After winning an NAPL Gold Award, Portland General Electric Print and Mail Services will now move into transpromo printing.

By Joe Ranoia

SERVING A major utilities company like Portland General Electric (PGE) can be a challenge, to say the least.

After all, PGE provides power to over 1.5 million people in Oregon, covering 52 cities in a 4,000-square-mile radius. Its in-plant, Print and Mail Services, handles virtually all of PGE’s printing in its 7,000-square-foot facility. This includes customer billing and notices, mapping books for the line crews, training manuals, engineering/architectural drawings, presentations, self-mailers and more. This amounted to 35 million pages and 12 million mail pieces in 2007.

Despite this monumental workload, the 13-employee in-plant has not only impressed PGE with its proficiency, it has earned some prestigious industry recognition as well. PGE Print and Mail Services has earned a 2007 NAPL Gold Award for print management excellence. It is one of only a handful of in-plants to ever receive this award, and the first to do so in five years.

“Winning this award is a great testimony to the quality and pride that the team brings to work every day,” lauds Wes Friesen, manager of Revenue Collection and Community Offices.

Printing the Bills

Print and Mail Services is one of four departments that fall under Friesen’s umbrella—a natural fit, since billing statements make up the majority of PGE’s printing and mailing needs.

“An in-plant operation allows PGE to have total control of the main source of revenue and communications with our customers—the billing statement,” Friesen explains.

He and his staff strive to produce these at the highest quality, and get them mailed in a hurry.

“We have the daily pressure of printing, inserting and mailing our customers bills, which average about $6 million per day and amount to about $1.4 billion annually,” Friesen reports. “Cash flow is King, and getting bills produced every day is a must.”

To ensure immediate customer communication, once a run of bills rolls off the printer, he says, it is mailed that same day.

“Fortunately, we are nearing six consecutive years of 100 percent same-day production of customer bills,” Friesen says with pride.

He gives the credit to his staff, including plant supervisor Eric Houger.

“Our remarkable same-day production of the bills is primarily due to the dedication and commitment of Eric Houger and the entire team,” Friesen lauds. “People will do whatever is humanly possible to get the bills produced…working late, coming in early from vacation, getting to work despite adverse weather conditions, etc. They are a dedicated group of folks that are a pleasure to work with.”

Knowing that these bills are a vital form of customer communication, the in-plant plans to initiate transpromo printing on all billing statements by 2009. Friesen and Houger attended last summer’s TransPromo Summit in New York to get inspiration and start the process going. One idea they have is to do what Friesen calls onserting.

“Moving some inserts, like the newsletter, to the bill itself, and have it more dynamic and segmented,” he explains. Thus instead of having a billing statement surrounded by various inserts, everything will be printed on the bill in a concise, cost-effective manner.

The in-plant is in the research phase now, but hopes to have some augmentations to the bill as early as this year. By speaking to other transpromo printers and vendors and attending relevant conferences like the TransPromo Summit, the in-plant will be able to make an informed decision on how to proceed. A recent visit to the Southern California Department of Education’s in-plant yielded some useful information.

“Their new bill will incorporate onserting and more segmented information with some dynamic texting,” Friesen says.

Transpromo printing is just one improvement in the works.

“We have a cross-functional team that is looking at opportunities to provide more relevant, personalized information that build upon what we are already doing,” Friesen enthuses. To this end they are looking at improving the company Web site and Web tools, and to analyze what automated meter reading will bring the company in the future.

“We are also looking at the benefits of doing variable color to better communicate key, relevant information,” Friesen relates.

Top Quality Mail Operation

Because the in-plant handles such a large amount of mailing, it recently became the first and only electric utility in the nation to implement the Mail Preparation Total Quality Management (MPTQM) program.

“MPTQM certification ensures that quality control is a main focus,” Friesen says. This program assures that the mailings meet or surpass the quality standards of the Postal Service. PGE does not have to implement this program, but does so because of the firm belief that quality is of the utmost importance.

“Quality control is better than ever. We thought we were good before, but MPTQM really raised the bar. We are able to provide 100 percent document integrity through the print and insertion process via technology updates and manual processes.” In addition, the in-plant upgraded or replaced more than 80 percent of its equipment over the last five years.

Presently the in-plant’s printing is all digital; 85 percent of it is black-and-white, including bills and notices where yellow highlight color is applied to the due date and amount.

The bulk of the remaining 15 percent of four-color work is done on the shop’s pair of IBM 4000 printers and a 4005, which handles the highlight color. Some work is performed on a Xerox DocuTech 6155 and Xerox DocuColor 7000. A KIP 7000 for wide-format drawings rounds out the printing equipment. The in-plant looks to replace the IBM printers in 2009, ideally with full-color equipment if practicable.

National Recognition

With such a huge focus on quality, efficiency and innovation, it is no wonder that PGE was recognized by the NAPL. Winning a Gold Award is a great accomplishment for any print shop. But it is particularly impressive for an in-plant to take the prize.

“It is very gratifying to have external experts in the industry thoroughly review your operations and decide that an award like this is deserved,” says Friesen. “The award is even more gratifying because I’ve been told we are the first in-plant to win a Gold award in several years.”

NAPL isn’t the only one that recognizes the excellence of this in-plant. Print and Mail Services has also garnered other accolades over the years:

• It received the 2007 Partners in Progress award from the U.S. Postal Service

• It passed MPTQM certification with 100 percent compliance

• It passed all Sarbanes-Oxley audits

• It earned the 2002 IPMA Management Award

• It was chosen Mailer of the Year by the Portland PCC in 2001, 2005 and 2007

• It won the 2001 MailCom/MSMA “Technical Excellence” award

While the honor and praise from outside sources is wonderful, Friesen knows it’s more important that his parent company understands the in-plant’s value.

“PGE officers and managers are very supportive of our operation,” he says. “That has not been by accident however. Striving for excellence and promoting successes up the management chain and utilizing company communication channels via on-line and hard copy newsletters have been of vital importance. If we did not communicate, nobody would know who we are or what we do.” To that end the in-plant has met with officers in the past, and has a tour scheduled for all vice presidents in 2008.

But does good standing translate into support when it comes to purchasing new equipment and upgrades?

“Because of our good reputation in the company, capital funds and internal resources are easier to come by than in the past,” Friesen reports. “It is not a slam dunk by any means, but easier than some folks have it. Because we have national recognition and our reputation is so strong internally, approval of funds and resources has been successful. By not shooting for the moon and looking for equipment that meets company needs at a reasonable cost, we are able to maintain that reputation with the financial folks as well.”

Ever looking forward, the implementation of transpromo printing, the recent purchase of two new Pitney Bowes inserters to be installed this April and the possibility of procuring a full color solution to replace the aging IBM digital printers ensures that this award-winning in-plant will stay top-notch well into the future. And that’s just how Wes Friesen wants it.

“Day-to-day operations are hard enough, but striving for world-class and best-in-class requires the juggling of many, sometimes competing priorities,” he reveals. “Don’t get me wrong; it’s the right way to go. Just a challenge to stay on top of it all with existing resources. I imagine everybody sings the same song.”

Perhaps, but PGE is sounding better all the time. IPG