Open Forum

  • 1.  Variable data mailings acceptable percent / piece count lost

    Posted 04-04-2018 11:06 AM

    We are new to variable data mailings, when folding a mailer, we have some loss of the mailers. What is the acceptable loss count on a mailing of 2,000 to 5,000 pieces or do we need to go back and reprint the lost pieces?

    Right now, my staff feels they need to go back and reprint all lost pieces which is causing time drains in the digital print room.

     Thank you for the help on this issue.



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    Steven Portrude
    President
    Harwill Express Press
    Windsor NJ
    (609) 895-1955
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  • 2.  RE: Variable data mailings acceptable percent / piece count lost

    Posted 04-05-2018 07:08 AM
    Yes, we reprint all damaged pieces. Our clients expect us to be as close to perfect as possible.




  • 3.  RE: Variable data mailings acceptable percent / piece count lost

    Posted 04-05-2018 08:10 AM
    We keep a stack of the fold waste and reprint them all at the end. Out of 2,000-5,000 pieces, we may only have a handful of pieces that were wasted in the folding process.

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    Marya Kaye
    Production Manager
    Creative Characters Inc.
    Philadelphia PA
    215-923-2679
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  • 4.  RE: Variable data mailings acceptable percent / piece count lost

    Posted 04-06-2018 09:42 AM

    Having waste is something difficult to avoid but you can learn to keep everything to a minimum.  Try to keep rollers on your folders running the same stock and use same insert stations consistently.  If you have enough equipment you can run things very smoothly and efficiently to keep waste to a small minimum.  You'll make money knowing how fast your machines should run at all times.  Even though I can fix and repair pretty much anything I've realized I can be better off spending very little on adding new machinery based on demand.  Just add approx. 20 minutes per employee setup on a folder, inserter, inkjet... on per job basis.  Let's say you run about 500 jobs a year through every department.  That's over $3000.00 in savings/year. Time is money too you just have to do the math based on your workflow.  Any YES process digital laser waste to show your integrity.  You'll make our industry look good!

     

    Juan Jimenez

    President

    Maztek Direct Inc.

    14039 Garfield Ave. Units F-G

    Paramount CA 90723

    P.323.786.6001

    C.310.987.1049

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  • 5.  RE: Variable data mailings acceptable percent / piece count lost

    Posted 04-05-2018 09:14 AM

    Steven,

     

    The answer to that question really depends on what your customer needs.  If it is a invoice mailing then they will absolutely have to have 100% of the job mailed.  If it is a marketing piece that is variable, but not really that personalized, they may accept a 1% or 2% loss rate.  In my opinion you just shouldn't charge for what you don't mail.  It also depend on how you are calculating your postage.  If your loss rate is high enough to throw off the weight at the post office you could have some issues.  In my previous job where I managed a mail shop we always reprinted damaged pieces unless we has a specific arrangement with a customer to do something different.  To make it more efficient we generally did our reprints the next day for all items damaged in production on all jobs from the day before.  It was our first "job" of the day.  Usually we put a first class stamp on those and let our local carrier pick them up on his daily pickup.  That way we didn't have to interrupt any job in the middle of production to reprint a few pieces.  That and sequence number everything.  You can always find a place to put a sequence number on a piece.

     


    Daniel Hutton

    Project Manager

    Carter Printing Company

    o:

    804.359.9206 x 305

    w:

    carterprinting.com

    e:

    dhutton@...

     






  • 6.  RE: Variable data mailings acceptable percent / piece count lost

    Posted 04-05-2018 10:54 AM
    If they are addressed pieces, then you should aim for 0 loss in production output, reprinting the lost pieces.

    There will be loss in the mail stream that is beyond your control, but your customers expect all the pieces to make it to the mail, most likely, unless you have an express understanding prior to accepting the work.

    Sincerely,


    William Longua






  • 7.  RE: Variable data mailings acceptable percent / piece count lost

    Posted 04-05-2018 02:18 PM

    Steven,


    What is "acceptable" for loss or damage is all about expectations of your client.  Each client is unique and so are their expectations.

    In most industry situations today, 98% - 99% throughput accuracy is considered as a industry benchmark.  This is NOT universal everywhere, but most clients

    expect a very high level of success.  In some cases, 100% is the expectation. 


    This all starts with your business SOP promise or guarantee to your client, at the time you are developing the client's project and understanding

    their expectations.  It is imperative that you provide them with your normal standard procedure and how you handle spoilage, machine jams and

    other operating issues with VDP work.   I can tell you that clients today expect much higher accuracy and the demands are increasing with

    all the technology now available to achieve up to 100% accuracy.  However, this does come with significant investment in software and hardware to achieve.


    I hope this gives you some sense of what I've encountered over 20 + years with VDP. 


    Tom Bush
    Successful Business Strategies, LLC
    Business Adviser, Coach, Strategist 

    Certified Harrison Assessment Consultant & Distributor
    www.successfulbusiness-strategies.com

    Email: tbbush@...
    Mobile Phone: 608-335-1685
    Verona, WI 53593





  • 8.  RE: Variable data mailings acceptable percent / piece count lost

    Posted 04-06-2018 09:38 AM
    This is actually one of the best discussion threads I have seen in a long time.  My clients would be very upset if even one piece did not mail.  So basically, we gather all spoilage and reprint at once, same day.  Most of our mail has a sequence code for easy reprint.

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    Jeffrey Pinkin
    Vice President-Sales
    CCG Marketing Solutions
    West Caldwell NJ
    (973) 808-0009
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