PFFC - May 2008 - (Page 24)

NEWS CLIPS Continued from p22 For example, what tolerances, what finishes, what formulations are required to properly satisfy the customer’s manfacturing process and end-use product requirements. The specifications and communication process is much more robust in other areas of manufacturing than what we find in the roller industry. When interacting with customers, we need to move away from the historical nature of manufactur- ing a roll ‘just like last time,’ which is not a very good recipe for success…especially in converting and printing, where the rolls are such a critical part of the customer’s manufacturing process. We continue to work with customers to establish metrics and tracking for their roll programs.” What kind of response is this approach getting from customers who are being asked to participate more? “This industry is resistant to change,” Cahalane acknowl- edges, “but those that we’ve introduced this to find great value in it. …we’re being a partner and bringing metrics to help them improve their own manufacturing.” American Roller serves four basic markets: converting, graphic arts/ printing, metals and steel, and business machines. In addition to the facilities on the Union Grove campus, there are manufacturing facilities in Walkerton, IN; Rock Hill, SC; and Franklin, TN; the Plasma Coatings Div. has facilities in Arlington, TN, and Waterbury, CT. Challenges and Costs Between A&V, you’ll ﬁnd the world’s ﬁnest selection of ﬂexo materials. Anderson & Vreeland offers the ﬁnest and most complete selection of materials and equipment for conventional and digital ﬂexography. We support these materials with almost 50 years of ﬂexo experience that results in smoother and easier integration of technical advancements affecting ﬂexo prepress, including digital workﬂow. We invite you to “Experience the difference” with Anderson & Vreeland. �� ® �� PFFC-ASAP 119 Neil Hersh says the big challenge today is that the industries American Roller serves are very dynamic. “How do you keep up with that, and more important, how do you lead those changes?” Another big challenge today, says Hersh, is trying to do things better from a cost standpoint. “A lot of our raw material cost is petrochemical. We’re downstream from oil, but you can’t just continue passing that along to your customers. That doesn’t work. So our focus is to pay attention to our customers on the revenue side, i.e., where do we need to be with our products and services to give them the solutions they want? And on the cost side, i.e., how do we keep our manufacturing costs and total costs under control to be competitive in today’s world.” Hersh agrees with Cahalane that one of the major reasons American Roller has thrived for 70 years is the investments the company has always been willing to make, both under the Ditzler family as well as under the ownership of CM Acquisitions. “It’s investing for the long-term,” says Hersh, “in physical assets, including plants and equipment, as well as in people.” Looking ahead, Cahalane says the next logical step is to expand internationally, from both a selling and a manufacturing end, in Europe and Asia. “Life is not getting any easier for any of us in manufacturing,” says Hersh. “You have to be looking at how to make money for your customers and then to hopefully piggyback on their success. And that’s not an easy task!” For 70 years, however, American Roller has proved to be up to its tasks. WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM 24 | MAY 2008 http://www.andersonvreeland.com http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PFFC - May 2008

PFFC - May 2008 Contents First Glance Calendar of Events From the Editor Web Lines Process Management News Clips Narrow Web & Label Reporter Narrow Web & Label What's New Products Labels/Sleeves Cover - European Converting Drupa New Product Digest What's New Products Services Directory Classified Marketplace Advertisers Index Experience Speaks

PFFC - May 2008

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