ACUP Energizes Harrisburg

With sessions covering everything from cross-media and Web-to-print to copier fleet management and mail, the recent ACUP 2012 conference was a well-rounded event.

Held in the sleepy state capital of Harrisburg, Pa., in late April, the 47th annual Association of College and University Printers conference brought together nearly 100 higher-ed in-plant managers from all corners of the country—and from four other countries as well: Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and Canada. When managers weren’t attending sessions they were browsing the 30+ exhibits in the large vendor area or just talking with each other about their shops. (Don't miss IPG's ACUP video. Click the video tab above the photo.)

The conference was organized by Jennifer Bowers, ACUP administrative director, along with new ACUP President Lisa Hoover and her staff at Bucknell University's Office of Publications, Print and Mail. They got to show off their in-plant and their beautiful campus on the third day of the event when the entire group took a one-hour bus trip to Lewisburg. There, Print Production Team Leader Dean Fisher led attendees past his shop’s Xerox Color 800, Nuvera 100, Presstek Vector TX52 platesetter, Heidelberg QM46 and other state-of-the-art equipment. This was followed by a special screening of the documentary Linotype: The Film at Lewisburg’s art deco Campus Theatre, after which director Doug Wilson answered questions about his film.

This was ACUP’s second conference as a non-profit organization. Coming just three years after the cancellation of its 2009 conference due to slim registration numbers, this year’s event marked an impressive rebound for ACUP.

“ACUP is doing very well now,” remarked outgoing President Richard Griffin, of Central Piedmont Community College, at the member meeting. The association has 170 members and is focusing on broadening the services it provides them. An overhaul of the ACUP Web site is planned, with a members-only area to be added.

During the meeting, Griffin officially passed the president’s torch to Hoover. New board members Catherine Chambers (Virginia Tech), Steve Amitrano (Burlington County College) and Chuck Brantley (Rhodes State College) were also welcomed. And four new committees were unveiled, to be run by a dozen volunteers.

Dive Into Cross-media

At the opening keynote session, Barb Pellow, Group Director of InfoTrends, shook things up by plunging managers into the world of cross-media marketing. She revealed that commercial printers—the competition—are very focused on cross-media, yet in-plants...not so much.

“We’re finding that in-plants are, in fact, lagging,” she said. InfoTrends research shows that 41 percent have no intention of offering cross-media, she noted. (Read our December story on this research.)

Your job, Pellow stressed, is to help your customers reach their market better, and the way to do this is by leveraging digital channels of communication, like mobile technology, video and social media.

“Personalization isn’t enough any more,” she said. Today’s multi-channel users have shorter attention spans, so your message must engage them. Look for ways to make print interactive by using mobile codes and augmented reality.

“There’s no reason you can’t link print and a YouTube video to tell your story,” she remarked.

For those who feel overwhelmed, she reminded them of a great resource available to them on their campuses: students.

“They can help you navigate those complicated cross-media environments,” she said.

Interactive Roundtables

This year, ACUP included several roundtable discussions, which were all very interactive. The first was led by Paul Jones of Ashland University and covered Web-to-print solutions. He conveyed his experiences with EDU Business Solutions’ Print Shop Pro Manager software and noted that a system is not just a production tool, but is a data collection tool as well. This data can help you justify your operation, write RFPs for future equipment needs and define your printing niche.

Jones acknowledged that some customers at Ashland have resisted using the system to submit jobs; only 30 percent of them use it. He said it’s important to meet with customers and show them how to use it. Drew Burgering, of Valdosta State University, noted that his in-plant keeps a computer at its front desk to show walk-up customers how easy it is to submit jobs online.

Still, some in the audience were concerned that the low usage rate would make the cost of a Web-to-print system hard to justify. Glen Bradford, of Texas Christian University, remarked that his boss asks “why do we need it?” when not everyone will use it. Jones noted that the convenience and speed advantages need to be pointed out as justification. He added that his system has helped him bring in business from outside the university. About a quarter of his shop’s workload now comes from insourcing, he said, and that’s chiefly due to the convenience of its Web-to-print system. (Note: Jones has since taken a job at Wal-Mart's in-plant.)

Operational Structures

At another roundtable, MIT’s Steve Dimond led a spirited discussion on in-plant operational structures. He detailed the changes that have come to his in-plant in recent years, including downsizing, new services like electronic signage and a new communications director to report to. Lisa Hoover talked about her in-plant’s transformation into the Department of Publications, Print and Mail, reporting to the vice president of Communications instead of the VP of Finance. It has taken some time, she noted, to integrate services into one unified service group.

Attendees related their experiences with merging differing business mentalities and approaches. They noted the importance of a close alignment with purchasing departments, and the critical need for advocates in upper administration.

Virginia Tech’s Catherine Chambers facilitated a roundtable discussion on copier management programs (CMPs). She described Virginia Tech’s program, which comprises a fleet of 675 Konica Minolta multi-function devices (MFDs) on a cost-per-copy contract.

The lively discussion covered many different aspects of managing a copier fleet, including contract types (purchase, lease, cost per copy), electronic vs. manual meter read collection, billing strategies and service calls. Gary Warren of Ohio State University, who was there to gather information for a CMP proposal he is working on, noted after the session that “a CMP takes a lot of work to set up, but if the program is set up correctly, and with an automatic electronic meter read system, the workload will be lighter.”

Tell Your Story

Consultant Ray Chambers offered his advice in a session on critical success factors. He discussed two factors that are often overlooked by managers: measuring what you manage and telling your story. He urged managers to make sure their boss knows how the in-plant contributes to positive student outcomes. He also advised them to volunteer with campus organizations and participate in department meetings so that people become familiar with you and learn more about your in-plant.

John Meyer, of RIT, gave a session discussing what his in-plant went through to attain FSC certification and why they did it. He noted that RIT has been very focused on sustainability, and he wanted to support those efforts and take the initiative before someone else told him to do it. Having FSC certification, he said, gives him something new to talk to customers about.

Meyer also discussed what was involved in getting certified, what additional steps his staff must take to maintain chain-of-custody for all FSC paper and what is involved in using the FSC logo.

In other ACUP sessions:

• Simon White, Print Shop manager of Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand, showed a video depicting what he and his family experienced when an earthquake rocked their city in September 2010. He went on to show how this temblor and a second more deadly one in February 2011 impacted his university and his in-plant. Though Printing Services was largely undamaged, the copy center had to relocate both times. With 90 percent of the campus MFDs out of commission, the in-plant stepped up production, delivering materials using a borrowed golf cart.
• Fellow Kiwi Karen Farr, of the Unitec Copy Center in Auckland, discussed the challenges she faces at her in-plant and how she has increased business by making sales calls, attending department meetings and visiting with IT, procurement and marketing staff. “I want those guys to be my friends,” she said. She also talked about the Network of In-house Print Professionals Australasia Inc. (NIPPA), which has 180 members Down Under. She invited ACUP to send a representative to the next NIPPA conference, taking place October 10-12.
• Barbara Childers of the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign detailed how her in-plant survived, despite being slated for closure. When another department on campus showed interest in taking over the in-plant, her shop’s own administrative group took a fresh look at it and decided to keep it open. (Read IPG's story on this remarkable turnaround.)

ACUP wasn’t all work, though. Aside from enjoying the linotype documentary in Lewisburg, attendees had dinner at the National Civil War Museum (though some buses arrived sooner than others), enjoyed Harrisburg’s vibrant restaurant scene and finished the event with a semi-formal dinner and dance.

By the end of the conference, the buzz was all about next year’s location, with institutions in both California and Minnesota giving serious consideration to hosting. In the end, Minnesota won out. ACUP 2013 will be held May 19-23 in the Minneapolis area. This will mark the first time ACUP has ventured to Minnesota. Long-time attendee Doug Fenske, of the Minnesota State University, Mankato, has volunteered to host the conference, with the assistance Naomi Quiram of nearby Gustavus Adolphus College.