Maximum Efficiency and Screen Print Shop Capacity
Welcome To Cora’s Corner, where every month I am going to help you with your artwork issues. However this month I’m including production issues.
This month I’m going to discuss maximum efficiency and screen print shop capacity.
There are a lot of factors to consider when you are considering how to maximize your efficiency and fill out your shop’s capacity potential.
Time is the biggest consideration when you are considering efficiency and capacity. Wasted time kills both. When your presses are running, your shop is making money. When you’re doing anything else, you are losing money.
Proper layout of your shop can be your biggest help in maximizing efficiency and capacity. The least amount of steps (time) you have to take between processes, the more you can get done in a day. You should know on average how long each process takes.
Questions to be answered in every shop are; how long does it take to prep art, shirts, inks, screens, and presses? How many shirts can your shop run in an hour on average? Don’t forget how long it takes to tear down and clean-up. Also do not forget to include how long to pack and ship orders. Be sure to account for all the steps when determining how long it will take for each order. Another consideration is how much personnel and equipment you have dedicated to each process. This may be different depending on size of the job or size of your shop. Some processes can be outsourced. You have to determine if the extra cost to do so is worth the time savings.
Other factors to consider:
Maintaining a clean environment saves you time and money. If you don’t clean up your messes right away they tend to grow and travel around the shop. This can cause wasted time, spoiled product, and looks unprofessional.
Regular maintenance on equipment saves money in the long term and helps prevent unexpected breakdowns that can throw a wrench into a shop’s production schedule.
Technology is another factor in helping with a shop’s efficiency. Computer software can help you with order, inventory and art preparation management. Computerizing these processes helps keep the whole shop on the same page. Use the best equipment you can afford. For example, retentionable frames, pin registration, cleaning chemicals, screen cleaning etc. You get the idea.
Avoiding mistakes and do-overs always helps with time savings and bottom line profits. You never really make up the money or time lost when you have to print a job over again due to a mistake.
Knowing how much time each process takes also helps determine how much each process cost. This will help you in determining what you should charge your customers. When you know time and cost you can determine if a job/order is worth doing. Happy printing!
I would also like to hear from you about your most pressing issues about artwork. Your question may be used in a future issue of this newsletter. If you have questions, please email me at cora.kromer@qdigitizing.com. And please reference this newsletter.
I look forward to sharing an exciting journey of discovery into the world of Art.
Sincerely,
Cora Kromer
Awearness Ink