGIA’s annual Congress of Committees, a two-day event that brings graphics producers and industry manufacturers together to discuss current industry trends, directions for growth, and solutions to common problems. In one of our meetings, I moderated a discussion on “pain points” for todays’ graphics producers. The discussion was open, honest and highly-illuminating to those in the room. Through this post, I want to share a few of the most pertinent pain points discussed. Handling Capacity One growing trend in wide-format production is “burst capacity.” While the traditional rule of thumb is to regularly operate at the high-end of available print capacity, a number of larger graphics producers are instead operating at a much lower percentage (on average), thus allowing space for large, short-turn jobs. By having the capacity to scale up in bursts, these companies are less likely to turn away business. Surely, managing the split between equipment costs and business coming in the door can be an ongoing challenge, but this approach is gaining in popularity. Battling Bottlenecks If all stages of the production process ran at the same speed, then that would be great. But they don’t, and many graphics producers find themselves working to eliminate production bottlenecks. They purchase a faster wide-format press, only to find their finishing department can’t keep up. They add finishing capacity, only to find the bottleneck then moves to pre-print file management. They juggle labor and equipment capacity – with each adjustment potentially affecting both production costs and the bottom line. Repositioning Production Staff While integrating new technologies is essential for any company looking to stay competitive, one of the more difficult parts of that process is to repurpose, retrain and re-motivate production employees who have a strong, emotional connection with an outgoing technology. Some take to the challenge willingly, while others will fight the change tooth-and-nail. Add to this the reality that digital processes often require a smaller production team, and the personnel realities of technological change come into full view. It is important to point out that the points included above, while challenges today, represent strong opportunities for these companies. Those companies that can get to the core of these challenges and learn to control the chaos they can potentially bring, open the opportunity inherent in all of them. I urge you to investigate your company’s wide-format (and other) pain points, and strengthen your business by accepting challenges, making changes or even learning to live with the discomfort.