If you’re going to survive in today’s changing climate, you need to be flexible. Discover differences that separate profitable finishing companies from unprofitable ones. Learn tactical solutions to improve your business and become more profitable. Ms. Harbour will share case studies and real life solutions of companies that have improved their business in tough economic times. Discussion on how company management teams handle the everyday battles that add up to differences that truly matter also will take place. Additionally, she will baseline the FSEA membership with a new survey conducted by FSEA to address operational readiness for flexibility.

Production workflow is an essential element in saving both time and maximizing productivity. Learn how to analyze the design of the product proactively to minimize makeready time and increase production speed. Examine the flow of a job from pre-press and pressroom to shipping in order to optimize efficiencies. Explore the best overall strategies for finishing equipment placement on the shop floor. Discover the most resourceful makeready strategies in regards to placement, tools, and aids to reduce press set-up and increase job turnover.

Sometimes the easiest way to gain productivity and decrease cost is right under your nose! Learn how the integration of a comprehensive software system on the shop floor can become a critical part of your business to improve communications with customers, decrease turnaround times and waste, and substantially increase productivity.

Learn how to devise and implement a systematic plan to carry out sustainability within a printing and/or finishing organization, from creating a sustainability policy and management system to implementation of best management practices. Understand the key components of sustainability; explore its social aspects; and discover the parameters of environmental, health, and safety compliance.

• Lean/Green Tactics for Reducing Waste

Leaders in manufacturing businesses are on the front lines of the growing movement to be responsible for the impact of our operations on the environment. It’s up to us to make the investments, take the risks, educate, change habits, and measure the results. What are the specific tactics we can implement that truly "move the needle" in environmental results and which will simultaneously help us with growing customer requirements and our business operations? Share in the perspectives, planning, and specific tactics and approaches of a print finishing/packaging company that have been successfully implemented over the last 15 years.

• Latest Trends and Green Initiatives in Packaging

Explore the role sustainability plays in today’s packaging arena and its relationship to the print finishing industry today and in the future. From defining standards (such as current Wal-Mart "Score Card" initiatives) to creating/changing perceptions and mapping sustainability, attendees will come away with a better understanding of how print finishers and suppliers can unify in educating brand owners, managers, and designers to ensure the long-term growth of print enhancement processes and the industry at large.

Green Opportunities: SGP Certification for Bindery/Finishing Operations

Learn about the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership and its new certification program. Currently tailored to commercial printers, SGP soon will launch certification criteria specifically for print finishers, binderies, and loose leaf operations. Discover what certification can mean for your organization. Why certify? What are the advantages? What is entailed in the process? These questions and more will be addressed in this informative presentation.

Selling Tactics for Efficiency, Profitability, and Market Gain (Panel)

• Selling Efficiently with Small or No Sales Force

Learn several ideas to increase a company’s exposure to sales when working with a small (or no) sales force. Too many print finishers only worry about getting the order out the door but fail to consider how they will get the next order in the door. Learn practical, simple examples of ways to help increase sales.

• Marketing Outside Your Comfort Zone

Selling direct can be advantageous if properly planned, researched, and implemented. Explore the many rewards, as well as possible disadvantage, to be gained by selling direct. What parameters must be in place to get started? Are you up to the task? How do you identify clients who can be serviced directly and how do you avoid conflict? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this critical session. Plus, learn several ideas to increase a company’s exposure to sales when working with a small (or no) sales force. Learn practical, simple examples of ways to help increase sales now.

The Value of Social Networking for Optimum Returns &Visibility

The marketing world has long known that word-of-mouth is the most effective form of advertising (personal testimony will always trump a brochure) and social networking is the ultimate in word-of-mouth promotion. This presentation will introduce the major social networking sites and discuss ways in which to use them to promote your business and educate consumers.

Breakout Sessions

Adding Value with Decorative Services – Defining Opportunities in New & Existing Markets Part 1 (Panel)

Explore new opportunities for print finishers with both Cast and Cure™ and cold foil processes. Learn about machinery that can retrofit to existing UV coaters to offer both processes on one machine. With recent growth in sheet-fed cold foil, opportunities exist to offer cold foil overprinting such as replacing more expensive foil laminated board, and many more. Discover how Cast and Cure can work with your existing UV coaters, adding value to the services you offer. Our expert panel will answer real-world questions on the processes and share what they are seeing in the marketplace.

Adding Value with Decorative Services –

Defining Opportunities in New & Existing Markets Part 2 (Panel)

Learn more about laser cutting, including how both the process and the laser equipment work. Discover how to incorporate laser cutting into a variety of projects; how to determine cost; and how to get the most visual impact from your laser art. Attendees will see a variety of samples showing how laser cutting complements other graphic processes such as diecutting, embossing, and foil stamping.

Specialty UV coatings can serve an important role in any off-line finishing project. Most of these coatings can be applied using standard finishing equipment in use today, offering all the benefits associated with UV (i.e., instant curing, zero VOC’s). Some of these coatings have the potential to replace expensive film laminations or laminated visual effects, providing further benefits in recyclability and ease of use. Discover interesting new coatings and techniques currently in use that create stunning sensory effects, as well as their associated benefits.

New Technologies for Efficient Diemaking (Panel)

From equipment to supplies, technological advancements and new trends in both flat and rotary steel rule diemaking continue to emerge, providing a variety of options for the diemaker including flexibility and cost savings. What are the on-press benefits of water jet-processed rubber? Should you buy a laser or a router? Are there rule processors/benders that can process both rotary curved and straight rule? In addition to these questions, learn ways to maximize the vendor/customer relationship in the areas of purchasing and inventory management on materials and supplies that can add up to bottom-line savings.

In-Line Options for Folding/Gluing to Expand Services & Capabilities (Panel)

Explore ways to make the most of your in-line folding/gluing capabilities, including using existing equipment to its utmost potential, as well as adding new modules that will help expand box styles and markets. In addition, new technologies in cold glue and hot melt ranging from high-speed folding/glutting applications to simple pocket folders will be covered. This session also will address numerous quality assurance options that will allow a machine to run at maximum production speeds without jeopardizing quality and cost effective systems that can retrofit to existing machinery to build a company’s value proposition.