More Than Just Invoices

When the Pinnacol Print Shop installed a new Xerox Color 1000 in November, it was intended to produce invoices and statements for the Denver-based worker’s compensation provider. But the in-plant quickly learned that its new digital color press would allow it to produce Pinnacol Assurance’s collateral materials in-house as well—work that was previously being outsourced.

For example, Pinnacol’s Safety Services department orders safety posters, which Pinnacol policyholders can request, to display in their offices. Prior to getting the Color 1000, Corporate Services Manager Craig Coley says his department would outsource the posters and keep them on hand to be mailed at the policyholder’s request.

Now, he says, he can just print a poster right when it’s ordered.

“I can produce it in-house as well as mail it out at the same time,” Coley explains. “It’s kind of that just-in-time printing, so I would not have to stock hundreds of these items as well as have items on hand at my supplier.”

Spreading the Word

To get the news out about the in-plant’s new capabilities, Coley recently invited all of his stakeholders within Pinnacol Assurance to visit the in-plant for an open house. In addition to posters, he wanted to demonstrate that the new press could also produce items like calendars, pillow boxes, golf ball sleeves and door hangers.

Before the event even began, Coley was able to show off the Color 1000’s capabilities by producing a “save the date” card that the in-plant’s mail staff delivered. By doing this, he explains that he was able to demonstrate that Pinnacol employees could now make use of a high-level printing operation in the same building.

“It’s a hard cover stock and it’s very professional looking,” Coley says of the card. “I have basically the same machine that most of the print shops around town have. And I know because I went and visited those just to make sure.”

Coley says that the open house was an immediate success and quickly brought jobs into the in-plant. One example he points to is a pillow box the human resources department requested. The job was for a health initiative, and the department ordered clear pillow boxes that were going to be filled with healthy foods. The in-plant then printed out cards to be placed in each box that explained what the day would entail.

“Those are some of the things that we’re starting to see,” Coley says. “Some of those requests people may not have done in the past at all, we’re able to do now.”

Improved Invoices

Coley says that among the main reasons he acquired the new press was to produce invoices that Pinnacol sends out to all of its policyholders. Prior to the new press, the shop would receive shells from a vendor and would then print the personalized invoice information in black and white.

Now, the Color 1000 allows the in-plant to produce the entire invoice. This has created substantial savings, especially considering the monthly volume for invoice production reaches around 90,000.

“Now I’m printing that internal,” he says. “These are high volume so it made more sense to bring that in-house, and at a huge discount.”

Coley says he has been keeping track of his savings and estimates that, based on January and February figures, Pinnacol has saved approximately $8,000 by printing jobs internally that in the past would have been done outside.

Similarly to the invoices, Coley says the in-plant also utilizes the Color 1000 for injured worker

packets. These items are sent out to provide information to recipients and show them who their claim specialist will be.

Much like the invoices, the shell for the injured worker packet was produced outside and the in-plant would print the black-and-white content. Coley says the Pinnacol Print Shop produces around 8,000 injured worker packets per month.

Decreasing Inventory

While Coley calls the ability to take on the production of Pinnacol Assurance’s collateral materials a “happy by-product” of obtaining the new press, it has also contributed other benefits. In particular, he explains that by being able to print collateral items as they’re needed, the in-plant doesn’t need to store as many of those items. In the past, he says, he sometimes had to store hundreds of posters.

One of the four employees in the in-plant is in charge of fulfillment, Coley says, and when she notices that the poster supply is running low, she can just make a request for 20 or so more to be produced.

While the press has certainly increased the quality of the items printed in the Pinnacol Print Shop, the ability to cut costs, reduce waste and diminish inventory has made it an even more appreciated member of the team.

“Not only can we [print] professionally in-house,” Coley says. “But we’re saving a lot of money because we’re not ordering in bulk. We’re not wasting material, we are saving a lot and it’s the same professional look that we’d get elsewhere.”