Crouser & Associates Performance Group program helps printers prosper through
on-site assistance and twice yearly group meetings. For more information by Email or call (304) 342-5100. Crouser Report OnLine is the Copyright Thomas P. Crouser. Material may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent. Current reports are on the WWW at http://www.printusa.com.

Letters: Shop Layout to Butter Wrappers


Crouser Report OnLine April 1, 1996

Transmitted from Charleston, West Virginia

Well, we re home for the eighth day in 1996 and I wanted to catch you up with correspondence before we head out again tomorrow. Here s a batch of your comments about our recent topics. Subj: Re: Shop Layout
From: ENOW626
To: TomCrouser


Special thanks on this very timely info. Our lease runs out Oct. 97 and we expected that we would be moving because we were locked in and could not expend past our 8,000 + feet. (also 6000 cheap warehouse space - off premise). Decided NOT to buy a building because I ve seen too many businesses end up in the R.E. business rather than printing. I d rather do what we do best.

We were talking with several realtors about building to suit (about 15,000 ft) and were in the planning stage. It s easy to do it right starting from a 90 x 160 ft box. When lo & behold, when I called our present leasing agent to con him into letting us use a freakish 600 ft in our building (coupla doors down), he told me that ALCO next door was moving. They have 8500 ft. We are looking at an additional 6000 or so ft, but here is our challenge. We started here with 3450, added 2100, then 2600 - so we cover three effective bays. We hired an industrial engineer to help us with our flow and it worked great. Except we busting at the seams. When I learned that we subconciously were turning away business because we didn t have space to spread out assembly, mailings, etc., I OUCHED!!! Gotta do something quick.

Adding 6000 ft seems simple enuff, except what goes where?? Looks like we ll have a complete internal reshuffle (lotsa fun). We re studying it now.

Also, since we ve been here over 8 yrs with some CPI increases, I feel I m paying too much relative to the build to suit, and other turnover locations. Gotta cut our rate and plan on proceeding with other location possibilities, and cost out all ramifications and nuances. Figure it ll cost a minimum of $50,000 to move plus turmoil plus fix up of location we leave plus plus plus

So U see your shop layout article was timely for us.

Thanks - - Ed N. And thank you Ed for your kind comments. Here s a suggestion from LaserTed on the same subject.

Subj: Re: Shop Layout
From: LaserTed
To: TomCrouser


A note on your shop layout comminuque.

I purchased Turbocad (for the Mac) for about $79.00 (from Tiger Software) for just this purpose (shop layout). Having never used CAD software before it took a few minutes (well about 3 hours one night) to crack it and get over the learning curve but now I can move even my heaviest piece of equipment with the flick of a wrist and the click of a mouse. Hey, that sounds great. Thanks for the tip. Kevin answered our call with a suggestion for Bruce, the new salesman.

Subj: Suggestion for Bruce
From: corrigan@nando.net (Kevin P Corrigan)
To: TomCrouser@aol.com


So, what do you think. Have anything you can add to help Bruce? Send me a message and I ll include in a later edition. . .

Bruce should read the book SPIN Selling . It ll give him the kind of foundation he needs. Kevin And here s a note from Carl Gerhardt of American Speedy. Has he got a deal for you!

Subj: Re: Letters
From: CGERHARDT
To: TomCrouser


Tom: To the gentleman that is burned out and wants to sell the #@*%$ place. I would like to talk to him. We have a program of taking independents who want to sell and finding a buyer and then converting the new owner to the franchise. We have plenty of buyers. We are not selling new start-up franchises because it s too hard to get out of he gate in todays market. But, we have successfully done several deals like the above that we call convert on sale . The new owner comes in with fresh capital and energy and with our help typically does very well. For your consideration! Carl G. And here is an update from Ray Andrews in Chicago about his usage of Launch.

From: RayANDREWS
To: TomCrouser


. . . By incorporating the Launch program into our sales effort - coupled with getting a new LaseMaster Direct To Plate printer we ve managed not only to eliminate a full-time graphic artist, but also the position of pre-press/bindery which, frankly, was a clumsy job position, at best.

The Launch program has a hidden benefit so significant I have a great desire to hoard the knowledge to myself. But I will share it.

My first distribution of the Launch disks was to: FREE-LANCERS, NOT CUSTOMERS. The result is I now have a staff of THREE graphic artists with a range of skills and hourly rates. I plan to add two or so more.

It works very well. We fax the job ticket, customer doodles and copy (whatever) to the free-lancer. (The job ticket includes the amount of time we expect the artist to spend -and bill-on the job, which he can negotiate by phone if he feels we re off base).

These guys (and gal) are real pros, working out of the low overhead of their homes. They give me a faster turn on a higher volume with an assured profit on every job. They send their bill with the work, so we can assure that we get our mark-up in the final invoice (usually 2X). Then, when we have it in our computer, we run a proof. If there are changes, we kick it back to the artist by fax and he relaunches the corrections. When ready, we simply load the LaserMaster, print our plates and move to the pressroom.

I currently am buying a photo-reader that will allow me to send them logos, half-tones and other graphics for the job to their AOL addresses so that they will not be wasting (and billing) time traveling too and fro. This also works very well when customers bring in disks, which is happening at a very accelerating rate. Also, we ve given them a copy of our back files, so that minor corrections on reorders can be quickly and economically made. I anticipate that 40% to 50% of our jobs will be in this format within several months.

But there is another bonus, as well! These free-lancers (and one graphic artist in a customer s business who freelances nights and weekends are bringing us significant new printing sales from their other clients.

. . . .Obviously, this one thing we re doing is not the be-all, end-all, but it s probably the best jump we ve had on things for long time. . . . Thanks, Ray, for the timely update. A few weeks ago, I ran into a gentleman from Panama who was looking for a Solna 124 operating manual. I knew you wouldn t let me down. PrintUSA s Martin Turnbull was the first to reply. . .

Subj: Solna
From: martin@usa.net (Martin L. Turnbull)
To: TomCrouser@aol.com


Tom: A week ago someone in South America was looking for a Solna 124 operating manual. Have them contact MKM at 800 447 6562. They will need to provide the year and serial number.

Then, John Stewart, QP Consulting sent in this valuable information.
In response to your inquiry from Panama, the Solna 124 was almost exactly the same as the Chief 19x25 Profiteer which was marketed by ATF/Davidson. I believe Davidson is still in business and may or may not have manuals...however, if you found someone with an old Chief the manual would be almost identical....

Thanks to both of you for helping a fellow printer with a problem. And that gives us the perfect opening to discuss a request from Melynda, a student at Clemson. From: rkouvol@CLEMSON.EDU
To: TomCrouser@aol.com


I m a student in graphic communications at Clemson University. I am looking for an article or case study of how an actual printing company uses the internet. What their goals were when they started, what they are using the internet for, and how it is actually working (has it hlped improve their business/customer service). Do you know of where I can find one? My email address is melynds@clemson.edu
Thanks.
Sincerely, Melynda

We also would be interested in your success. Send us a copy of what you message to Melynda and we ll share. Now for a little pricing history from Ron Stewart of Marquis Printing in Mansfield, Ohio. From: MarqPrint
To: TomCrouser


As our company celebrates it s 95th year, I ve been looking for treasures from years gone by. I found The Printer s Paper Cost Finder dated 1922, a Price Determination Schedule issued by the National Graphic Arts Coordinating Committee of the Graphic Arts Code dated April 29, 1934. (This was a government issued publication during the days of some wage and price cotrols.) I also found a Franklin Printing Price Catalog dated 1945. I checked them over and could not find a price for plates! (Reference to our recent discussion of plate charges.) He He I did however find a price for butter wrappers! When s the last time you printed butter wrappers! (I thought you might remember, Tom) Thanks, Ron. I m almost that old!

In the days of handset type, a charge was made to set the type each time a job was produced. A Standing Type charge was added to all repeat jobs where the type was bound and stored for future use. A Locked Up charge was added to all repeat jobs where the type, rules, etc. were kept locked up in the chase for future use. These charges were not cheap as the type, leading, furniture, rules, etc. couldn t be used for other jobs! I guess we could equate these charges to the plate charges of today. We still have handset type today!

We use your price book and still have a current Franklins around! It is still as hard to figure out today as it was in the 1945 copy we have! Built into your prices is a charge for a paper plate. We have always figured that this covered our cost of gumming and retreval of a plate from the file. Sure it s about $2 but we re efficient!

I guess I ll be adding a Standing Type charge to jobs in the future, just like in days gone by!

Ron Stewart
Marquis Printing - Founded 1901
MarqPrint@aol.com


P.S. HELP....can t find the price for butter wrappers in your price book!

Hey, now. You re getting personal. I have actually printed advertising blotters in school and remember the paper stock in my catalog. Course, I was a mere child. And yes, dodgers and handbills were a staple of my early career. Butter wrappers. Hum. Ron was kind enough to send a copy of the Price Determination Schedule for our old printer s archives. Thank you very much. Then, he sent this additional provocative thought.

Subj: Standing Type, Plates, Disks

From: MarqPrint

To: TomCrouser



Thought just occurred to me, do we charge our customers for storing jobs on disk? Shouldn t we if we provide the disk?

I m sitting here with the old price lists next to my computer and wondering what the founders of the company would think if they were able to be here with me today. It s an erie feeling with these old price books because it s obvious they were used a great deal!

Still looking for prices to produce butter wrappers and now, advertising blotters! Remember handbills and dodgers?

Ron Stewart
Marquis Printing - Still alive at 95!


Before you get the wrong idea, Marquis Printing was started in 1901. Ron is not 95 years old. But, he does have a provocative question. Shouldn t there be a storage charge for jobs on disks? Whatcha think? Well, till next time.

Happy Trails,........Tom Crouser

For information on Performance Groups click here.> Crouser & Associates Performance Group program includes two on-site evaluations by Tom Crouser each year along with two group meetings. Management training is held during the group meetings along with participation in a meeting with non-competing printers. Join others who have decided to run their business instead of the business running them. Reply to by Email to Tom Crouser for more detailed information or call Clark Workman at (304) 342-5100. Or fax (304) 342-5187 or contact crouser@ibm.net.

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