Market-Driven Training Will Re-educate Our Industry

We are honored to include among the bylines this month Bruce James (p.8), who retired January 3 as the nation's 24th Public Printer. James began life in Cleveland, where at age 11 he taught himself to set type and print on a 5×8´´ Kelsey hand press. After studying print science and management at RIT (later chairing the trustees' board), James founded or managed more than a dozen technology-driven print and publishing enterprises throughout the U.S. and the world. Retiring at 50, he returned to service 10 years later when President Bush charged him to transform U.S. Government Printing Office management and production processes for the nation's documents.

Bruce's experience suggests the complex and varied paths by which many move into this field. So do remarks heard during December's annual print media pilgrimages, which found the press corps traveling three continents to gather visionary assessments of industry suppliers. A recurrent theme: education, or re-education, is critical for our industry's success.

The import is heightened when viewed against the backdrop of a December 14 report by the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce (weighty enough to make the cover of Time). One of its radical proposals: most students should leave high school after sophomore year, to train for specific careers, a minority going on to college.

Printers have complained employees arrive unprepared for the pressroom. Now there are progressive initiatives on multiple fronts—e.g., the Graphic Arts Education & Research Foundation, Print & Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF), the Electronic Document Systems Foundation—as printers and suppliers move into the breach. Quad/Graphics' multi-million-dollar Harry Quadracci learning center at Waukesha (WI) County Technical College is one of many examples supporting print re-education. Pitman renewed its commitment to PGSF scholarship funding and Komori CEO Stephan Carter joined the PGSF board; NAPL expanded its focus on Human Resources; and PIA/GATF continued its move into digital print training.

Because of the dramatic shifts in our industry—driven by new media challenges—print system suppliers find themselves deeply invested in technical education. For example, paper giant Sappi has launched Etc. (Education, Training & Consulting).

Heidelberg heightened the focus on education at a December VIP event at its 33,000-sq.ft. Kennesaw, GA training/demo center—largest of its kind in the world—by awarding not golf clubs or a cruise, but the first in a series of generously funded scholarships, this one honoring Norvin Hagan, CEO of Geographics in Atlanta.

Preparing the business case for investment and business reinvention increasingly requires assistance to optimize workflow, evaluate opportunities and project bottom-line results. At its German home base, Heidelberg CEO Bernhard Schreier described the consultative process for preparing a needs assessment and financial case for customers adopting its print platform upgrades—impractical until internal processes are straightened out. In some cases, the firm even engineers integrated, turnkey production systems as a strategic effort for customers. Noting light-duty digital color machines will handle ultra-short runs, as more efficient offset platforms will take on the next range of volume levels, Schreier also weighed in on the prospects for the industry.

“There will not be exaggerated print production volume in the future,” says Schreier. “But there will be high-value print, and it will be done locally—close to the customer.” While least-cost producers such as China may handle volume work that is not time sensitive, “U.S. printers will do quality-critical, time-critical andcustomer-critical runs. This is why our customers who go for niches should go for quality work.”

bill.esler@reedbusiness.com