Allied Bindery

Bound for Excellence

Effective Communication

A core value of Allied Bindery is to communicate on an on-going basis with our industry friends.  Our objective is to share insight and observations considered valuable and helpful for our customers, helping them to provide an ever-increasing value proposition to their customers.

Effective Communication

Previous editions of this e-newsletter have discussed quality attribute information we solicit during the quote process in order to provide the highest quality and most cost efficient method of production for your project.  By working together and spending a little more time in the planning stages of a project, this element of “effective communication” has repeatedly equated to superior value for our customers.  At Allied, it is a process we take very seriously and one we are continually striving to improve upon.

In today’s increasingly Just in Time-Real Time world, we understand the critical role we play in successfully finishing our customers’ print projects within expected time frames, oftentimes “making up” time that was lost earlier in the project.  This desired result is strongly facilitated when customers partner in the “effective communication” process.  What does this mean?  It means obtaining a mutual understanding about the following:

  •   Once you have made a decision to partner with Allied on a specific project, let us know as soon as possible.  This allows us to incorporate this information into our production planning process.

 

  • Confirm this intent with your purchase order, detailed job instructions, critical quality characteristic identification and delivery dates (even if they are subject to further change) as soon as possible.  This facilitates our job evaluation process, often times serving to eliminate or minimize potential problems before they negatively impact project timing.

 

  • Provide us with the timing of your production plans and an expected delivery date of printed material into our facility; continuously update us as soon as changes are known.  This advances your job from production planning into our tentative job queue, helping to facilitate the quickest job turnaround time possible.

 

How does this benefit you, our customer?  Invariably, it positions Allied as a partner in an integrated supply chain, resulting in project success.  For customers participating effectively with us in this process, it means job turn around time in hours and days as opposed to weeks.

The Advantages of Split Binding

 Often times, your project may have multiple end uses. As such, there are occasions when one specific binding style may not fit all of your  requirements. For instance, a perfect bound sports media guide may be the desired binding style for the fans in the stands.  However, a sportscaster or reporter may require a binding style that opens and lies perfectly flat without being held in place. Similarly, a perfect bound book may work well for a student, however, the instructor may want a version in which specific sections may be removed and/or updated over time. When your project
requires a range of use such as these examples, a split binding production approach can be used to solve the challenge.

 Simply stated, split binding is the utilization of two or more binding methods to achieve the end use requirements of your customers. In the example of the sports media guide, combining perfect binding and a mechanical binding technology such as coil binding, addresses the needs of both end user groups.  In the case of the educational media or text book, combining a perfect bind design for the student, with a loose leaf option for the instructor achieves the use requirements for both.

Understanding the end use requirements of your customer, in combination with the finishing capabilities of your trade bindery, may allow you to offer multiple binding options that achieve separate and distinct requirements of the end users.

Allied Bindery routinely produces projects that require a combination of perfect binding and mechanical binding, or perfect binding and loose leaf options.   Involving the Sales and Planning Professionals at Allied Bindery can help you determine the binding options that will work best for your customer’s requirements.

Accurate Estimates Equals No Surprises!

It all comes down to accurate specifications!  The better the detail, the more accurate the estimate!  No one likes surprises; particularly when it  comes to final pricing of a project.   Providing as much detail as possible at the quoting stage is a key to providing estimates that will still be accurate when the production process begins.

Often times, the initial request for quote is referred to as “budget” or “ballpark”.  Allied Bindery will provide a quote that is accurate to the specifications that are provided.  In some instances, the actual job
requirements can be significantly different than the original “budget”
estimate.  If the purchase order contains different specifications than the original estimate, the estimate will need to be validated or revised.

Many times, specification changes may have a slight impact on final pricing.  It may be that the basis weight of the paper was changed, resulting in costing and pricing changes in the amount of adhesive, cartons or shrink wrap film that is required.  These are generally minor revisions to cover
material costs.  Sometimes, the change may be significant.  For example, a
binding project could have been quoted as two-up.  In reality, the final project could be a come & go format, having a significant impact on labor costs.  Maybe you will need a partial quantity bound and delivered before the balance of all material is available.  This will have an impact on set up costs, since an additional set up will be required.  These costs tend to be higher and need to be communicated to your customer as soon as possible.

In all cases, when a project becomes live and a purchase order is provided, our Estimating/Order Entry specialists will review the scope of the purchase order in comparison to the original estimate.  If any changes or revisions are required, you will be contacted prior to the start of the job so that you will have any updated pricing that is required.  It is important to note that all estimates are tentative, pending the actual specifications for a project.