Establishing a highly efficient, integrated and seamless digital workflow is essential for graphic communications companies seeking to strengthen their competitive positioning in today’s marketplace. A cornerstone of that effort, computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM), is explored in-depth in Computer-Integrated Manufacturing: Realizing the Benefits, released this month by the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL).
"My goal in Computer-Integrated Manufacturing is to provide a roadmap for printers on how they can implement CIM to achieve new levels of operational and manufacturing efficiency, flexibility, and profitability," notes author and technology expert Chuck Gehman, director of Product Marketing for EFI, Inc., and chairman of the Digital Smart Factory Committee of the Research & Engineering Council of NAPL. "To survive in today’s business environment, a graphic communications company must develop a service offering that meets customers’ needs, invest in the human resources to implement those services, and sell and market them effectively. But underlying its ability to excel in all of these areas is an efficient and productive manufacturing operation."
In an easy-to-understand format, Gehman explains the basic concepts of CIM, fast becoming one of the most important methods of process improvement in the industry, and shows readers how to identify areas in their own operations that can most benefit from CIM implementation. Included is an in-depth look at the Job Definition Format (JDF), an industry standard that supports many CIM initiatives, as well as an exploration of various process-improvement disciplines, such as Six Sigma, ISO, and lean manufacturing concepts.
Computer-Integrated Manufacturing: Realizing the Benefits (NP 371) is $29.95 for NAPL members; $39.95, non-members. To order, call (800) 642-6275, Option 3; email or****@**pl.org; or go online to NAPL’s bookstore at www.napl.org/store/.
NAPL is committed to helping the graphic arts community succeed within today’s highly competitive communications environment. The level of information provided in Diversifying with Packaging Services and the many other titles in NAPL’s comprehensive publications roster are prime examples of that commitment. For more information, contact Richard Papale, NAPL director of publications, at (800) 642-6275, ext. 1332, or ra****@**pl.org.
About the Author
Chuck Gehman, director of Product Marketing for EFI, Inc., has been a senior technology executive in the graphic arts industry for several years. Gehman is active in industry associations and standards groups, serving as chairman of the Digital Smart Factor Committee of the R&E Council of NAPL, and on the board of the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts (TAGA). Reflecting his strong interest in computers and communications networks, he is a member of the IEEE and the Internet Society. Gehman has written numerous articles and papers and frequently speaks at industry conferences. In addition to Computer-Integrated Manufacturing: Realizing the Benefits, he is author of Print Production Workflow: A Practical Guide and Understanding Information Technology for Print Management, both published by NAPL.
About NAPL
Chartered in 1933, the National Association for Printing Leadership is a not-for-profit trade association representing the $88 billion commercial printing industry. NAPL’s mission is "To enable the printing community to profit from change" through a full range of management and educational services to its membership, including conferences, seminars, periodicals, books, consulting, and economic information and analysis.
This article was last modified on May 18, 2005
This article was first published on May 18, 2005
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