The buzzword for every major trade show and open house this year has been Automation. The conversations span everything from simple task automation to full-fledged automation of processes that start at content creation and don’t end until the goods are delivered or inserted into the mailstream, touching every corner of the business. The assumption many automation conversations begin with is that the site managers, production planners, and operators understand their workflows so profoundly that they know what they need. Because they are hip-deep in the operations, surely, they know the gaps and opportunities!

The reality for most print shops is that there are islands of knowledge that may not be documented anywhere. It may exist in the institutional knowledge of individuals, and even their understanding may not embrace the best possible practices. The danger is that when vendors come to talk about upgrading or replacing your current software solutions, everything they say may sound great! Every vendor has a story to tell, directly or through a series of partner relationships, that can sound like it touches your pain points.

You should listen to every single one of them because there will be nuggets you can use, but before you make decisions, take the time to understand your efficiencies, gaps, and opportunities. Whether you are an in-plant embedded in a corporate enterprise or educational institution, part of a franchise network, a single site or multi-plant commercial enterprise, or a start-up, you can’t automate what you don’t know.