December 19, 2005 -- Lexington, Kentucky USA -- WhatTheyThink.com today conducted a free printing industry educational webinar on the topic of Computer Integrated Manufacturing: Automating the Print Production Process, with Senior Editor Cary Sherburne. Sponsored by MAN Roland and EFI, the event was held Wednesday, December 14th, and more than 200 senior printing executives registered for the event. by visiting http://members.whattheythink.com/home/webinars/webinar051214.cfm During this one-hour event, a panel of experts provided graphic arts executives with insight, advice and guidance relative to implement Computer Integrated Manufacturing for the commercial and in-plant printing industry. In an interactive round table format, facilitated by Sherburne, panelists answered prepared questions as well as questions submitted by the audience about the lessons they have learned in implementing CIM, how their profitability and productivity have been affected, and what they plan for the future. “In this second in a two-part series, we were pleased to have the participation of Dean Hanisko, Chief Technology Officer of Great Lakes Integrated, and Al Graham, Digital Operations Manager for Vision Graphics, Inc.,” stated Randy Davidson, President of WhatTheyThink.com. “Both companies have made significant strides toward the goal of end-to-end, lights-out operation that is the promise of CIM, and both presenters were very frank about their successes as well as their lessons learned.” Key points made during the session included: For a company to be successful with CIM, it needs sharp people who can understand and will endorse the process. It also needs strong leadership from the senior management team. Presenters agreed that the challenge is less equipment based and more about people and culture. Vision Graphics was able to reduce staffing by 30% by virtue of the elimination of rekeying of data throughout the order entry, production and management of print jobs. Great Lakes Integrated was able to increase the number of jobs produced per year from 1,500 to 10,000, with no increase in staff, due to the increased productivity delivered by its CIM initiatives. In terms of where to start, both presenters emphasized the importance of a good print MIS solution to ensure that the proper business infrastructure is in place. They then recommended evaluating your core competencies and start in those areas first. Part One in the series was conducted on August 31, 2005, and can be reviewed in the WhatTheyThink webinar archives. Cary Sherburne, WhatTheyThink Senior Editor, is a well-known journalist, author and strategic marketing consultant working primarily with the printing and publishing industry. Sherburne frequently moderates and presents at WhatTheyThink Webinars and other events. “The best way to learn about CIM is to hear from those who have made significant implementation progress in their own businesses.” Sherburne says. “While our speakers agreed on a number of points, they also provided differing perspectives on others. This session is well worth listening to for any company considering how to improve operational efficiencies.” As with all WhatTheyThink webinars, the session is available in the online webinar archive. The presentation can be viewed via the Web, or alternative, the PDF and MP3 files can be downloaded by visiting http://members.whattheythink.com/home/webinars/webinar051214.cfm About MAN Roland: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG is the world's second largest printing press manufacturer and the global leader in web press and newspaper printing technology. In fact, every third newspaper produced in the world is printed on a MAN Roland press. With main facilities in Offenbach and Augsburg, Germany, MAN Roland generates annual sales of EUR 1.8 billion. Exports account for 79% of the figure. MAN Roland produces web and sheetfed offset presses as well as digital printing systems for commercial printers, newspaper printers, publishers, packaging producers, quick printers and in-plant shops. The company is a subsidiary of MAN Aktiengesellschaft, Munich. The MAN group is one of Europe's leading suppliers of capital goods, with 77,000 employees whose expertise ranges from commercial vehicle manufacturing to engineering. Its annual sales total EUR 16 billion. For more information visit www.manroland.com. About EFI EFI (www.efi.com) is the world leader in digital imaging and print management solutions for commercial and enterprise printing. EFI's award-winning technologies offer document management tools from creation to print, including high fidelity color and black and white Fiery® print servers that can output up to 2000 ppm; powerful production workflow and print management information software solutions for increased performance and cost efficiency; and an array of business-critical enterprise and mobile printing solutions. EFI maintains 22 offices worldwide. About WhatTheyThink.com: WhatTheyThink.com is the print and publishing industry's leading online community. The company offers a mixture of free and subscription-based content for industry executives. Additionally, WhatTheyThink.com provides a robust content syndication program serving related web sites. About Cary Sherburne Cary Sherburne is a well-known journalist, author and strategic marketing consultant working primarily with the printing and publishing industry. Prior to launching her consulting practice, Ms. Sherburne was the Vice President of Marketing Communications and Outsourcing Solutions at IKON Office Solutions. Her tenure in the printing and publishing industry has also included sales, marketing and management roles at InfoTrends/CAP Ventures, Xerox Corporation, Indigo America and Bitstream. She is a frequent speaker at industry events, a regular contributor to WhatTheyThink.com and has written three books, available through the National Association for Printing Leadership (www.napl.org). Sherburne can be reached at [email protected] or www.SherburneAssociates.com.