PrintPlanet Launches Lean Manufacturing Forum

August 11, 2008 -- Lexington, KY -- WhatTheyThink, the leading online media organization serving the printing and publishing industry, today announced the launch of the Lean Manufacturing discussion forum at PrintPlanet, the world’s largest e-community for print.  The new forum can be accessed at:

http://printplanet.com/forums/lean-manufacturing/

Click here to register at the PrintPlanet forums.

The Lean Manufacturing forum will provide a venue for discussing the implementation and use of lean principles and practices by printing and publishing firms.  Lean manufacturing was one of the most significant business developments of the twentieth century.  The use of lean techniques was the primary factor that enabled many Japanese manufacturing firms to become world market leaders in the last half of the 1900s.  Recent research indicates that nearly 70 percent of manufacturing companies are using lean manufacturing as a business improvement methodology.

Lean manufacturing is also becoming increasingly important to the printing and publishing industry.  In a recent survey of printing company executives conducted by PIA/GATF and Point Balance, LLC, more than three-fourths of the survey respondents indicated that they had heard or read about lean manufacturing, and almost 40 percent said they are using lean tools to improve their businesses.

The Lean Manufacturing forum will be moderated by Cory Smith and G. David Dodd.  Dodd, the principal of Point Balance and a regular contributor to WhatTheyThink, says that the growing interest in lean manufacturing among printing company managers is easy to understand.  “Printing companies have been facing a tough economic and competitive environment in recent years, and to survive in these trying market conditions, companies must be highly productive.  Lean manufacturing is lean because it enables a business to do more with less.  A lean enterprise uses less human effort, less equipment, less facilities space, less time, and less capital to operate than a ‘non-lean’ company of comparable size.  The Lean Manufacturing forum will enable printing company managers to learn how they can use lean tools and techniques to drive improved productivity and higher profits.”

Randy Davidson, President of WhatTheyThink, sees the Lean Manufacturing forum as an important addition to the PrintPlanet line-up of print-focused discussion forums.  “The core function of PrintPlanet is to provide an e-community in which participants in the printing and publishing industry can discuss, debate, and learn about issues and topics that are vital to business success.  Becoming lean is clearly a critical success factor for most printing companies, and this forum will provide an effective way to learn about lean’s benefits and challenges.”

Click here to register at the PrintPlanet forums

About WhatTheyThink

WhatTheyThink is the printing and publishing industry's leading online media organization; offering a wide range of publications delivering unbiased, real-time market intelligence, industry news, economic and trend analysis, peer-to-peer communication, and special reports on emerging technology and critical events. Serving a membership base of more than 50,000, WhatTheyThink also hosts webinars and live events as well as providing content through a syndication program, which delivers content directly to related websites and through RSS. The organization also provides consulting and speakers bureau services to the industry.

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