HARDING CONSULTING ALLIANCE - Project Experience

HCA is proud to have worked with industry leaders across the country. Some of our recent projects include:

News Centralization

▪ Integrated, multi-paper study analyzed editing and page design for non-local A-Section (World/Nation) across six sister newspapers. Analysis addressed work flow and resource utilization to enable central editing across all newspapers.

▪ Regionally-focused, eight-paper project to determine how news and other business functions can be centralized across small community newspapers and larger metropolitan papers.

▪ Five-paper centralization project will develop approach for integrating news content, editing, web product interface and newsroom resources. This will enable shared production of common stories, pages and products. This pilot project will be scaled up for further roll-out to a larger number of properties.

Harding Consulting Alliance, LLC

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Project Experience

Harding Consulting Alliance, LLC

Consolidation & Outsourcing

▪ Operations and distribution evaluation for 11 dailies currently produced at six regionally-clustered print locations. Analysis included consideration of seven distinct scenarios, each with varying combinations of print, distribution and delivery components. Project resulted in a consolidated printing approach to better leverage existing assets and reduce operating costs. Implemented Summer 2008.

▪ Systemwide evaluation of production operations and single-copy and home-delivery distribution. Analysis included news close timing, alternate press models, inserting capacity and single-copy driver and field carrier optimization based on new press flows to the field. Consolidation was successfully implemented in May 2008.

▪ Comprehensive study determined feasibility and impacts of outsourcing the production of a 275,000 circulation daily to a larger, nearby newspaper production facility. Included assessment of impacts to news close, press flows, inserting and distribution. Developed a printing contract based on required press and color capacity, including changes to press configuration.

Field Optimization

▪ With a 24x7 news model in place (deadline rollback) and plans for a single plant operation, the study optimized the number and location of distribution centers based on new product flows to the dock. Departure and arrival times provided framework for route optimization and fleet utilization and also included new agent/contractor models for home delivery and single copy.

▪ Evaluation of distribution centers, agents and carrier network to reduce costs and enable delivery of additional commercial products. Study included alignment of press flows to optimized field system. Systemwide cost savings included elimination of delivery-type agents in favor of “territory agents,” integrating single copy and home delivery.

▪ Comprehensive optimization study resulted in opportunities to improve field performance. Driver schedules were optimized to eliminate unused portions of shifts and DC areas were consolidated to reduce inefficiencies and align with metro service areas. Increasing the number of copies per carrier also improved utilization.