Litho Print Estimating
Litho Print Estimating
It is heartening to read that the smaller printers in the UK are currently the most profitable; it is to be hoped that as a result of the consolidation taking place with larger firms, that the results of their endeavours will lead to greater profitability. This will no doubt have an effect on the surplus capacity where there is a tendency – in the broadest of terms – of too many printers chasing too few (print) jobs. How can this situation be contained?
Several months ago printers in the UK had to endure a sizeable increase in the costs of the material which can constitute, on average, 50% - 70% of their total costs of production: paper and board. Printing ink costs have also increased and although this cost in quantity and value is generally a small proportion of total costs, it is nevertheless a cost that should be accurately estimated as far as possible. Material costs, and other issues present printing firms with challenges.
These, for the most part do not seem to include the means of producing printed matter: new plant that includes the latest technology seems to be readily available, often with adequate finance to purchase this. Nor does the need to produce the work on time (other than the jobs wanted ‘yesterday’ variety) seem to create much difficulty.
The greatest challenge, and one that has plagued the printing industry for very many years to varying degrees, is price: total estimated cost plus profit.
Thankfully, the days of the print rep giving a potential client an estimate ‘on the back of a fag packet’ are long gone (when will even writing on a cigarette packet in the UK be illegal?!). The potential danger for printers today could lay in the need for speed. Clients expect, and even demand, an almost instant response to a request for an estimate. But in meeting this request in a computerised ‘instant’ age, printers could be doing themselves a disservice.
The cause could be: attitude. While an enquiry might fit the ‘average’ specification that can be matched on the screen of a computer that perfectly satisfies the need for an instant quotation, this could act as a deterrent for a client whose enquiry might merit a more analytical approach, resulting in losing the client (particularly if new) to a printer who employs an estimator whose basic knowledge and experience allows a more detailed approach and hopefully a lower cost. In other words, the estimator’s skills are a greater asset to that printer, than those of mainly keyboarding skills with little or no knowledge of estimating.
Acquiring estimating skills that address the problem of (for example) the increased material costs referred to earlier, is not at all difficult even though the subject is unfortunately declining in availability to study (particularly in the UK). This is because ‘in-class-type’ study of litho estimating is available as a distance learning course. Materials are studied in depth where the ability to ‘shave’ 3mm off the size of materials in certain situations, illustrate - and is example of - where competitive estimating must surely have increased success in a competitive environment. As explained, a changed attitude that is different from that of mainly ‘push button’ keyboarding skills is not as fast for some ‘standard’ enquiries but be preferable for non-standard and larger enquiries. The latter approach might benefit instances where there is a disparity in estimated and actual costs; an increase in the latter not always being recoverable or, if they are, tend to upset a valuable client.
The tutor for Estimator Training has twenty years’ experience of teaching the subject in class to students from many parts of the world with different backgrounds and ability and during the latter part (15 years) has successfully run correspondence (now distant learning) courses in the UK. Now wishing to harness the potential of the Internet, the previous ‘question and answer’ facilities previously addressed ‘in class’ and successfully through the post in the UK are now available through the facility of the email.
To cater for the fact that not all printers throughout the world have the ‘push button’ technology and a further fact that it is not in the best interests of firms and trainees alike to confine study to such parameters, the distance learning course has a broad approach and the subject matter follows closely the requirements necessary for the former estimating examination before its demise, under the auspices of the British Printing Industries Federation where considerable success was achieved. For details of this course, please visit: www.estimatortraining.com.
Lets be clear about this: estimating software packages have been a boon wherever they have been introduced but feedback from trainees indicate that where knowledge of the theory and practical aspects of manual estimating are not first understood, the full potential of packages are not fully realised. Distance learning could well be the answer to lack of training but, like all worthwhile areas of study, it does require determination!
Estimator Training provides career enhancement and opportunities in the printing industry with our distance learning course. If you wish to find out more, please read our course information page.
If you have any questions about the information on this site or our distance learning course, please do not hesitate to contact us.
. 24 Sep 07 | News