Dr. Malcolm Keif and Professor Kevin Cooper of Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo recently completed their third book on the topic of Lean Management for the printing industry. Their newest title, Setup Reduction for Printers: A Practical Guide for Reducing Makeready Time in Print Manufacturing can be purchased directly at https://www.createspace.com/3663543. This new work is a must read for any printer looking to embark on a Lean journey and improve their cost efficiency to more effectively compete in today’s conditions. This title follows in the footsteps of Lean Printing: Pathway to Success and Lean Printing: Cultural Imperatives to Success, which are both available and bundled with the new title as a set through the PIA/GATF Press bookstore http://www.printing.org/store. Lean management continues to be one of the primary ways printers can compete and improve their results consistently.

Setup Reduction is how companies increase value to their customers. Yet it is not a simple process. Setup Reduction for Printers outlines a method for reducing setup times by using the proven techniques developed as Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED). In their book, the authors outline a ten-step process that can reduce setup times by 50% or more by focusing on reducing internal makeready tasks and moving those to external tasks. Setup Reduction for Printers goes in-depth by focusing on all aspects of your makeready, from standardizing fasteners, to minimizing adjustments, to incorporating parallel processing, to error-proofing your makeready.

Using practical printing examples, Setup Reduction for Printers shows how you can engage your team, utilizing Lean principles, to methodically work through the process of makeready reduction. Using a motorsports pit crew analogy, your employees can work through the strategies discussed in this book to lower your costs and improve your bottom line. Setup Reduction is vital for your success in the competitive landscape of print manufacturing.