Solving Our Problems with Stuff

Every time I return to work from a trip to a trade show or technical conference, I have the same impression: "Wow!" "How about all that stuff!" By stuff I mean all the solutions that get presented to a rapt audience. Workflows! Systems! Solutions!Transformative Technologies!.

It really can make your head spin. All that great-looking stuff! But will it work? Will it provide the solution it promises? Will it solve your problems? Will it make your workplace better, your production more efficient, your quality more outstanding? Well, I'm not really so sure. In fact, I'm pretty sure that in a lot of cases it won't make things better. And this isn't because it isn't good stuff. It probably is. But it probably wont solve you problems because most of the problems we face in the color business have nothing to do with the stuff....they have to do with the people.

We are all in a project together...to make great color, by offset, screen, or digital, and most of the stuff needed to do this is probably already in place. What we need now is communication and coordination. We need to become a team. Enjoy looking at the stuff? Go ahead, enjoy. We all like good gear. But for real improvement, look first to yourselves, to your team, and ask the question: "How can we make things better with the stuff we already have?"