Raw

Subject: Action Plan to Reduce Composing Costs and Restore Capacity

Composition accounts for 40–55% of our production costs, making it our largest single expense. Yet our manual process is currently overloaded, driving missed deadlines, overtime costs over budget by 50%, and staff turnover, while industry benchmarks show we trail competitors by 20–50% and remain uncompetitive on simple work. To cut these costs and restore reliable delivery, we should simplify quality checks for low-complexity titles and shift to automated composition methods.

1. Pilot simplified quality checks on low-complexity titles
   - Every title, from complex reference books to simple novels, currently passes through identical quality-control stages.
   - Targeted testing of selected jobs can measure the impact of removing or rescheduling specific checks.
   - Projected savings from this streamlining could reach 10% of total composing costs.

2. Commission a methods study to transition to automated composition
   - Manual composition is severely capacity-constrained and lags industry benchmarks by 20–50%.
   - Changing the core composing method addresses the root productivity gap rather than merely managing existing bottlenecks.
   - A dedicated study will identify specific automation opportunities and define the implementation pathway.

3. Validate findings through internal pilots and external benchmarking
   - Key team members (Roy Walter, Brian Thompson, and George Kennedy) are available to run initial tests and assess stage removal.
   - Comparing our metrics against three peer printers will provide essential context, though standalone comparisons alone will not resolve the underlying inefficiencies.

Material omitted or demoted: Detailed staffing grievances (below-market pay, recent departures, union claims) were moved to background context as they describe current operational pressures rather than direct solutions. The observation that managers disagree on whether costs are excessive was removed, as the investigation data and benchmark gaps already establish the necessity of action.