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Zarwan Releases OEE Report on Digital Presses

J Zarwan Partners, based in Charlottetown, PEI, has published a report on the Overall Equipment Effectiveness of digital presses, with the goal of providing printers with better information about purchasing a digital press. The report examines the OEE – based on availability, quality and performance – of three popular presses: Canon imagePRESS C10000VP, Ricoh ProC9110, and Xerox Color 1000i. Xerox provided financial support for the publication of the report.

“OEE is a powerful tool that can be used to measure and improve operations,” said John Zarwan, author of the report. “The output quality, consistency, and reliability of digital production presses have improved dramatically. It is often difficult to choose among them. When buying a digital press, it is therefore particularly important to evaluate how they actually function.”

The report notes that the OEE of all three presses meets standards with room for improvement, especially in performance. The Xerox Color 1000i press had the highest OEE of the three presses, according to the report, and was rated top in each of the three metrics. The report found that all of the presses produce high-quality output, with generally good availability, with the main differences being a function of press breakdowns and the amount of time to repair.

The greatest amount of variation in press performance, according to the report, was how fast the machines printed compared to their rated speeds.

“There are many things to consider when buying a digital press. It is important to match a press’ actual capabilities with your needs,” said Zarwan. “It is equally important to operate the press efficiently and effectively. OEE can be a powerful tool for improving print operations. Our hope is this analysis of the operating effectiveness of these three press installations is a useful start.”