Tio Ham Jing!!

What a terrible month to begin with~ MAY!

First of all.. my client perfume factory caught fire and suffer tremendous losses which luckily was insured else I’m going to be in big trouble over undue collection. Last I check it’s a lil over 100k 0.o!

Then recently a client asked me to print a coupon cover, which is time consuming and technically challenged. -> Ultra thin profit.

It sounded so much simple.. 4 column of numbered coupon printed over a single A4 sheet of 52k.

The number runs from “0000001” to “100000”. Sure under normal circumstances it pretty easy… just 100,000 divide 4 = that’s 25,000 sheet of paper (1 set), leaving me with an extra 27k of unprinted sheet as spare for replacement. A normal stamping machine would probably go between 6k-7k an hour. A good uninterrupted run would have got the job done within 5~6 hour.

SAD~ but it doesn’t work that way~

The number format was… to prepare (1 set = 500 number), which makes the 4 columns within the A4 sheet to have a 000001, 000126, 000251, 000376 and ends with a 000125, 000250, 000375, 000500. The next set of numbers would be 000501, 000626, 000751, 000876 with an ending of 000625, 000750, 000875, 001000 and so forth.

Seems pretty easy right? NOT!! Numbering unit cannot be skipped and can only run the last digit on cycle at a time (there 4 numbering unit (6 digit each) on the cylinder rings) Which means for every set printed, It to be reset 4 times before another new set is printed!!

It work like this: - 100,00 number divide 500 number (1set) = 200 times of stopping machine. Which led to 200 stops X 4 times reset = 800 reset cycle.

The time consumption is absurd that a good run will make roughly 1,500 A4 sheets an hour. 1,500 divide 125 = 12 set. So out of 200 set divide 12 set = that 16.6 hours of serious back breaking labour. (Did I mention one need to squat or bend down to adjust the numbers sets on the cylinder with a stick?)

To made the matter worse.. due to client mix-up the numbering has changed to 000376, 000251, 000126, 000001 ending with 000500, 000375, 000250. This is only informed after some 30-40 sets.

I quote the machine operator own word “ Wa Tou Xiang!!” I Surrender!!!