Printing Industries of America, Inc.

Pittsburgh-based Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) formed the Center for Lean Practices to assist the graphic communications industry with the implementation of Lean Manufacturing. Since its inception, the Center for Lean Practices has received rave reviews from those who have taken advantage of the Center’s products and services. One such printer reduced spoilage from 2.5 percent to 1.09 percent over the last year. Ken Rizzo, PIA/GATF’s director of consulting, oversees the Center’s activities. He has been involved with Lean Practices for more than 20 years. Previously, Rizzo served as a process engineer for offset printing, where he led numerous lean manufacturing

Pittsburgh-based Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) formed the Center for Lean Practices to assist the graphic communications industry with the implementation of Lean Manufacturing. The Center provides consulting, training, publications and a speakers’ bureau specifically for the printing industry. Since its inception, the Center for Lean Practices has received rave reviews from those who have taken advantage of the Center’s products and services. One such printer reduced spoilage from 2.5 percent to 1.09 percent over the last year. Ken Rizzo, PIA/GATF’s director of consulting, oversees the Center’s activities. He has been involved with Lean Practices for more than 20 years. Previously,

As Print Professional’s June issue goes to press, drupa—the world’s largest printing trade show—will be in full swing at Messe, Düsseldorf, Germany. Approximately 400,000 visitors from 122 countries are expected to pass through the exhibit halls between May 29 and June 11, delighting in the latest technology and workflow tools from several hundred vendors. The new workflow solutions being introduced at drupa will subsequently join those already existing, further underscoring the need for industry standards designed to simplify information exchange between different applications and systems in and around the graphic arts industry. Part of the solution is Job Definition Format (JDF), an industry specification

Headquartered in Sewickley, Pa., the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) announced the release of the latest edition of “Total Production Maintenance: A Guide for the Printing Industry”, by Kenneth E. Rizzo. This third edition contains updated and additional material, particularly in the area of lean manufacturing as it applies to graphic arts processes, and addresses a wide variety of topics, including: • Total productive maintenance • Equipment maintenance • Prepress maintenance • Statistical process control and Six Sigma tools • Recognizing production workflow bottlenecks • Best practices for lean printing • Quality assurance of print materials • TPM analysis: the press

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP Partnership), Pittsburgh, was established by three founding organizations—Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF), Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) and Flexographic Technical Association (FTA)—as an independent third-party verification organization. Its website, www.sgppartnership.org, serves as a central location for information on recognized “green” printers and sustainable printing activities. On March 12, the organization revealed the much anticipated draft criteria on how to become a sustainable, green printer at the National Environmental Health and Safety Conference in Indianapolis (www.nehsconference.org). The criteria will be beta tested during the upcoming months, and necessary modifications will be made prior to the

The March 2008 National Environmental Health & Safety Conference, held at the Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Hotel, reported a significant increase in attendance this year due to growing industry interest in sustainability. Mark DiVito’s keynote presentation, “The State of Sustainability in Graphic Communications,” was based on a survey conducted by Reed Business Information, which identified how different printing stakeholders are addressing green issues. The survey showed that currently, leaders in sustainability also make equipment and consumable purchases with sustainability in mind, and typically represent publication printers, wide-web flexographers, prepress providers and screen printers. In addition, 75 percent of respondents felt the emphasis on sustainability

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP Partnership), Pittsburgh, was established by three founding organizations—Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF), Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) and Flexographic Technical Association (FTA)—as an independent third-party verification organization. Its website, www.sgppartnership.org, serves as a central location for information on recognized “green” printers and sustainable printing activities. On March 12, the organization revealed the much anticipated criteria on how to become a sustainable, green printer at the National Environmental Health and Safety Conference (NEHS) in Indianapolis. The criteria will be beta tested during the upcoming months, and necessary modifications will be made prior to the

Pittsburgh-based Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) has partnered with the International Cooperation for the Integration of Process in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4) to form a JDF (Job Definition Format) User Group, focusing on the implementation of JDF-enabled systems and cross-vendor implementations. JDF is the industry specification designed to facilitate process automation and the integration of different applications and systems in and around the graphic arts industry. The group is aimed at a wide-range of users of JDF-enabled systems, from creation to fulfillment. Currently, there are many new workflow solutions, and more will be introduced at drupa 2008. The JDF User

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PIA/GATF (Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation) released the latest economics and market research reports—“Looking Forward: What’s Next for the Economy and Print Markets in 2008–2009” and “Expanding the Print Market Space: Printers’ Diversification into Ancillary Services” by Ronnie H. Davis, Ph.D. and Ed Gleeson—to help printers facing an uncertain economic future. As fears of a recession in the United States loom larger and larger, it is becoming increasingly important for print and graphic communications firms to know what to expect and how best to protect their bottom lines in the coming months. “The ‘Looking Forward’ report provides a comprehensive

Headquartered in Sewickley, Pa., the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF), will explain how graphic communications companies can take advantage of two of the industry’s hottest trends—lean manufacturing and green printing—when its National Seminar Tour resumes this spring. The one-day Lean and Green seminar, being held at eight locations across the country, helps companies trim manufacturing waste and time, and focuses on sustainable manufacturing practices that meet customers’ demands and reduce costs. Ken Rizzo, PIA/GATF’s director of consulting and head of its Center for Lean Practices, and Gary Jones, PIA/GATF’s director of environmental, health and safety, will co-present the program. The seminar