Raw

**Subject: Recommendation to reduce composing costs**

Composition accounts for 40–55% of hardback and paperback costs, and TTW is uncompetitive on simple work. A two-week review confirms weak productivity, capacity bottlenecks, and significant opportunities to cut costs by streamlining processes and upgrading methods. To address these pressures, TTW should simplify the workflow for inexpensive titles and increase productivity through method changes.

**1. Increase productivity by changing the composing method**
*   Manual composition faces severe capacity constraints: jobs run late, overtime exceeds budget by 50%, and below-market pay has caused turnover and hiring difficulties.
*   Measured productivity trails the industry benchmark by 20–50%.
*   A dedicated methods study can identify further productivity improvements.
*   George Kennedy is prepared to test whether removing specific stages improves measured productivity.

**2. Simplify the process for inexpensive titles**
*   Simple novels currently pass through the same quality-control stages as complex reference books.
*   Testing selected jobs with fewer or differently timed checks could reduce costs by up to 10% of total composing costs.
*   Streamlining will directly restore competitiveness on simple work.

**Omissions**
*   Comparative analysis with three other printers (demoted as limited value per author's assessment).
*   Names of interviewees Roy Walter and Brian Thompson (demoted as non-actionable details).