About three years ago, Danelle Sedore and Rachel Bower assumed the respective roles of Director and Operations Manager for the Print Solutions area at Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan.

 

"examined our department with fresh eyes..."

 

"As new leaders often do, we examined our department with fresh eyes and decided that many things needed updating in order for us to survive and be a useful resource for the college that we serve," explains Rachel.  "One of the biggest changes was eliminating the offset equipment and moving toward an all digital shop. (See the Before.) This opened up many possibilities for streamlining the production flow."

 

"Previously, things were placed where they fit, not where they were needed."

 

Up until this point, equipment was placed, more or less, where it fit. But since they were going to be replacing the offset equipment with a new Meteor DP60 digital press from MGI, it seemed like the perfect time to rearrange the overall design of the in-plant. (See the After.) 

"We sat down with Bill Klein, our Production Lead, and formulated a streamlined layout that brings the jobs in from one end (of the shop) to the other with great efficiency." All the digital equipment is at one end parallel with each other. One of the stations, equipped with two Canon 8100's and a Konica Minolta C6500, produces quick copy and short run color. Another station has a higher end black and white R110 and the Meteor DP60. The two digital operators in these areas switch positions every two weeks to ensure that both are kept up to speed on each piece of equipment and absences can be easily covered.

 

Work flows seamlessly...

 

Work flows seamlessly from the digital area to the bindery on carts. "All the bindery equipment is placed strategically so that jobs can flow from one machine to the next with little or no overlapping." Their mailroom/shipping area is central to both the digital areas.

 

Even after the floor plan was updated, Rachel says, they still needed to make some minor adjustments. For example, the approval to purchase a new cutter has enabled them to turn the orientation of the cutter for a more universal flow. All in all, it has been a very successful transition and the layout seems to work very well to make us more efficient."

 

They also tried to make each employee's work space as efficient as possible by having all the necessary tools, supplies and paper within close proximity. For example, the shelves holding the paper and toner are are located close to the printers that use those supplies. Comb bindings/tape binding, stitching, padding supplies are all located nearby the bindery equipment. "This may seem like a no-brainer but previously supplies were in a back room or remote location and sometimes an operator would have to make several trips to get what was needed to complete the job. Now things are just a step away within each department."

 

"It seems as though previously, things were placed where they fit not where they were needed," shares Rachel. "It took a great feat to organize it all, but it has been extremely worth it in the end."