OK, so my last post ended with how boring it is to stay in the hotels...  But I figured out a way to make that a little more exciting, thanks to Guy Fieri and the Food Network:  Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.  See, I've always liked unique food and since I might get to go to these neat places to see customers, why not go to a neat place to eat?  So I did.  Here's where I went last night:

Mike's Chili Parlor in Seattle. And yes, it was a dive. But in a good way.. People were very friendly, the Red Sox were playing the Bluejays, what more could I ask for? Umm.. This:

Chili Burger.  They, of course, had other things on the menu.  But as you can guess, they all began with chili.  Like Chili Dog.  Or Chili Bowl, or Chili Steak.  And even Chili Pasta.  But the chili was awesome, IMHO.  Very tasty.  And the green stuff on top?  Chopped jalepenos..  My mouth is still burning.  I had a good time though, and again, enjoyed everyone at the place..  So I think I solved this whole boring hotel thing!  Now I just have to work on my cholesterol level....

One of the perks of my job; nay, probably the best part of my job is when I get to visit our customers.  I love seeing what people are doing with the products we produce for them, and I love hearing how we are doing.  Good, bad, indifferent.  I really do like to get the feedback from our customers and see what we need to do to improve, how we can do better.  It's great to be an important part of our customers lives, and it's great when we can improve what we do and see that improvement pay out for the customer at the end.  And it's fun to get in front of the customer and see what is important to them and if we are paying attention to that or not.  But probably the most fun is getting into the back to see how the people that have to form our cartons and put stuff into them are doing.  We strive to make sure our cartons work each time, everytime.  We don't want them just to look good;  we want them to perform perfectly. 

Staying at the hotel is kinda boring though, but you take the good with the bad...

The installation is almost complete, the machine is powered up and turning.  Won't be long before sheets are going through and we're off and running on the new press.  Full UV capabilities, interdeck drying, full automation, etc..  I won't bore you with more details, as I think most of us printers tend to believe our customers really care about what sort of equipment we have, where it came from, how much we paid for it.  If you want those details, call me and we'll talk.  Otherwise, I think what most people want to know is the bottom line:  are the assets we own deployed in a manner that brings value to the customer?  And the answer I think is:  it depends.  I know, not really a great answer.  But if you are looking for fast turnaround, high quality packaging at solid pricing, I think we've assembled a great lineup.  This press is an affirmation of our commitment to that equation, and will enable us to deliver product faster, with more options such as pearlescent coating or printing on plastic, with better efficiency driving out costs.  Again, our ultimate goal is to be a world class manufacturer and in order to do that we have to have world class customers.  In order to attract and retain those customers, we have to be able to deliver world class products on time every time.  Might be hokey, be we really want to show we can still manufacture here in the US and compete worldwide.  The assets we employ, machinery and people, will allow us to continue that practice.

The concrete guys completed the floor and the foundation is set.  Here's what a reinforced floor looks like before concrete is poured:

Exciting eh?

Well, here's what it looks like once it's completed:

Even more exciting!  But hey, the concrete guys had fun..

So the press arrived on Monday and the riggers came with their really big forklifts and cranes and the parking lot had 7 tractor trailers full of equipment to unload.  But the heavy lifting went without a hitch and the press started to look like a press:

Now comes the really fun part where electricians and mechanical guys crawl all over the press hooking up all the wiring and running all the systems and connecting all the connections..  But it won't be long now.

6/c 28" x 40" press, full UV interdeck dryers, extended delivery plus UV coater.  Full automation, meaning you press a button and the press does the work.  We'll be able to increase our offerings to you, plus do it faster.  That's our main goal here.  Decrease lead times.  Get the product to you faster.  And do it faster without increasing your costs..  Sounds like a great plan to me!

Well, we did it.  Just went ahead and did it...  We bought a new press.  We had a really good year last year thanks to all of our customers that honored us with their work.  Don't get me wrong, it was tough.  But considering the enviornment in which we all operated, PSI had a good year.  BUT, I know that we caused some heartache out there for some of our best customers when we might not have been able to move things up in the schedule the way we used to.  Our lead time wasn't what our customers grew to expect from us over the years, and we may not have been able to jump through as many hoops as we once could.  We took steps to correct that by installing the new blanker and folder gluer I mentioned in earlier posts.  But this press is designed to give us the flexibility that we need to service you in the manner you expect and give us the ability to hit those dates, move items up in the schedule, and, hopefully, hit a home run for you everytime.  Look, we're trying to do our part to help the economy, right?  And I truly appreciate all of you enabling us to take this project on and buy these capital goods.  We couldn't, and wouldn't, do it without you.

They're digging the foundation as we speak:

Those concrete guys have the best toys..

We're now up and running on the new blanker we installed from Bobst.  This machine eliminates the need for manual stripping of the waste or broke from the die cut sheets.  This in turn improves efficiency and quality by reducing steps in manufacturing and eliminating a potential quality issue by air hammer damage.  This is all part of our quest to deliver the absolute best experience you've ever had dealing with a folding carton company.  I know, I know.  You never thought it would be this exciting to order a box, eh?  Well, now you know!

Saw an article in the WSJ today that explained how some retailers are cutting back on the variety of different products they are selling, simplifying the aisles with less, I guess you could say noise, and focusing on the dominant brands for a particular category.  It mentioned how Wal-Mart sold 24 different tape measures in the past but now is only selling 4 versions.  I laughed a little bit because just this morning I was opening a new tube of toothpaste.  Well, that's not the part that made me laugh.  The laugh came when I was trying to discern what made this particular brand of Crest different than the other brand I used to use, and how many different versions of Crest there are now.  There is the whitening brand. And then the sparkly brand.  And then the whitening brand that sparkles..  It's kinda weird.  I mean, we used to be happy with just the bland bluish paste that came out of the white tube, but now we seem to need all of these crazy versions..  Then I read this article, so maybe we won't get these crazy versions for too much longer.  I personally have always subscribed to the KISS theory.  You know, Keep It Simple Stupid.  But I know some marketing and brand managers that might be a little upset right now.

Me, I like the old stuff.

But this is kinda fun for a change I guess!

I don't think this means the deathknell for brand innovation or variety.  It might just mean that you have to look a little harder for your favorite brand of toothpaste though.

I bought one of those fancy little HP netbooks this past weekend.  I needed a new laptop and I figured, what the heck.  So anyway, I went to Best Buy and found a nice one and went to pick up the box when I noticed it.  The finish on the box was a nice soft touch coating.  Not sure if you've got any experience with this, but it's a very waxy feeling coating on the paperboard usually applied inline.  We can do UV or aqueous, but most of the soft touch coatings we've done have been aqueous.  Here is the HP carton:

The thing is, I think there is a real trend on within the past year or so to go to a less flashy look, more down to earth, satiny sort of finish.  We're running more satin coatings now then we have in the past.  A lot of the items we've run with the soft touch are consumer electronics packaging.  Maybe it has something to do with the economy, you know, more down to earth, don't flaunt it kind of packaging.  Whatever, the soft touch coating is really a fantastic way to bring more than just a visual aspect to your packaging.  It really brings the sense of touch into play.  Satin is nice too, but for a matte look with a soft feel, soft touch is the way to go.  Here is an example of a package we recently produced that used soft touch aqueous over a nice rich dark brown.  This piece feels great when you pick it up off the shelf:

And here is a piece we did where we did the classic gloss over matte coating for that contrasting effect.  We also foil stamped this with a very striking red and it came out great:

The point is that there are a lot of options beyond gloss out there now, and coating technology has come a long way beyond being just a simple protective overcoat.  You can make your package stand out on the shelf not just visually, but also tactilely.  And anything you can do to set yourself apart on the shelf is something worth investigating.

Got audited yesterday..  A potential customer sent their QA person in and we did the whole examination in detail thing again.  First time with this potential, I should say, but not the first audit.  Been through quite a few of them in fact, and the strange thing is:  I rather enjoy these things.  It's fun to step away from what I know and watch someone else who has no preconceived notions of how we do things observe our operations and ask WHY we do things and HOW we confirm that things are being done that need to be done.

My advice is to not think of these things as a nuisance but as an opportunity to learn.  You'd be surprised what you find.  Sometimes you find that all is well and we've got that covered.  Other times the auditor comes from a completely different spot than you, and puts his or her perspective on the table.  Either way, it's a great chance to learn about your own organization, and see what really is going on.

Plus sometimes, there's pizza...

With all of this money the government is going to waste, er, I mean, stimulate the economy with, at least us printers will be busy printing up all of the dollars that will be shoveled out the door..  Or at least a few of the printers.  Those controlled by the government.....

Hmmmmm..

I always knew I was in the wrong line of work.  Must be nice to be in one of those favored industries.  I'm sure somewhere in there, some large printing conglomerate made sure it got itself an invite to the money ball, but for most of the rest of us, we just have to trust that someone in Washington knows what they're doing..

Now that is truly a scary thought.

I just read that US auto sales are down 37% to a 28 year low and that the tight credit markets are to blame..  Has anyone considered that maybe people are just putting off any major purchases for awhile, and that no amount of available credit is going to convince anyone to buy a car at this point?

I'm just asking..

Thanks for coming by.  Make yourself at home.

This blog is dedicated to all things printed.  And packaged.  Or printed but not packaged.  Or both. 

Or a combination. 

We are printers first and foremost, we just happen to do a lot of very neat things to the sheet after it leaves the press.  We hope this blog helps inform you of what those neat things are, and how they affect you. 

We also want to share some of our experiences, maybe something can help you with what you do.  A secondary secret reason for this blog:  Our wives will never listen to us talk about printing without yawning..

So check it out and don't be bashful:  comment if you see something that makes sense, or better yet, doesn't make sense and you feel the need to let us know. 

Thanks for stopping by and check back soon!