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Operations of a PSP: Control the Chaos of Costs

Operations of a PSP: Control the Chaos of Costs

Control the Chaos of Costs – Episode Summary

In this strategy-rich episode of The Print University, Ryan McAbee and Pat McGrew break down how print businesses can gain control over cost chaos caused by inflation, labor shortages, and capital expenditures. Ideal for business owners, operations managers, and financial leads building lean manufacturing training printing industry programs or MIS software training for print production, this session teaches how to stabilize profitability through workflow intelligence, automation, and smarter resource management.

The episode begins by identifying macro challenges—rising paper and substrate costs, energy spikes, labor shortages, and high interest rates. While these pressures may feel uncontrollable, Ryan and Pat argue that operational discipline is the key to surviving and thriving. Printers must reduce waste, automate routine tasks, and better utilize existing MIS, prepress automation, and shop floor data collection tools.

They explore cost-cutting levers like:

  • Walking your workflow to locate bottlenecks and eliminate manual steps

  • Using job costing reports and OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) to evaluate asset performance

  • Reconsidering product mix to reduce high-labor/low-margin jobs

  • Planning for energy optimization (off-peak usage, audits, LED retrofits)

  • Negotiating smarter vendor contracts and alternative substrates to reduce CapEx and supply risk

Most importantly, printers must shift from reactive to proactive—redefining quoting logic, updating BHRs (budgeted hourly rates), and empowering employees through better training and automation.

You Will Learn:

  • How to control hidden and rising costs in labor, substrates, energy, and equipment

  • Where inefficiencies hide in your workflow—and how to eliminate them

  • Tools to track profitability: job costing, OEE, MIS analytics, approval timelines

  • Strategies for smarter CapEx investment, energy audits, and vendor diversification

  • Why workflow visibility, automation, and training are key to sustainable margins

Who This Course Is For:

Print business owners, plant managers, operations directors, estimators, and automation leads implementing lean manufacturing training printing industry, MIS software training for print production, or building resilient printing industry training programs for new employees

Time to Watch:

Approx. 30 minutes