Back End Automation, Bottom Line Improvement

In the current economic climate, printers and binderies are looking at ways to cut costs, increase productivity, and become more competitive. One of the first places they look is in the front end of a production line, i.e., the press. Often overlooked though is how much money could be saved by re-assessing and improving the way products are processed at the back end of a book manufacturing line during the cartoning and palletization stages.

Small Investment, Large Gains

Investing in back-end automation is a wise decision, especially when you consider that such an investment is within the reach of most print production businesses. Typically, a company might need to outlay a relatively small amount of capital to automate the cartoning or palletizing of perfect bound or saddle stitched products. Automated palletizers can also be utilized on press delivery functions.

The ROI could easily amount to savings of several times the initial investment in the first year, or even in the first few months. This is because implementing automated cartoning and palletizing equipment requires almost no learning curve to achieve full operating speed. And ROI will look better and better as time goes by due to reduced manual labor, less employee turnover, and reductions in costly extras accompanying staff labor expenses (recruiting, training, medical benefits, workers' compensation, etc.).

Another advantage to automating the back end of a book manufacturing line involves gains in production throughput. Today's automated print finishing technologies are capable of running at high speeds. Yet, those speeds cannot be fully realized in a comprehensive production line if the products coming off the back end are processed manually.

Also a major advantage is a reduction in the possibility for costly errors. Handling and packaging specs that would otherwise be communicated via an old fashioned job ticket can be communicated automatically, directly to palletizing and/or cartoning machines. This removes opportunities for mistakes resulting from misreading a job ticket, or from confusion caused by language barriers.

Less Outsourcing, Faster Turnarounds

Many printers and binderies are now being challenged to offer as many services to their customers as possible, albeit economically. In response, a lot of companies are engaging outsourcing firms to provide employees that can perform the tasks associated with back-end production. This means added costs because companies not only have to pay for the outsourced labor, they also have to pay the agency supplying the labor.

Automated palletization and cartoning can dramatically lower or completely eliminate these costs. Furthermore, print production businesses can be more responsive and flexible toward their customers' needs by keeping the entire job in-house and delivering the job quicker. Certainly, this is a key benefit as runs continue to trend shorter and time frames become more compressed.

Better Ergonomics, Fewer Injuries

Increasing regulatory focus on ergonomics and safety in the workplace has caused many printing and binding businesses to re-evaluate the way their production floors function. Back-end operations can sometimes be very noisy, dusty, dirty, and dangerous. Serious injuries can occur during manual cartoning and palletizing.
Also a big factor is the bodily risk that comes with performing repetitive motions such as continually lifting heavy boxes or moving large stacks of printed pieces. Common injuries involve back and neck strains, carpal tunnel syndrome, and damage to arms and rib cages.

Today's automated back end equipment has been engineered to emphasize ergonomics and safety. This can limit the exposure of a print production operation to OSHA citations, while decreasing high-cost workers' compensation claims.

Automated Palletization