Printing Lean

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has just published a special edition of its magazine called EXTRA that focuses specifically on Lean production. This edition examines some of the most efficient printing plants around the world: the Rossel Printing Company in Belgium; Independent News and Media in Newry, Northern Ireland; the Presse-Druck und Verlags GmbH in Augsburg, Germany; and the Chunichi Shimbun in Japan.

The issue contends that each of these printing plants not only have seven main characteristic properties in place -- suitable technical equipment, less hierarchical work organization, personnel qualification and motivation, quality management, continuous improvement process (CIP), just-in-time (JIT), and process orientation -- but the full potential arises from the correct interaction among them. In addition, there is a specific article dedicated to the extant to which automation has transformed newspaper production.

Please share your comments on these case studies.