The PPA Production and Technology Committee exists to promote and provide information on relevant areas for magazine production personnel and tackles a huge variety of issues connected with magazine production, including digital, print and paper. Training is a key area and committee members have helped to develop the PPA Certificate in Production Management. This is reviewed annually with the Periodicals Training Council (PTC) to ensure that it remains relevant the the light of new technological developments and the needs of the supply chain. In addition, PPA ensures that publishers are kept up-to-date with key paper related issues and the role of production teams with the integration of printed and digital media. The committee also works closely with the PPA environment committee. Overall, through the PPA Production and Technology Committee, PPA develops and raises standards in the production area and addresses and resolves problems in a collaborative and co-operative manner.
Other key activities include the development and maintenance of best practice guidelines for digital workflow in collaboration with other interest groups to reflect developing technologies. Common standards for automated integrated workflow systems developed and maintained by PPA include:
The PPA Production and Technology Committee comprises production directors/managers, and is chaired by Doreen Loughrey, UBM's central production director. For more information on production issues and the PPA Production and Technology Committee, email rose.benjamin@ppa.co.uk.