Superior Litho Enhances Quality and Efficiency With Koenig & Bauer Systems

As an award-winning, large-format paperboard packaging printer in the U.S. catering to well-known brands, Superior Lithographics counts quality as the most important attribute for its customers and is one of the firm’s six core values, which also include safety, respect, communication, teamwork, and creativity.

“It may seem cliché, but quality is definitely ranked highest to our customers,” says Jared Rounsevell, Director of Operational Excellence (OpEx) at Superior Lithographics. “This can be anything from print quality to functional quality or how well our products are running on our customers’ equipment.”

Rounsevell explains that Superior follows the principle that “quality is what the customer says it is,” an idea emphasized by Armand Feigenbaum, one of the key quality gurus of the 20th century.  Rounsevell says that Superior takes that principle seriously, always striving to deliver products to its customers that meet their specific needs. Over the years, he says, the level of quality expected by its customers has increased in complexity, so Superior has had to improve its processes and controls to meet those expectations.

The Southern California printer, which produces folding cartons, sleeves/wraps, corrugated top sheet and litho labels, measures quality several ways, including manual visual inspection, camera/automated inspection, and physical tests. Improvements in technology have made inspection easier, says Rounsevell, especially on its newer Koenig & Bauer printing presses that are equipped with automated systems that control color and analyze every sheet to ensure 100 percent quality.

“Our two newest Koenig & Bauer printing presses are equipped with inline QualiTronic and PrintCheck, an image inspection system, and offline ErgoTronic quality control systems, which is designed to optimize print quality and increase total job throughput,” says Rounsevell. “These systems, along with the Sensoric Infeed System, have led to great results on those presses. They allow our operators to run at high speeds while still maintaining consistent color and register throughout the run.”

While automation and new technology remain critical to Superior’s quality aspirations, its employees are equally as important. Superior emphasizes the Toyota Way principle that “quality is everyone’s responsibility,” regularly training employees on standardized processes and procedures to produce the best chance of a high-quality outcome. Team members meet regularly to review potential process improvement initiatives with each department focusing on streamlining processes and exceeding customer expectations.

“We continuously work to build quality into the processes, starting from our product specifications and design, all the way through manufacturing and shipping,” says Rounsevell. “Much of this process design relies on experienced people along with integrated quality control systems working together to have the highest level of sustainability and repeatable results. We always want to give our team the best tools available to aid in their production and quality results, both making their jobs easier and producing the highest quality outcomes for our customers.”

Source: Koenig & Bauer

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