The firm is considering relocating to larger facilities, but recent capital outlays for new equipment have forced a postponement of this move. Equipment is functionally grouped on the plant floor. The recent acquisition of the Heidelberg offset printer has expanded capacity in the offset printing stage of the process flow. The Heidelberg's speed, precision and quality are expected to enable The Printing Factory to gain a competitive edge in existing markets and gain new customers, such as Queen's University. Only the typesetter and graphic artists are college trained.
All workers receive training on an increasing number of machines as their skill levels rise.
The experienced staff perform every job assignment near to completion and are responsible for their own quality control. The owner, Mr Pilipenko is involved in all aspects of the business and often finds himself spending a substantial portion of his time on the shop floor printing and cutting to meet deadlines. The existing facility size and the capacity constraints arising from increased growth in sales have affected the shop's performance and have resulted in further overtime costs. Pressroom activities involve the actual printing of multiple copies of the document from the prepared plates. These include a variety of processes such as raised print, embossing, foil stamping, or multi colour printing.