Blair Labeling automates prepress workflow in just one week with Automation Engine for Labels
Thanks to Automation Engine for Labels, Blair Labeling reduced prepress workload by more than 30%, while eliminating errors.
Case Study Summary
Feeding five flexo presses & a new digital press
Denver-based Blair Labeling, Inc., a 100% woman-owned and minority-owned business, has been providing multicolored, prime, promotional and industrial pressure sensitive labels – as well as decals, tamper evident constructions, thermals, patterns, tags, hangers and card products – since 1986.
In addition to working on the presses, their staff of twenty performs die cutting, perforating, punching, lamination/UV coating and graduated screens – all in-line. Blair also has a full service art department capable of providing excellent graphic design and prepress services.
The Challenge
On average, Blair processes about 20-25 individual jobs per day—and each job has 3-4 pieces of artwork on it. Blair likes to gang the products and run different labels concurrently.
A few years ago, Blair was using a workflow system that was very difficult to operate. It could result in misprints with the wrong copy. Or when doing custom trapping, the operator had to manually create pull-backs on the white undercoat.
Once Blair had some experience with Esko tools, the company looked at automating prepress, and decided to invest in Automation Engine for Labels.
The Solution
Installing an effective workflow does not have to be complicated. Within a week, Blair installed Automation Engine for Labels, and was able to reduce its manual prepress workload by more than 30%, feeding its five flexo presses and new digital press.
The pre-configured, easy-to-use workflow solution addresses the key challenges that constrict throughput and cause inefficiencies in label manufacturing. It includes tasks such as packaging preflighting, checking barcodes including full quality report on the barcodes, trapping, step-and-repeat, Smartmarks and control strips as well as automated job reports.
The Benefits
Automation Engine has effectively eliminated an artist. And the remaining artist still asks if there is anything else she can do.
De La Vega was also looking for a system that was foolproof. The prepress artist can figure out most issues without help.
Blair has eliminated many operator errors. “The system does exactly what you tell it to do. It will knock out work and show it to you. Before, working on step & repeat, I would sometimes pull the wrong copy. Now the system shows us the correct artwork—and, of course, with the correct parameters, it will print correctly,” says De La Vega.
- 6% growth over last year, while realizing cost savings
- reduced prepress workload by more than 30%
- all the prepress work is now done by only 1 graphic artist who still has spare time
- correct prints first time, operator errors are completely eliminated