U.S. package printer Graphic Packaging International, Inc achieved landmark ‘1,300th Sinapse simulator customer’ status with repeat orders for the European company’s market leading Sheetfed Offset Training Simulator (SHOTS) process training systems.

Graphic Packaging International (recently merged into the Altivity group) was so impressed with higher production speeds and press downtime savings for both new hires and existing employees, that they signed an order for a fourth new Sinapse SHOTS training simulator for their Gordonsville site.

Sinapse Print Simulators makes a wide range of press process training simulator systems for sheetfed and web based production – offset, flexo and gravure – they lead the world market in such high technology press simulator training systems with over 1,500 installations to date.

For continuous packaging process applications, maintaining high levels of production quality & efficiency using systematic staff training is key. A vital component of Graphic Packing International’s recent success in this area has been the use of extensive press simulation training:

Frequent ‘continuous improvement’ process training sessions for existing employees

Efficient and fast process education for ‘new hires’

This focus on systematic use of the SHOTS press simulator training capability created by Sinapse has delivered very low downtime levels, consistent production quality and highly skilled production teams. New hires can been trained quickly and effectively and integrated into existing press production crews.

Why is off-press simulator training so vital in the packaging industry?

Graphic Packaging International, Inc. is one of America’s largest producers of cereal boxes and other food packaging, and with 24/7 operation and millions of feet of carton running through the plants each month, there is no room for downtime.

Efficient training of ‘new hires’ is vital and a real challenge in today’s hiring environment, in which new employees have little or no experience and are often trained on press.

In the Fall of 2006, Graphic Packaging International, Inc.’s Gordonsville, TN, and Kalamazoo, MI, plants invested in SHOTS press training simulators from Sinapse. The two installations come on the heels of the highly successful 2004 SHOTS installation at Graphic Packaging International, Inc.’s Ft. Smith, AK, operation.

Gain experience fast without downtime for new hires

For the Gordonsville, TN, plant the ability to give trainees production experience without downtime on the press has been invaluable. “Before SHOTS, new hires went through a safety orientation, then straight to the press,” says Dave Zeman, training coordinator of the plant, which has more than 120 employees. “They are paired with more experienced operators, but in our business, accuracy of reproduction is critical. The cartons have to look perfect. When they start making errors, it’s costly. Add to this the challenge of accurately representing brand colors. Both Gordonsville and Kalamazoo produce four-color packaging, plus two (but potentially up to four) spot colors.For Richard Self, technical trainer and promotions manager for the Kalamazoo plant, training issues focus on ink and water balance. “Not a lot of people understand the concept of litho—how it works and the principles behind it,” Self says. “It takes a long time to learn, and if you start throwing away pallets of product, those costs don’t take long to add up.” 

Continuous improvement process training

The Gordonsville plant has been training on the simulator since October, 2006. Zeman currently has two training programs in place—one for new hires and a continuous improvement program for existing employees. The SHOTS simulator runs 30 exercises produced by its trainer to match its workflow. This gives new hires “a feel of what will happen in the pressroom, what can happen, and why it happens.” It also includes exercises at the medium and advanced levels.

Zeman is very enthusiastic about the realism of the simulator. “We can show operators a register mark, for example, and say, if you move this, it moves that, and reproduce what actually happens on the press. They can experience, in real time, what happens when you move the register to the right, left, or back.”