Shop pics.....

[tonypep]

The ink storage room. Formulas printed and labeled on containers for quick re-mixing

[cvreeland]

One of my slow-time activities the week after new year's was to go through the ink shelf & pull out all the cans with scrawling on them & get them properly labelled with the pantone # in big bold print, & the formula below it. Took about 4 days, but I was soooo happy to have that done. One of my new year's resolutions is 100% documentation -- all ink formulas, all print orders & mesh counts for every job, & a sample print. We were at about 50% on sample prints & maybe 75% on set-up sheets & ink formulas last year, but I think my team is behind me. Going great so far this month.

[alan802]

Nick, you need to step on some toes and piss some people off and get that shop on the right track.  Trust me, you are the right guy to do it and it will only make your job easier and more enjoyable in the long run.  Once the owners see more work being done in half the time they'll start to figure it out.  And if they don't, you'll have the knowledge and the experience to get into a better shop.  Our shop was a mess when I got here and over the years I had to piss some people off but it was all worth it.  There are days where I don't even have to set foot out in the shop if I don't want to because everything is running correctly and efficiently.  Your shop can get there quickly if your guys will buy-in.  That's actually the hardest part, getting others to understand the benefits and believe in the changes being made.

[Rocfrog]

Nick, you need to step on some toes and piss some people off and get that shop on the right track.  Trust me, you are the right guy to do it and it will only make your job easier and more enjoyable in the long run.  Once the owners see more work being done in half the time they'll start to figure it out.  And if they don't, you'll have the knowledge and the experience to get into a better shop.  Our shop was a mess when I got here and over the years I had to piss some people off but it was all worth it.  There are days where I don't even have to set foot out in the shop if I don't want to because everything is running correctly and efficiently.  Your shop can get there quickly if your guys will buy-in.  That's actually the hardest part, getting others to understand the benefits and believe in the changes being made.

First off thank you for all your help in educating me thru this process. But I agree with you 100%! I'm going to try and get this shop to realize whats going on and hopefully point them in the right direction.

I had no idea when I took this job that I would end up LOVING this industry and now want this to be my "career". I have been working for sometime now to put a plan in place to have my own shop/business doing this, not sure when exactly that will get off the ground, if my plans go right it should be by years end. So in the mean time I'll use this place as a learning/testing facility and hopefully in the long run it'll improve their process/quality along the way. Trust me there isn't a day that goes by that I bring up something new or something that I have noticed, it just most of the time gets over looked or only heard but never followed thru with.....

Nick

[Inkworks]

Not to send the wrong message, but what you need to do for the owners is the same thing you'd need to do if you were running a shop you owned. You should be compensated accordingly.... or at least keep in mind that you could be taking "ownership" of the shop from a responsibility standpoint, and not realizing the benefits of doing so.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease, with what you've shown here so far that shop is in desperate need of a general manager, if you're it, make sure they know. Make sure they acknowledge the increase in quality and throughput you're likely to achieve, or make sure you know you could be doing the same thing for yourself and growing your own net worth instead of theirs.

Maybe set some goals with them, and (with great tact) outline expected compensation if they are achieved. It may be impossible to do once you get the ball rolling in the right direction.

just saying........

[Rocfrog]

Not to send the wrong message, but what you need to do for the owners is the same thing you'd need to do if you were running a shop you owned. You should be compensated accordingly.... or at least keep in mind that you could be taking "ownership" of the shop from a responsibility standpoint, and not realizing the benefits of doing so.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease, with what you've shown here so far that shop is in desperate need of a general manager, if you're it, make sure they know. Make sure they acknowledge the increase in quality and throughput you're likely to achieve, or make sure you know you could be doing the same thing for yourself and growing your own net worth instead of theirs.

Maybe set some goals with them, and (with great tact) outline expected compensation if they are achieved. It may be impossible to do once you get the ball rolling in the right direction.

just saying........

I've read and reread this several times now and I'm not 100% sure what your saying.....

But from what I can read from that is.....

Yes if I had any kind of "say so" or "control" this would definitely be run differently. One of the major problems here is the lack of structure, discipline, control, or anything like an actual job. I have been "in charge" at several places I have worked to include running several business and it was easy to get people to do what needed to be done because A) you hire quality employees that are somewhat qualified for the position they are applying for and B) I could "write people up" for not following instructions or procedures. None of that happens here.....small example....last year we had an employee blatantly stealing from the company in a HUGE way and the owner didn't want to fire him because they didn't know who would run the auto press, so they kept him on for two more months until they hired someone else, the whole time not saying a word to the employee about what he had done! We have had 14 employees come thru this shop in the two years I've been here and they have all quit usually with out notice at lunch time.....

As far as compensation for what I produce here and improvements that I have made....that doesn't happen here, not even a "wow, you were right! Great job!". I would be happy with just the acknowledgement of how much better this shop is since I've started. The sales people every once in awhile make a comment on how much better it is to deal with screen print and me as the artist, but that's about it......

I feel I'm just rambling on about this place and feel bad about doing it. It is really hard to explain how this place is run/operates to people that do not work here because there is a lot of "common since" business practices that are the "normal" in any work place that just doesn't apply here......

Nick

[Inkworks]

Sorry for beating around the bush....

I'm saying you're going to be fixing their business and should be paid accordingly or you should take a hard look at starting your own shop, as they would be great competition (in the sense that they suck) and would make you look good with what you are learning here.

To fix their set-up you'll be working as hard as you would setting up your own shop.

Thread hijack over 

[Rocfrog]

Sorry for beating around the bush....

I'm saying you're going to be fixing their business and should be paid accordingly or you should take a hard look at starting your own shop, as they would be great competition (in the sense that they suck) and would make you look good with what you are learning here.

To fix their set-up you'll be working as hard as you would setting up your own shop.

Thread hijack over 

I agree with you 100%! But unfortunately I still need a paycheck, which is why I've been kind fo working on it in my time off......hopefully soon.


Now back to the thread topic! LOL!!

I forgot a shot of our "dark room"!


Nick

[inkman996]

Your dark room or where ever one keeps their cleaned and coated screens should be relatively clean. Ink transfers so easily and ruins screens and clothes. I know you are in tight quarters but surely one could keep so much ink out of that area.

[Rocfrog]

That's not ink....that emulsion...

Nick

[Orion]

We had gotten rid of our Javelin, we were now running a Gauntlet 8/10 and a Sportsman 6/8. The Harco numbering press was replaced with an Inline numbering press. I believe these pics were taken in 2004.

[Orion]

One more

[ScreenPrinter123]

One more

Revolver mode!  Watch out, people like Alan may start making fun of you :-).

[alan802]

One more

Revolver mode!  Watch out, people like Alan may start making fun of you :-).

Very astute observation Jedi.  I'll give them the benefit of the doubt in that it was a low quantity job, less than 100 pieces and running it around twice was faster than developing, taping, registering, tearing down and reclaiming an additional screen!!!  Those boys know what they're doing, they don't need me meddling in their business

[Orion]

 Ahaha! Revolver? ....ok, guilty as charged, small quantity. In this case, quicker than messing around with dialing in registration on four vs. three screens. When I was done with that job it was back on to that Sportsman in the first picture, running a 40,000 piece order, and that I can assure you was not in revolver mode.