Inkjet Makes Staffing Easier
I recently spoke with senior managers at three distinctly different print operations to get their perspective on staffing and the changes they have made to fill open positions and grow their business. I talked with:
Bruce Waldron, Manager, Publication Services at Dairyland Power Cooperative who runs an in-plant operation with a staff of 11 serving the print and mailing needs for a 24-member utility cooperative.
Al Kennickell, President of Kennickell Group in Savanah, Georgia who runs a 60-person commercial print company providing print, mail, wide and grand format graphics and fulfillment services.
Randy Weiler, Senior Director, Postal Affairs, Logistics & Strategy at SPC a direct mail company with over 400 employees. SPC provides creative, design, print, mail and omni channel direct marketing services.
Creative Hiring
Hiring in these dynamic times takes a creative approach. Kennickell shared how they are in a significantly better position with staffing this spring compared to last year. They have 6 open positions and are getting a fair number of applicants. Last year job postings languished with no applicants. Kennickell is always looking to hire competent installers for grand format signage and vehicle wraps. He has found print and bindery positions are easier to fill.
Waldron shared how his operation has been fully staffed since the beginning of the year. Dairyland had two vacancies for most of last year. Waldron expanded the job posting to include social media posts on LinkedIn and Facebook. With a social media presence, they attracted many more candidates and filled the positions.
Weiler explained that SPC has also seen some improvements in being able to fill open positions in 2022 over 2021. Last year they experienced bidding wars for temporary help and conducted national searches for skilled offset press operators. SPC currently has 30 open positions as they are staffing up for an additional shift to handle their fall spike in direct mail campaigns. At one-point last year they had 80 open positions to fill.
Increased Compensation is the Rule
Weiler and Kennickell have increased hourly wages several times in the last year. Both firms increased hourly rates for the new hires and then increased rates for tenured staff in the same role. This philosophy rewarded their tenured staff, maintained equity in pay scales, and allowed them to fill open positions. SPC also increased the shift premiums they pay to 2nd and 3rd shift employees to keep positions filled.
Dairyland Power has experienced local competition in hiring unskilled labor. They have not been able to raise hourly rates as quickly as local companies. Their extensive benefits and retirement package has made them more competitive for new hires.
Inkjet Streamlines Production
Kennickell recently installed a Konica Minolta KM1 inkjet press which has changed their production process. With a streamlined workflow they are moving more jobs from offset to inkjet. Press operators were trained and embraced the digital workflow process for the KM1. Now the production team plans jobs with an inkjet first mentality. “Show me why we can’t run it on the inkjet” is often the mantra when planning jobs that previously would have run on a 40-inch offset press. Kennickell described how the 1200 DPI produces better image quality than offset and the consistency is predictable without needing a highly skilled press operator. The paper supply challenges have also impacted how they use inkjet. Where clients may want longer run lengths of 10k, Kennickell is suggesting shorter runs of 2500 on inkjet so they can get the paper needed and enable clients to change their content more frequently.
In 2021, Dairyland Power installed a Canon IX and eliminated one of their two offset presses. They now run about 90% of their jobs on inkjet and use offset as a backup. Waldron said that they no longer cross train staff on offset. As their press operators are nearing retirement age, they plan to move all production to digital presses.
Investment for automation
SPC has made significant investments in four highspeed Bluecrest inserters that run twice as fast as their older models. The biggest benefit is less labor needed to get the same volume of work to completion. They have made other investments in bindery to automate tasks and reduce labor needed for finishing.
SPC has made significant inkjet investments including a Canon Océ ProStream™. And offset printing is still critical to SPC’s overall production process. They have hired new employees to run digital equipment and to upgrade their skills, have invested in training them to run offset presses. Weiler expressed some concern with the global loss of knowledge in the art of operating offset equipment as more press operators near retirement.
Kennickell Group is investing in bindery equipment that doesn’t need highly skilled operators. More automated equipment means more people can learn how to run the equipment well. Their investment philosophy has changed to focus on new equipment that automates work and doesn’t require craftsmanship to operate.
Dairyland Power has formed new partnerships to better serve its members. They have begun outsourcing longer run offset jobs to printers with more offset capabilities. And they have also begun a growth plan by bringing in new work from government and non-profit organizations that is a better fit for their digital production capabilities. Waldron said they will be investing in a new CRM and MIS platform which will allow them to support their growth with new customers without needing additional staff in client service.
Kennickell and Weiler commented that the one benefit of the labor shortages and paper challenges is that low-cost, low-value print mail providers will likely not survive. Astute investments in inkjet have paid off. In companies of all sizes inkjet is providing increased flexibility in hiring and managing challenges in paper supply while driving increased throughput in production.
This article was originally published on Inkjet Insight.