Raw

▲ **TTW can cut composing cost substantially — by removing unnecessary process stages and paying market wages**

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A["TTW can cut composing cost substantially"] --> B1["Remove unnecessary process stages"]
    A --> B2["Raise wages to the local market level"]
    B1 --> C11["TTW trails the productivity benchmark by 20-50%"]
    B1 --> C12["Every title gets the same checks regardless of complexity"]
    B1 --> C13["Fewer checks on simple jobs could save up to 10% of composing cost"]
    B2 --> C21["TTW pays less than nearby printers and cannot hire or retain compositors"]
    B2 --> C22["Understaffing makes most work late and overtime run 50%+ over budget"]
    B2 --> C23["Competitive pay enables recruitment and removes the overtime premium"]
```

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    S["Situation: composition is 40% of hardback and 50-55% of paperback cost"] --> C["Complication: customers call TTW uncompetitive on simple jobs, and TTW does not know whether its cost is excessive"]
    C --> Q["Question: can composing cost be cut?"]
    Q --> A["Answer: yes — substantially, in two ways"]
    A --> N["Next step: test simple jobs with fewer checks next week; commission a methods study on the remaining benchmark gap"]
```

**Order:** ranking — the stage removal carries the quantified saving (up to 10%) and is tested first; the wage action follows.