Heidelberg

At University of Washington Creative Communications, the in-plant's implementation of Lean production practices have been critical to its rapid financial turnaround from a $200,000 deficit to a $300,000 profit—a half-a-million-dollar swing from one fiscal year to the next.

Next month, drupa 2012 will take over Düsseldorf, Germany. IPG asks industry observers David Zwang, Jim Hamilton, Noel Ward and Bill Lamparter what they expect to see there.

Last week more than 100 graphic arts journalists met in Düsseldorf, Germany, to attend the Official drupa International Media Conference to preview some of the product launches planned for drupa 2012, now less than two months away.

Komori Corp. has signed a global sales agreement with Konica Minolta Business Technologies, the information equipment business unit of Konica Minolta Holdings Inc. As a result, Konica Minolta will supply to Komori the bizhub PRESS series, centered on the bizhub PRESS C8000 digital printing system, in the United States, Europe, Japan and China.

Hasbro Inc.'s 44-employee in-plant boasts one of the most impressive game and puzzle printing operations south of Santa's Workshop. A web and sheetfed operation, the shop produces packaging, box and board labels, puzzle board, internal game components and various general printing in support of its parent company.

Richardson Independent School District's in-plant, in Richardson, Texas, has installed a Heidelberg Suprasetter A52 platesetter with MetaDimension RIP. The new platesetter is used to image Saphira Chemfree plates for the shop's two offset presses.

Missouri's State Printing Center has relocated, along with the state's mailing operation, into a 250,000-square-foot building about seven miles from the State Capitol. "Because so much of what we print gets mailed anyway, it's really nice to have us all here together," says State Printer Rodney Vessell.

Even though Indiana University Document Services will be moving to a new facility at the end of the Spring semester, the 25-employee in-plant had no reservations about bringing in new bindery equipment in the final months at its current location.

A highlight of new computer-to-plate solutions from Agfa, Fujifilm, Glunz & Jensen, Heidelberg, Kodak, Mitsubishi Imaging, Screen (USA), Presstek and Xanté.

Most of the finishing touches at Highmark's two main Pennsylvania facilities are applied using inline equipment from C.P. Bourg. In Pittsburgh, three of the Xerox iGen4s have Bourg BMEx booklet makers with BCMEx creasers, and all three Nuvera 288 EAs at both the Pittsburgh and Camp Hill locations have Bourg BDFx finishers to stitch, fold and trim booklets, reports and various other documents.