Akin OduwoleIt’s amazing how those of us who like good food end up being the lousiest of all cooks, but again, every now and then we try and always keep trying, at least we make mistakes sometimes and the cooking comes out really nice 😂 This holiday afforded me some cooking experiment time, as I was still thinking about what to expect from the bubbling pot, I suddenly noticed that the fire of the gas cooker has gone out, gas just got finished! Then it hit me… A food 70% cooked can still cannot be eaten. We must always start with finishing in mind and this applies to printing in a lot of ways. The prints looks good but the cutting machine did chop into some text. Let’s not blame the cutting machine, the problem is that the graphic design wasn’t properly aligned. The print on my fabrics washed off when I got it out of the washing machine. We can’t blame the washing machine we must look at the process used in printing, the quality of the consumables, the application of the consumable and much more. My large format print got washed off after a heavy down pour, are we to blame the rains?
This write up is about how prepared we are. It’s about how to ensure finishing was on our mind when we started, I mean I should have known that I will need more gas… if I only paid more attention to details… Below are some checklist to consider before taking on that job; 1. Do I have the resources (machinery and man power) to start and complete the job? If not I need to communicate and get a firm commitment from those who will help me complete the job within the printing value chain. 2. Do I have all the raw materials? 3. Did I double check my bill of quantity? 4. Have I worked out the processes needed? 5. Have I left some room for equipment breakdown and staff falling ill? No wise person starts a journey without counting the cost, in this season it’s time to also start massive preparations for how we plan to “cook” next year. Part of the preparation is to properly shut down our equipment for the long break – inkjet operators must respect the shutdown procedures otherwise we will wake up to clogged ink-line or that expensive printhead, prepress operators need to respect the chemistry draining procedure, otherwise the new year will greet with some corrosion, contamination or rust in the processors. Please also don’t forget to cover up equipment that are not dust friendly as this season is characterized with lots of dust in the atmosphere. Finally, let’s all remember that “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, or deliver adequately if one has not dined well.” In other words let’s adequately protect our cooking pots (meaning your investment in this case) as we will need them to get the food done in the New Year. If the food is not done, you cannot eat it, and in the same vein don’t try serving it to your customers in the coming year. Merry Christmas and a wonderful new year 2020. Let’s think quality in 2020 Thoughts from: Akin Oduwole CE @ Technology Global
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