Faster Turnaround, Lower Costs Just in Time Productivity at Learning Tree
The in-house print center at Learning Tree's Reston, Virginia headquarters produces all of the course materials for thousands of classes on demand. The just-in-time system not only saves money, it enables the firm to keep training materials fresh. However, when the print center's aging printing systems began breaking down frequently, it became increasingly difficult to meet tight deadlines. "Our old equipment was down so much we literally had to have service technicians out here daily," recalls Production Manager, Tom Matty. "You just can't sustain an operation of this size, volume and criticality under those conditions. We had to have more people on hand to be able to meet deadlines, because when the equipment finally came back up, we were working within compressed timeframes to get the materials printed, punched, bound and packed for shipment in time for the classes. Depending on how long the machines were down, instead of cost-effective three- to five-day shipping, we'd have to pay steep shipping surcharges. It was not a cost-effective way to do business."
Frustrated with the frequent downtime, the company went in search of leading edge technology, both in print engines and workflow software.
"Our work is overwhelmingly duplex, so we wanted a robust machine that could handle high volumes of duplex jobs. The Océ VarioPrint 6000 platform's simultaneous duplexing capability really caught my eye. By printing both sides of the page at the same time, the Océ VarioPrint 6160 system speeds throughput, streamlines paper flow and reduces jams. We also liked its durability, service life and quality. The quality is excellent, especially for halftones, so our photos and screen captures are clean and sharp."
Learning Tree installed the Océ equipment in its Reston facility in February 2009. "We couldn't afford to close the plant down, and the installation was extremely smooth," relates Matty. "We worked with Océ to coordinate the installation of the equipment so that we always had a machine running. We de-installed one older machine and installed the first Océ VarioPrint 6160 system. Once it was operational, we replaced the other system. We were able to shift to the new machines in just two and a half days."
Just in Time Productivity Today, the bustling print center produces 1.5 million prints per machine per month. In an average week, Learning Tree holds 75 to 100 course events around the country, requiring anywhere from 25 to 30 books per course, plus extras for walk-ins or replacements for damaged course materials. "We produce all materials just in time," explains Matty, "We produce the course materials required for the next week, in the exact quantities required, based on the scheduled course-load. We carry no inventory of materials."
This taut scheduling is tied into a proprietary document storage system containing all of the documents for a year of scheduled courses, typically stored as PDFs. The program automatically pulls the appropriate version of the required document and feeds it to the printer. "There's no worrying about a press person accidentally printing an outdated version of course materials," says Matty. "We produce materials on a distance sensitive basis, so we'll produce course books for LA on Monday, Chicago on Tuesday and DC on Friday. Because our deadlines are so tight, we can't afford unexpected glitches. That was the pain point with our old equipment. It's no longer an issue with Océ."
To simplify tab creation and streamline job preparation, proofing, tab production and workload management, Learning Tree uses Océ PRISMAprepare software, all-in-one job preparation software that simplifies document makeready from composition through production. In addition to its other powerful features, the software makes it easy to assign media attributes to any paper supply drawer, enabling all tabbed pages to be produced fully collated as part of complete documents on the Océ VarioPrint 6160 systems.
For finishing, the Océ presses run in concert with offline finishing machinery, including industrial-grade punching and binding equipment. Books are perfect-bound, punched or GBC-bound. Course notes go into three-ring binders and workbooks and exercise books are bound with PlastiCoil or Wire-O binding.
An added benefit is environmentally sustainable performance. Océ VarioPrint 6160 systems consume up to 45 percent less energy than comparative systems, emit virtually no ozone and are RoHS compliant. Because the machines generate less heat, cooling and energy costs are lower and operation is quiet. "There are times where the machine is so quiet, the only way we know it's running is by checking the green light," says Matty.
The Result: streamlined workflow, maximum uptime, and no more overtime. The Océ VarioPrint 6160 systems provide the productivity improvements Learning Tree International wanted. "The Océ VarioPrint 6160s eliminated all the downtime and manual effort, troubleshooting problems, clearing jams, restarting jobs, and calling service technicians. It definitely makes for more efficient use of labor and other resources," affirms Matty.
Producing more work in less time makes Learning Tree's operation far more productive. The print center has been able to eliminate half a shift in the evening, generating significant cost and labor savings. "The speed allows us to push through more work, which really helps when we get alerts that five more people have enrolled in a class and we need to print five more books. With the Océ system, we can drop unexpected jobs into an eight-hour day without disrupting schedule or extending hours."
"Our training materials are constantly refreshed to meet customer expectations," he adds. Even though we're supposedly moving to a paperless society, we're printing more now than ever. The Océ VarioPrint 6160 systems have virtually eliminated overtime. With the increased speed, throughput, and uptime of the Océ machines, we can meet all the volume requirements with the same two shifts and our labor, maintenance, click and per-copy costs are lower. It's a trifecta of savings as far as I'm concerned," Matty concludes. "We're delighted with the Océ hardware and software."
Professional Document Make-ready Made Easy
The latest generation of Océ PRISMAprepare adds value, functionality and intelligence to the pre-print workflow.
Simplifies job preparation Designed with the user in mind, device-independent Océ PRISMAprepare document preparation software simplifies job preparation from composition through production, offering robust clean-up, automated layout, soft proofing and basic preflighting. Capabilities include a standard PDF workflow, rapid corrections and cleanup, an intuitive user interface and a true WYSIWYG preview of the entire prepress process, which eliminates the need for hard-copy proofs and minimizes environmental impact.
New features that accelerate productivity include support for full-bleed tabs, integrated color management and simplified programming of jobs with repeating pages to name a few.
Unleashing Potential "The new version of Océ PRISMAprepare software unleashes the full power of Océ VarioPrint® 4000, Océ VarioPrint 6000 Ultra, Canon imagePRESS® and other Océ and non-Océ production cutsheet printers," said Océ International Software Product Manager, ErnstJan de Bruin.
This next-generation software also streamlines preparation of single or double-sided, square or rounded, full-bleed tabs in color or black & white with up to three lines of text and even specify a different color for each tab For jobs with repeating pages, Océ PRISMAprepare 5.1 software makes programming and selecting repeating pages fast and automatic.
Océ PRISMAprepare 5.1 is available immediately.
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About Océ Océ is a leading
international provider of digital document management technology and
services. The company's solutions are based on Océ's advanced software
applications that deliver documents and data over internal networks and
the Internet to printing devices and archives -- locally and around the
world. Supporting the workflow solutions are Océ digital printers and
scanners, considered the most reliable and productive in the world. Océ
also offers a wide range of display graphics, consulting and
outsourcing solutions.
Océ employs around 22,000 people, with
2009 revenues of approximately $3.7 billion, operates in around 100
countries and maintains research and manufacturing centers in the
Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Belgium, the
Czech Republic, Romania and Singapore. Océ North America is
headquartered in Trumbull, CT, with additional business units in
Chicago, IL; New York City; Boca Raton, FL; Salt Lake City, UT and
Vancouver, BC. North American revenues represent approximately half of
Océ's worldwide business, and employment is approximately 10,000. For
more information about Océ, visit . Outside the U.S.,
consult .
"Océ"
and the Océ logo are registered trademarks of Océ-Technologies B.V. All
product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks and
are the property of their owners and are respectfully acknowledged.
