The Los Angeles Times has been publishing since 1881, and in 2008 it was the second largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States as well as the fourth most distributed newspaper in the country. Within all the publishing, the Printing Press was vital to their production. The Printer Press was invented in 1440, by Johannes Gutenberg who’s method of printing allowed for the first production of mass produced books. The Printer Press transfers lettering or images through an inked surface onto many copies of paper or similar material. In 1992 The Los Angeles Times switched from petroleum-based black ink to water-soluble soy-based ink. Soy-based ink is made from soybeans, making it more environmentally friendly and easier to recycle. This change also reduced the airborne release of chemicals, and better protected the press operators. Although the oil-based inks and lubricating oils are necessary within the printing process, they can also make the floor area slippery for the press operators, especially when mixed with debris. What the Los Angeles Times needed was an extremely high coefficient of friction flooring that eliminated their concerns and increased worker safety and worker productivity.

The Los Angeles Times contacted SLIPNOT for a solution to replace their dangerously slick bare diamond checker plate. SLIPNOTrecommended a grade 3 slip resistant 1/4" steel Grip Plate® for the application. Other various printer press companies have requested a 4” bent up kick plate to prevent things from falling over the edge. This is a common platform design for many industries.

Our SLIPNOT steel plates prevented the Los Angeles Times print operator’s from injuries, while obtaining increased productivity and safety for their employees.

SLIPNOT’s non-slip products have also been utilized in different newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Sacramento Bee, the Chicago Tribune, the Seattle Times, the Boston Herald and many others.