An In-plant Pioneer

Ralph Sperrazza has been at the forefront of the digital revolution and has brought new technologies and techniques to the in-plant at Pitney Bowes.

by CHRIS BAUER

ATTENDING THE 1990 IPMA conference, Ralph Sperrazza recalls walking through and seeing a table covered with copies of the May 1990 issue of the then IN-PLANT Reproductions magazine with his picture on the cover. He sums up that experience with one word: "Amazing."

"Ten years goes by very fast," admits Sperrazza, 1990 Manger of the Year, who is general manager of the document services division for Pitney Bowes, of Stamford, Conn. He remembers getting a warm response from his industry peers after winning the award, and being asked to speak at conferences such as On Demand.

"I received phone calls from people from all over the place," Sperrazza explains. "I feel it was a real confidence booster—especially having my picture on the cover of a magazine." He says it also showed his superiors that he was leading the department in the right direction—especially with technology.

From The Digital Frontier

Sperrazza was one of the early pioneers of the digital revolution in the in-plant industry. He has transformed his in-plant into a digital shop, adding an Indigo E-Print 1000 and three Xerox DocuTechs. This has enabled the in-plant to offer on-demand printing, better document management services and to eliminate nearly 7,000 square feet of warehousing space.

Sperrazza reports that 95 percent of the work the in-plant does now comes to the shop digitally. Most jobs come in on disks, but some are submitted via an internal network, and there are plans to enable jobs to be sent via the Web. Once jobs are sent, the in-plant then decides if it is more cost effective to print them digitally or to go to one of the offset presses.

Sperrazza's positive attitude and openness to new technology contributed greatly to his selection as Manager of the Year. His employees found his management style to be a great boost to their morale when he took control in 1986. He says that keeping employees informed and involved in decision making is part of being a good manager.

"I try to keep people informed of what's going on and let them participate and give input," Sperrazza points out. "It is hard with a big organization, but people's involvement is very important."

This is achieved by holding regular personal meetings and allowing open communication between the staff and administration. He says he often allows operators to become involved in the equipment selection process since they are going to have to use it.

This is what has helped Sperrazza build a strong team of 87 employees—more than double the 40 in-plant employees the shop had in 1990. He feels that by keeping his employees informed and giving them the responsibility to grow on their own, they are now better able to handle new tasks. This will ensure success in the future when even newer technologies are introduced to the in-plant.

Dedicated To His Company

Sperrazza strongly identifies with his employees because he has already been in their shoes. He began working in the Pitney Bowes mailing department in 1958—and some 41 years later, after working his way up through the ranks, he shows no signs of slowing down.

"I remember when I was always the youngest one here," Sperrazza confesses, looking back at his career. "You think about how advanced printing has become and how rapidly we have changed." Even between 1990 and today, he notes, there have been huge advances in technology.

But bringing this technology in-house comes with a price. In 1990, the budget for the in-plant was $5.4 million. Sperrazza reveals the budget for 2000 will be over $19 million. To offset some costs to the company, Sperrazza has began to insource work from outside the company. But he knows the money spent on technology now will help guarantee the in-plant's survival in the future.

Sperrazza is also active in the in-plant community outside of Pitney Bowes. He is a member of the IPMA and has served as the organization's vice president. IPG

Chris Bauer can be reached at:cbauer@napco.com.