Printing Roots

Printing is one of America's oldest manufacturing industries with roots dating to before the Revolutionary War and Benjamin Franklin. While the industry has long and distinguished past it also has a large presence today and a positive future. And, as America's most geographically dispersed manufacturing industry, it provides thousands of good jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in every state and metropolitan area throughout the country.

Printing for the Pharmaceutical Market

Printing for the Pharmaceutical Market

Printing for pharma companies is a very different animal than typical package printing.

Printing Impressions by Chris Mc Loone

Bottom of Form

multipage

Printing for the pharmaceutical markets may seem like a really good thing to get into. With reports like "World Pharmaceutical Packaging to 2013," from Freedonia Group stating that world pharmaceutical packaging demand is projected to increase 6.3 percent annually to $62.3 billion in 2013, some might consider it a no-brainer to begin investigating. However, there are things printers need to know as they conduct their research. At the bare minimum, they must understand that printing for this market isn't like printing for Good Humor. "It's not like all of a sudden you can say, 'You know what? We don't have any business. Let's go attack J&J and try to get their pharma,'" says Lon Johnson, vice president, national sales, Colbert Packaging. "You can't do it. You've got to be there and live it for a long time."

Unique challenges

Every print job has challenges that must be overcome, but in pharmaceutical packaging, there are additional unique challenges that exist. For example, a printer must adjust its overall operations to accommodate the pharmaceutical business it has garnered.

Security is not only important for the brand itself. A brand owner will want to know what security measures the printer has taken to secure its operation. For example, Adam Scheer, marketing director for the Advanced Optotechnologies Group at JDSU, notes that, "There are now some commercial printers that cater to the pharmaceutical market that have some level of security in their plants in the way they do business, but many do not. That creates a complication because if the supply chain is not secure, and someone can walk out with [raw materials] at the end of the day to create knockoffs in a basement, then the whole integrity of the system is going to collapse."

Johnson adds, "It starts with having 24/7 surveillance throughout the entire building." The printing process also must be secure and accounted for. "For printing, you've got vision scanners, bar code scanners, and glue detection systems," he asserts.

Scheer states that background checks on employees, as well as being able to account for materials and supplies, means printers must open themselves up to audits. Johnson concurs. "All waste streams have to be secure. You can't just take your additional make-ready sheets, bundle them and send them out to recyclers." Rather, he says, they must be chopped up, or sometimes the pharmaceutical brand will demand that the printer incinerate the sheets. "And, you have to have a videotape of the actual incineration," he quips. "There's a very tight screen on that as well."

Ensuring print integrity

Another area that will slow down your process is maintaining print integrity. "The most important thing that we see is consistency of print integrity—no missing copy, no obscured letters, and no filled in letters," says Johnson. "Which is why we've gone so far as to put in 100 percent vision systems to scan copy." He says that although these systems can slow the process down, they guarantee the quality of the print.

The graphics employed on the packaging also pose a challenge. "Even the non-pharma stuff gets complex in what they're looking for to sell it in the marketplace," says Johnson. "But graphics is where the design aspect will determine whether it can be run flexographically, that will determine backside printing, or the types of coatings."

These will impact the printer in terms of costs, because these issues often mandate more print stations. "It adds up to more print stations being necessary to do pharma work," he says.

"Because if you're printing a big solid black, you may have to print two plates of it—one to keep the real tiny highlights and another one for the graphics side of it." Many times, adding security features will also require an additional print station. So, to an untrained eye, a package may look like a three-color print job. "But then you really get into the guts of it, and it may have two different coatings," Johnson continues. "It may have one for security, and it may have two different black plates."

All these variations will impact how printers integrate security features. Scheer contends that the lack of standardization in packaging makes it tougher to implement certain things, and slows the process down versus, for example, printing security features onto credit cards, which are all a standard size. "[There is a] much wider range of packaging elements and form types in the pharmaceutical market and infinite combinations when you think about all the different types of packaging elements and how they all fit together," he says.

Again with the shorter runs

An important trend in pharmaceutical packaging, according to Johnson, is that pharmaceutical brands are printing much smaller jobs, which means package printers must be able to accommodate these shorter runs. The reason isn't the usual "just-in-time" requirement. Rather, it's the regulation. "It's derived from the FDA's constant changing and adding requirements," he says. Basically, he asserts, as soon as you go to press, there are changes when you come back to the job. "And then throw in security features," he continues. "[These] are only good for six to nine months and then they want to change them."

Speaking of security, it's a reality in the pharmaceutical market. "I think if you want to be credible within the pharmaceutical industry as a full service printer, you need to be able to deliver security products," says Scheer. He states delivering security to customers creates differentiation for printers and adds tremendous value for their customers. But, to do so, printers must have the other systems in place, such as 24/7 CCTV monitoring, the background checks, etc. "I don't think you can deliver security products unless you have these systems in place, credibly." pP

Heidelberg’s Performance Plus Aims to Maximize Performance, Profits

KENNESAW, GA—November 26, 2013—Heidelberg’s new Performance Plus program builds on the company’s traditional strength in service and support to help customers maximize the output of their print shop. With Performance Plus, Heidelberg supports the rapid business transformation of the print media industry by helping print shop owners achieve the full measure of success their Heidelberg investments have the potential to deliver.

Deficiencies in process, maintenance, training, color management and other areas lead to the inefficient use of software, equipment and staff, ultimately resulting in unnecessary production costs and significant unused profit potential. Performance Plus is a results-driven program that is intended to maximize utilization in any or all of these areas, such that customers running Heidelberg equipment can achieve the highest net output from man and machine.

“Heidelberg is the only U.S. print media company to adopt a holistic approach to performance improvement,” said Richard Mack, who directs the Performance Plus program. “Based in Heidelberg’s comprehensive print media expertise from prepress, workflow, press, and postpress through business consulting, Performance Plus uniquely satisfies the rapidly growing demand within the print media industry for increased efficiency and lower operating costs.”

1-2-3
Performance Plus is a three-step program aimed at maximizing productivity. Initially, a team of Heidelberg experts conducts an on-site Evaluation, beginning with a review of production data and overall processes. Second, based on the results of the initial survey, Heidelberg business consultants determine current productivity levels and Design a set of specific efficiency and cost savings goals, customized to the individual business. The resulting business case becomes part of an integrated master plan listing all necessary activities, including quarterly review milestones. Implementation brings the full scope of Heidelberg’s expertise into play, including all training, service, support, workshop and consulting activities, as needed. Output and savings are tracked on a continuous basis for the duration of project, typically one or two years.

Performance Plus is ideal for companies with annual revenues of more than $10 million using Heidelberg presses manufactured since 2000, which enable Heidelberg to extract performance data and perform remote diagnostics. Organizations that stand to benefit the most from Performance Plus already will have implemented some form of continuous improvement. In all cases, Heidelberg looks to the individual print shop for the willingness to take necessary additional actions to drive Performance Plus internally. Transparency is essential to the success of the project.
 
A New Way of Doing Things
Contemporary Graphic Solutions (Pennsauken, NJ) has found Heidelberg’s Performance Plus to be a valuable adjunct to its own company-wide continuous improvement initiatives. Two months into the project, the company has made considerable progress toward attaining a targeted 30 percent performance increase by reducing make-ready times and boosting the output of its Heidelberg presses. “No matter how well-managed, efficient and productive a business is, there’s always room for improvement,” noted Tim Moreton, president of CGS. “We are delighted with our progress thus far, and with Heidelberg’s help, look forward to achieving even higher levels of operational efficiency.”

Performance Plus is a low-risk, results-driven program funded by 50 percent of the total savings achieved by the performance increase. There is no up-front cost to the customer.

 “With Performance Plus, Heidelberg becomes the company’s proactive partner in establishing best practices and implementing processes designed to realize significant savings in production, as well as the pre-production phase from request for quote to prepress,” relayed Oliver Demus, Director, Business Consulting for Heidelberg USA. “The method of Value Stream Mapping in the beginning of these projects generates team-building and motivation, and helps companies identify areas for improvement throughout the shop.”

-PiWorld.com
http://www.piworld.com/article/heidelberg-s-performance-designed-to-maximize-performance-profits/1

Contemporary Graphic Solutions achieves G7 Process Control Master certification.

                                      

 

 

Contemporary Graphic Solutions achieves G7 Process Control Master certification.

Pennsauken, NJ - Contemporary Graphic Solutions, located in Pennsauken, NJ, proudly announces its G7 Process Control Master certification from IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance). Contemporary Graphic Solutions joins a small and exclusive club of printers & packagers in the United States that hold this hard-earned distinction.

G7 Process Control Master certification is a sought-after recognition of excellence in printing & packaging. Companies that achieve this status join an elite group of print & packaging service providers who have proven their mastery of the highest quality color printing available. A G7 Process Control Master printer & packager is fully capable of implementing proof and print calibration to GRACol specifications, allowing repeatable reproduction of color on both a local and global level, across all print systems and devices. Achieving color consistency on multiple platforms across all geographic regions is critical to excellence in brand management.

G7 Process Control Master printers, like Contemporary Graphic Solutions, go above and beyond the process of one-time calibration by developing a deep base of applicable knowledge for process control workflow from creative development to printing and packaging. G7 Process Control Master training provides techniques that teach key methods for building a file targeted at a specification such as GRACoL or SWOP, as well as how to maintain print and proof conditions to achieve the same goal.

Contemporary Graphic Solutions G7 Process Control Master status indeed puts the company in an exclusive club. In fact only 1/30th of 1 percent of all printers in the U.S. have achieved this honor. In January 2013 Contemporary Graphic Solutions became one of eight (8) printers across the country to receive G7 Process Control Master certification from IDEAlliance and our color matching abilities are tested quarterly by representatives from the IDEAlliance.

“We are very proud of our production accomplishments, and what this G7 Process Control Master certification means for our customers. This acknowledgement puts Contemporary Graphic Solutions in a category few can compete", says Tim Moreton, President and Owner of Contemporary Graphic Solutions.

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About the IDEAlliance - a not-for-profit membership organization and a leader in information technology and publishing since 1966.  IDEAlliance advances core technology to develop standards and best practices to enhance the efficiency and speed of information across the end-to-end digital media supply chain, which includes creation, production, management, and delivery of knowledge-based multimedia content, digitally and in print.

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About Contemporary Graphic Solutions - founded 28 years ago, Contemporary Graphic Solutions is a full-service printer, packager and creative partner whose clients benefit from unmatched service and proven creative innovation, from concept to delivery. CGS's vastly resourceful in-house control process allows for the application of creative discovery at every step of the production process. This in turn maximizes value for each customer and assures customized solutions for every project no matter how unique the goal may be.

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For more information, please contact John S. Favat, Director, Sales & Marketing for Contemporary Graphic Solutions, at 856-382-3613; at jfavat@contemporarygs.com; or please visit our web site at www.contemporarygs.com

Contemporary Graphic Solutions Owner's Letter

CONTEMPORARY GRAPHICS

is now

CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC SOLUTIONS

Dear Friends,

GRAPHIC SOLUTIONS

As print goes through another revolution, you and I are faced with changing the way we do business. Our shiny new logo is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Over the past year or so, we’ve been adding new technologies, more efficient processes, and a wider selection of products in order to deliver a more complete, one-stop solution for all your communication needs.

And we feel that given these changes, a new name and brand are in order.

We’ll be giving you the specifics on these new services in a bi-monthly newsletter, Solutions, that will debut shortly. But I want to assure you now that even with all of these changes, our mission statement remains the same:

To deliver outstanding value, products, and services to you and your organization.

These are great times for us and we are proud to show off our new capabilities with a tour of our facilities and an open dialogue to explore all that the NEW 
Contemporary Graphic Solutions has to offer.

Thanks so much for your attention. We look forward to serving your printing, packaging and communications needs.

Best regards,

Tim Moreton -Owner

&              

Jim Moreton -Owner

7001 NORTH PARK DR. | PENNSAUKEN, NJ 08109 | office: 800.575.4238 | ContemporaryGS.com