A Global Leader

Globe Life & Accident Insurance

Oklahoma City, Okla.

For Globe Life & Accident Insurance, which goes after new customers through direct mail campaigns, the in-plant print shop is a vital part of the company. Currently Globe is saturating the market with over 300 million pieces of mail annually, almost all of which are printed and processed in-house at the 112,000-square-foot Oklahoma City in-plant facility.

These huge volumes have grown slowly over the years, but that pace seems to have picked up within the last decade, according to Bill Leavell, manager of printing and building administration. He has been seeing an increase in large-volume web press runs.

Globe has always been a supporter of its in-plant. As the company has grown, it has sent an increasing amount of its printing work to the in-plant, adding new equipment and employees as needed.

"There is always something in the works for new equipment," says Leavell. He says the in-plant needs to constantly grow and change with the company if it's going to survive.

Although Leavell admits it is sometimes a struggle to keep up with the constant increase in work, that feeling is offset by the support the in-plant gets from company management. Leavell calls upper management "our biggest fans" and says it is never difficult for the in-plant to get new equipment when needed. This, he adds, is chiefly because of the importance of direct mail to Globe's business growth.

"The direct mail drives what we do. We purchase equipment and staff the plant to do what they want us to do," says Leavell.

When a new piece of equipment is purchased, Leavell says, it has to pay for itself within two years. That thought process is what has helped Globe's in-plant grow into what it is today.

—by Chris Bauer