Worked scenario
Three jobs promised for Friday on one press
Printers lose customers to missed dates far more often than to price, and the date was usually impossible when it was promised.
3 min read
A salesperson agrees Friday because the customer wants Friday. Production discovers on Wednesday that Friday holds three jobs and one press.
The commitment is made blind
Not carelessly — the person making it genuinely does not know what is already scheduled. The information exists on the shop floor, in a form that is not accessible at the moment the promise is made.
Finishing is the forgotten stage
Dates are frequently estimated on press time alone. Cutting, binding and delivery are real elapsed time, and jobs that print on Thursday do not always ship on Friday.
Surfacing the conflict early
A conflict visible at order entry is a conversation with the customer about a day either way. The same conflict discovered on Wednesday is a missed date, an expedite, or overtime — and the customer remembers it regardless of which.
What changes
- Press capacity visible to whoever commits a delivery date
- Jobs scheduled against a machine, not a general queue
- Conflicts surfaced at order entry rather than mid-week
- Realistic dates quoted, including pre-press and finishing
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