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Whatever print products you order, there are dedicated teams behind all of our production streams. In each team, and across the business as a whole, communication and problem solving are key to making sure every order you make is printed seamlessly.
To find out more about the hard work behind the scenes of our Litho production stream and how their workflow is expertly maintained, we shone the spotlight on Chris, our Litho Production Stream Manager, for the full low down.
- When did you start working at instantprint?
I first started working for instantprint in 2014, but I’ve worked in the print industry since I left school – over 35 years ago!
- What does your role involve? (Be specific and detailed)
I have overall responsibility for every instantprint job produced on our Litho presses. I oversee the whole process, including the printing, finish and dispatch of these products. There’s a lot of problem solving involved in my role; with the large number of jobs we produce every day, it’s essential for any issues to be resolved as quickly as possible so that the production flow runs seamlessly.
- How does your role fit into the journey of an instantprint customer’s print?
The orders that we print on the Litho presses are normally longer print runs. That means orders of a high quantity of a certain product. So, if a customer orders a large number of Flyers, A3 or A4 Posters or even Booklets, the chances are it’ll come through my highly-skilled team.
- What makes you proud about working at instantprint?
Over my career, I’ve seen a lot of printing companies that continue to do things in the same old way they’ve always done things. instantprint is completely different – we’re innovative in both the new product ideas we have and in coming up with new and better ways of working across all departments. I’m proud to be part of such a vibrant, growing business. Even in the time I’ve worked here, I can’t quite believe how much the company has grown – and I know our innovative ways can only lead to an even brighter future for print!
- What’s your favourite project that you’ve worked on so far?
As corny as it sounds, my favourite project is the Litho stream itself. Since I took it over, the growth we’ve seen has been amazing and I feel so proud of what my team has achieved. I’m really looking forward to the continuing growth I know we’ll see over the next few years.
- Tell us about your downtime hobbies or a random fact about yourself
My hobby is photography, especially long exposure photography. In fact, I actually used to run my own equine photography business! Photography is something I love to practise in my spare time.
- Tell us about a standard day in the instantprint office for you?
My main everyday focus is managing the production flow through my team of supervisors, schedulers and team leaders. That means I have to hold regular daily meetings so I know exactly what’s going on at all times in production. We produce a huge number of jobs every day, meaning it’s essential that the production workflow is maintained at all times, so I spend a lot of time making sure errors are detected and then resolved in as little time as possible.
- What do you enjoy most about working at instantprint?
Before I started working for instantprint, I had convinced myself that print was a dying trade and that I’d just have to get myself through to retirement. However, as soon as I got here I saw that instantprint has a completely different energy to any place I’d worked before, and don’t feel the need to fit in with what everyone else is doing. This dynamic, growing company is proof that if you do print right (like we do) you can build a thriving business! It’s a truly exciting place to work, and is definitely my favourite job I’ve had.
