After a detailed self examination, the in-plant for the American Academy of Family Physicians made some major improvements to its operational health. It’s now more productive, efficient and cost effective than ever.

By Dawn Greenlaw-Scully

Printer, Heal Thyself

The AAFP’s digital printing department examined, diagnosed and treated potentially injurious operating conditions—resulting in improved vital signs and optimal operational health.

In the Examination Room: Hardware and Software

Diagnosis: The in-plant had a trio of workstations, each running disparate software programs, some of which were hardly used. The applications integral to operations were spread out among the workstations. “We were running between all three stations to complete a job that we should have been able to complete in one spot,” recalls Digital Printing Supervisor Shawn Parkison. “It was ridiculous.” Plus, nearly all of the software was outdated, she says.

Rx: Two’s Company; Three’s a Crowd. Parkison reports that she and her staff member, Amy Trock, worked with their vendor to pinpoint software keepers, remove the non-essential programs and upgrade the remainder “by at least three to four versions to improve programming time.” The department was then able to eliminate one of the workstations and synchronize the other two so that they would be identical. And new printer controllers reduced spooling time markedly—once saving 20 hours on a single job.

In the Examination Room: Paper I/O

Diagnosis: The staff was spending way too much time putting paper into and taking printed material out of the printers. “We would no sooner get one machine loaded with paper and then we’d have to run to the next one to unload it,” Parkison remembers, joking that all that work was “great for weight loss, but not very productive.”

Rx: Take a Load Off. The department installed three paper drawers and a high-capacity stacker onto each of two Digimasters. As a result, “we can load the paper drawers and run the machine for 2½ hours before we have to add another ream of paper,” Parkison explains. “This gives us 2½ hours of time we desperately needed to focus on customer service, bindery and programming.”

“Unfortunately,” she quips, “all this lack of movement has caused some weight gain.” Still, Parkison considers the high-capacity stackers to be the single most beneficial change made by the shop.

In the Examination Room: The Floor Plan

Diagnosis: The staff was frustrated by the lack of privacy on the shop floor. An employee revealed to Parkison that, “when [she was] trying to program, customers were walking up behind her and scaring her out of her wits.” Clients would wander around the production area, seeking assistance or looking for their jobs.

Also, Parkison needed to create additional space to accommodate the new paper drawers and stackers, which lengthened each printer by six feet.

Rx: Location, Location, Location. The department moved one of the work stations to the front of the shop, where it now also serves as a customer service desk and unofficial—yet successful—gatekeeper.

“Now, when customers walk in the door they immediately stop at the desk even if no one is sitting there,” Parkison notes. The second workstation was relocated into a corner with a small partition, allowing privacy without sacrificing accessibility or multi-tasking.

“The computer is set up so that the programmer is sitting sideways in the entrance,” she explains. “This has eliminated the sneak attacks and also allows the programmer to view the color copier and keep it running.”

To make the existing space roomier, the staff cleared out unused equipment, supplies and furniture. “We repositioned three desks and removed four tables from our department and gained 24 feet of space,” she calculates.

In the Examination Room: Working Hours

Diagnosis: In 2007, after losing their part-time co-worker and taking on additional projects, the shop’s two production employees compiled 272 hours of overtime. Management and staff sought a more efficient solution.

Rx: Work Smarter, Not Harder. The staff agreed to a compressed work week. Both employees work a 10-hour day, four days a week (7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., one Monday through Thursday and the other Tuesday through Friday).

“This schedule allows us to work 50 hours without overtime, allows us to have a three-day weekend, [and saves] gas money,” Parkison assesses. “This year we have worked a total of 57 hours overtime and 37 of those hours were before the changes were made.”

The changes resulted in a work environment that seemed almost too good to be true. “We thought our numbers were way down from previous years because it didn’t seem like we were working very hard,” Parkison recalls. “But, once the numbers were in, we discovered we had actually done the same amount of work as last year. The difference is that we’re so much more efficient. We actually have time to do our billing, filing and other paperwork.”

THE AMERICAN Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has served as an advocate, educational resource and standards bearer for U.S. doctors for more than half a century. Currently, the AAFP boasts a membership of 94,600 family physicians.

Of course, the national association can't make house calls to each of its members. It has, however, made the right call by operating in-house Digital Printing and Mailing Services departments at its Leawood, Kan., head–quarters.

Five years ago, when the AAFP decided to restructure its digital print shop and merge it with Mailing Services, the Digital Printing team initially had reason to doubt the wisdom of the changes. As part of the restructuring, a part-time position was eliminated, leaving Digital Printing Supervisor Shawn Parkison and her remaining staff member, Amy Trock, overworked. At the same time, the department received additional responsibilities, taking on a plethora of print jobs that had been outsourced previously.

However, the staff decided to view the situation as an opportunity rather than a hardship. The department subjected itself to a complete physical, assessed its condition and embarked on a self-improvement quest (see sidebar for details). The result: increased productivity and efficiency, as well as reduced costs.

"The integration of the two departments led to the increased efficiency of the Digital Printing area," reflects Diane Chastain, manager of Digital Printing, Mailing Services and Postal Affairs.

Parkison lauds Chastain for supporting and facilitating the improvements.

"We became very outdated and struggled even to open documents sent to us," Parkison recalls. "[Diane Chastain] not only sees the value in updating software, but also listens and values the expertise of those working in the department."

Presently, Parkison and Mailing Services Supervisor Bob Eaton each have one full-time staff member in their respective departments. Parkison and Eaton report to Chastain, who is accountable to Administration Division Director Joe Anthuis.

A Busy Print Shop

The Digital Printing department generated approximately 17.5 million pages last year, producing a range of jobs that includes course manuals, agendas and other materials related to events and education. Runs typically exceed 500, and the in-plant's biggest single job to date was a little more than one million impressions. Overall page output translated into nearly two million pieces of mail produced by Mailing Services.

The print shop cohabitates with Mailing Services in a 3,050-square-foot area. Printing and mailing also share 500 square feet of additional storage space with the shipping and receiving department.

"The storage area is usually packed during busy times with product waiting to go on the [mailing] equipment and with completed pallets and cages ready to be delivered," acknowledges Parkison.

For black-and-white jobs, which comprise 90 percent of the shop's workload, the department operates three Kodak Digimaster printers: an EX110, a 9150 and a 9110. Color pages are output on a Canon imageRUNNER C5180 and a Ricoh 3260C. Three Powis Parker Fastback systems handle the binding. The printing and mailing departments share some back-end equipment: a Challenge MS-5 drill, a Challenge Titan 200 cutter, a Baum 714XLT Ultrafold folder and an APS shrink wrapper. Digital Printing utilizes the PlanetPress variable-data software solution, from Objectif Lune, for personalization. Mailing Services houses a Buskro ink-jet system and a pair of inserters.

Offset Outsourced

Ironically, while the Digital Printing team has flourished, the department's conventional counterpart stagnated. On May 1, the AAFP shut down its offset printing facility, which had operated separately from the digital shop.

"The offset in-plant's capabilities were just not keeping pace with demand, and we determined that it wasn't worth it to try and meet all the necessary platforms," explains Anthuis. "It has become easier to outsource that work."

The Digital Printing department has picked up a few of those projects, but is not equipped to handle most of those jobs—yet. However, management is considering some technology additions and upgrades for pumped-up digital production.

"With the...offset press operation closing, we are looking toward adding high-volume color and more variable data," Anthuis reveals.

"We have started printing small quantities of business cards and postcards," Parkison adds. "However, we would like to see large variable-data postcards come through our department if we have the opportunity to expand with high-volume color."

Looking even farther down the road, Anthuis speculates that the shop might even accept outside work.

"The Academy has 54 chapters that could contribute to our overall bottom line," he points out.

In the meantime, Chastain and Parkison are busy making their own house calls for self-promotional purposes. Parkison is currently working on a presentation for department managers detailing the shop's capabilities.

"In the last three years, Diane and Shawn have done a great job educating the Academy's staff," Anthuis observes.

"Although the department still has the first right of refusal, it still has to sell itself to its partners," Chastain notes. "We hope the presentation will lead to more in-depth use of our capabilities."IPG

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