In-plants 
Bring Value to Colleges and Universities

Océ North America has sponsored a research project that documents the value of in-plant printing operations in the college and university environment. The resulting white paper is initially available for download exclusively from In-plant Graphics.

While the research focused specifically on the college and university environment, many of the findings and best practices in this report are also applicable to in-plant operations in other vertical markets. The full paper can be downloaded from the IPG site or from Océ.

The research paper presents an analysis of the evolution of college and university in-plant operations, and provides an overview of the market definition and market size of this printing industry segment. It includes a discussion of trends and best practices among leading higher-education in-plant print operations. It shows how well-managed in-plants can bring—and are bringing—significant value to their college and university hosts. For example, many college and university in-plants are not only self-supporting, but also contribute revenue to their host institutions that can make a significant difference to the bottom line.

"At Océ, we feel like we are a part of the tight-knit higher-education in-plant community. Our impetus for this project was to help today's college and university in-plant managers show decision makers that the in-plant is a true asset to their community and truly has the college's/university's best interests at heart," says Heather Matthews, product marketing manager for Océ's high volume products and programs. "They have a vested interest and bond that outside agencies just can't offer."

Recommendations for Success

To ensure that in-plant operations are delivering the right products and services through the right means and to the right constituents, the research revealed the following recommendations for success:

Maintain the Production Infrastructure. This should be a key priority for in-plants. Equipment and software have two distinct life cycles: An operational life and a market life. Continuing to use equipment or software beyond their market life simply because they still function at some level reduces the overall productivity of the shop and its value to the institution.

Pricing Models. Most in-plant operations in the college and university environment are either self-supporting or mostly self-supporting (75 percent according to IPG data). In-plants should create a formal written business and marketing plan that is updated annually and clearly defines the operation's strategic intent. This plan should be well known within the institution. Pricing for services should be structured to be below the commercial market to provide cost advantages for the university, but should also include enough margin to fund necessary enhancements to ensure that the in-plant remains of significant value to the institution.

Competitive Assessment. In-plants should do pricing surveys at least annually within the local and online commercial printing communities to ensure that their shops are providing the host college or university with competitive pricing and innovative services. Surveys should be published to let the campus know about the savings being provided.

Community Support. In addition to supporting on-campus events, such as movie nights or other student/faculty events, in-plants should focus on "town and gown" relationships with a view toward triple bottom line sustainability. This includes the positive environmental, economic and social impact an in-plant operation can have on the local community, including providing jobs for its citizens.

Web-to-Print. A modern college or university in-plant should invest in a Web-to-print interface to make services more accessible to its constituencies. This in no way replaces the sales and marketing outreach and relationship building that must be ongoing; but it does make submitting print and ordering printed and non-printed items and services much easier for the campus community. There are myriad Web-to-print solutions available in the marketplace, many of which are extremely affordable and easy to use.

Print Smart. Campus in-plants should work with their clients to print only what is needed, and eliminate storage of long runs of print that may or may not ever actually be needed. Shorter, more customized runs of printed materials are generally more effective and up to date. Longer runs often result in long-term storage of materials that are ultimately disposed of without being used, and that is costly from both an economic and environmental perspective.

Personalization and Customization. In-plant operators in the college and university environment should be looking for opportunities to help customers improve the quality and effectiveness of printed pieces by offering personalization (one-to-one communications) and customization (e.g., students interested in the engineering program would receive different materials than students interested in fine arts). Brainstorm with clients, present creative solutions to their business problems, and showcase the capabilities your shop offers. Alumni services, athletics and student recruitment are the best places to start this effort.

Aggressive Self Promotion. Educate your clientele about the possibilities offered by today's technologies. One enterprising manager sent personalized mailers to a couple hundred campus decision makers with a small message about the value of personalization. "The first day the mailer went out," he reports, "we got three calls from departments that wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. If you don't do this, someone else will."

Partner with Outside Resources. Establish relationships with local printers who can provide services the in-plant may not be able to deliver. Establish the in-plant as the single point of contact for printing, allowing the university to gain more control over the number and quality of outside vendors that are used. Partnerships may also be established with state printers or other agencies in your area that provide printing services. Structure mutually beneficial relationships that encourage collaboration, rather than competition, and that provide advantages to all parties.

Insource to Generate Additional Revenues. While most college and university in-plants are prohibited from competing in the commercial space, many have found great success in insourcing work from non-profits and governmental agencies. In the case of a university in the Southeast, its manager counts about 60 percent of work generated by insourcing. In addition to helping him fund new acquisitions, it also offsets the cost of printing for the university, resulting in even more cost savings for the institution.

Investigate Symbiotic Relationships with the Campus Bookstore. While many bookstores prefer to operate independently in a turnkey environment, others are struggling with how to meet the changing needs of faculty and students. By aligning the in-plant with the bookstore, there may be many areas in which they can work together for the benefit of the campus and both businesses.

Get on Board with Social Media. Whether using Facebook, Twitter or other social media venues to communicate special promotions, or simply keeping the community informed about the latest trends in the industry, in-plants should be investigating this low-cost way of better weaving their shop into the fabric of the university. In-plants should be going where their constituents are—and they are surely using social media regularly. Once your in-plant gains experience with social media, sit with your team and brainstorm ways to help departments leverage this growing communications channel.