Jan. 29, 2007—Motheral Printing, Ft. Worth, Texas, has been in business for more than 70 years, and is currently in its third generation of ownership. As the print industry has changed and evolved over the years, so has this company-ensuring that it is positioned to be profitable well into the future.

According to David Motheral, one of the brothers who owns and operates the business, one of the biggest factors responsible for the firm's success is technology. Motheral Printing has fashioned itself as a leader on the cutting-edge of the technological curve.

Leader of the Pack
Motheral has kept itself on top as far as technology is concerned, by establishing itself with many manufacturers of both software and equipment; the firm beta-tests new versions and technologies for months, and sometimes years, before the commercial release.

Not only does this help manufacturers, who can see how their equipment works in a real-world environment and what bugs need to be addressed, but Motheral gets the advantage of training on and using advanced technology. This allows the company to do things a bit faster, and more efficiently at times, than anyone else, allowing it to keep its prices competitive while quality remains.

However, beta-testing is not the only way the print shop stays ahead when it comes to technology. The firm has made a conscious effort to streamline and automate wherever possible, with a complete system tying together all aspects of the shop, from the sales team to the customer service representatives to the press operators to the finishing department. In fact, Motheral is currently working on yet another upgrade to this system, which it hopes to have operational by the summer.

There is no paper in the Motheral facilities. When it comes to its own way of doing business, the company has gone to electronic management for everything from estimates to job tickets, which has helped streamline operations.

"We are constantly chasing the next bottleneck," Mr. Motheral said, noting that management looks at the operations, sees what needs improvement, and takes active steps to streamline and make things more efficient. As is the way with bottlenecks, as soon as the firm upgrades one area, another becomes a problem or cannot keep up, so the shop is constantly looking for ways to improve.

Traditional items, such as press and bindery equipment, or prepress software, are not the only places getting technological upgrades. Motheral also offers mailing and distribution services, which is a big part of the business, in addition to a completely digital workflow management system. Clients can send files, create impositions, and proof files online using Motheral's system-and clients do not have to purchase anything to take advantage of the services.

In addition, the firm offers digital workflow consulting to clients, finding ways to help them improve productivity and increase margins before the work goes to press. There is a small staff dedicated to exactly this; Motheral is on call to help clients troubleshoot technology from any vendor making itself an expert in everything from QuarkXPress to workflow management.

Mr. Motheral said he tells his clients not to upgrade or purchase new software or equipment until they call these experts, as they can help pinpoint potential problems before any money is spent, and help ensure that a client gets the best software or equipment for the job.

Empowering Employees
No matter how great the technology, however, it is only as good as the people who run it. Motheral has made an active effort to give its employees-who are closest to any problems and the ones most directly affected by any solutions-the ability to make changes to their own jobs to make themselves more productive.

The shop is ISO 9000 certified, which means it knows the value of processes and documentation. Mr. Motheral noted that the firm allows employees to put that knowledge to use.

For example, if a customer service representative finds something is not working-for example, a process is taking too long-they can write a new process. As long as the manager for that department approves the changes, they are distributed to the entire department and put into use the same day. It is a constantly evolving operation where everyone is working toward the same goal: making Motheral efficient and profitable.

Improving the Industry
Motheral Printing has not stopped at educating its employees. It extends the philosophy to its clients and even competitors, in an effort to bring the print industry as a whole up to more efficient and productive standards.

The education started out as plant tours for customers, on a regular route around the facilities, to show them equipment, how it worked together, and how a clients' pieces were being produced. Gradually, Motheral started bringing in competitors and others in the industry, as it has increased its level of automation and improved overall efficiency.

The idea, Mr. Motheral said, is to get people to improve across the board, which means clients will provide better files and information, and in return will expect printers to be efficient when it comes to turning around work. Everyone becomes more productive, and the print industry gets the reputation for getting the job done better, faster, and cheaper than anyone else.

The benefit for Motheral is that as the rest of the industry catches up, the company positions itself as the pioneer of this new way of thinking and the experts in how to implement new strategies and technologies for improvements. This allows the firm to stay on top, while bringing everyone else along for the ride.

Motheral is in an interesting position, geographically, when it comes to clients-most are out of state. The shop is located a few miles from the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, and centrally located in the United States. This makes it convenient and less costly for clients who need to ship to multiple parts of the country to purchase the work centrally.

This is part of a wider market condition, where mergers and acquisitions are "shuffling the deck," noted Mr. Motheral. Printers, clients, and work are all getting moved around, which means shops like Motheral have an opportunity to take advantage of the upheaval. Motheral uses its central location and efficient operations to demonstrate to clients and potential clients why it is a good option for having print jobs done.

This is complicated by the fact that there is overcapacity in the market, which affects everyone nationwide. Many printers are forced to compete on price, which means they have to cut costs elsewhere to maintain a profit.

Motheral is looking to lead the pack in this regard with its productivity improvements and attempts to evangelize the industry when it comes to efficiency. If everyone can streamline, price ceases to be an issue, and quality and other concerns once more become paramount.

Motheral Printing is a great example of how a printer, no matter its location or size, can strive to improve and increase the productivity and quality of everyone around them. The company shows that when everyone works together, and moves toward the same goal, there is no limit to what can be accomplished.