Bank In-plants Generate Interest

Bank in-plants face big changes as banks continue to merge and expand.

With bank mergers on the rise, and online banking changing the way people deal with their banks, the in-plants that serve these institutions are undergoing alterations of their own. Print volume is increasing and work is migrating from forms to marketing pieces. Digital job delivery is becoming more common, as is on-demand printing.

In Memphis, Tenn., Mike Sprayberry, print shop manager for First Tennessee Bank, is about to add a Xerox DocuTech 6135 so he can store jobs digitally and reduce the amount of work that is warehoused.

"We've got several manuals that we'll be able to scan and print up on demand," he says. "This way they can make changes and we don't have to worry about maintaining a master in our office. We can just keep it on the DocuTech."

In addition, customers can bring in jobs on disks instead of hard copy.

In Philadelphia, Mike Renn, assistant vice president of corporate services for Mellon Bank, also makes good use of digital technology. His shop's DocuColor 40 handles a lot of short-run color work, most of which is submitted via e-mail or Zip disk from customers as far away as Boston and Maryland.

"We use it to take the short-run work off the offset presses...so we can pick up more medium and long-run work on the presses," he notes.

Renn's eight-employee in-plant does a lot of four-color work, printing most of Mellon Bank's retail advertising materials, such as statement stuffers, brochures and even post cards personalized with the bank customers' names. The fact that his in-plant can get this work done quickly and get it out to the customer makes the in-plant a valuable part of Mellon Bank's marketing efforts, enabling the bank to run weekly advertising programs with literature that accurately reflects current rates.

"It's a very competitive business right now," Renn says of the banking industry. "You use whatever you can to get the customer's attention. Slick-looking advertising in a branch office helps."

Other managers also notice an increase in marketing materials, such as Marian Wascher, operations officer of the in-plant for First National Bank of Omaha.

"We're really moving away from a lot of the forms and more into the marketing area," she says.

Color printing is on the rise at her 16-employee shop, with the two-color press seeing a big jump in volume. Even the advent of online banking hasn't dried up the shop's work supply, Wascher notes.

"We're still printing just as much, if not more," she says. "We're just printing a different type of product." Training manuals and marketing materials have replaced forms, she says.

At First Tennessee Bank, Sprayberry notes that most four-color brochures are outsourced. But many of his customers seek his advice before selecting a printer.

"They value my input," he says.

Likewise, most marketing materials are outsourced at First Federal Bank of California, in Santa Monica. But Bob Brooker, assistant vice president of general services, says that his 17-employee in-plant still prints some four-color brochures, which are mailed with statements. Mostly, though, Brooker's shop prints forms, along with newsletters and the bank's annual report.

Brooker notes that fluctuating interest rates sometimes mean last-minute changes in the flyers that he prints. This effects many bank in-plants. The only solution, notes Mellon Bank's Renn, is to print and distribute flyers very quickly.

Security Of Data Important

One of the biggest benefits bank in-plants provide is confidentiality.

"By having an in-house shop, a lot of our security matters are taken care of right here, because the confidentiality is kept within the bank system," says Sprayberry. Before First Tennessee Bank officially changed its logo earlier this year, Sprayberry and his crew of five were sworn to secrecy and not allowed to discuss the issue outside of work, even though they were printing the logo in preparation for its debut.

At First National Bank of Omaha, a shred barrel is kept next to the press so all set-up copies can be destroyed. Finished jobs are shrink-wrapped and delivered directly to the customer.

At Mellon Bank, Renn says much of what he prints can't be outsourced for security reasons.

"Confidentiality is one of our selling points," he says.

Another common trait among bank in-plants is that many of them donate printing to non-profit organizations. Brooker does work for the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, the Boys and Girls Club and Upward Bound. Sprayberry prints for United Way and Junior Achievement of Greater Memphis. Renn donates work to the Philadelphia Art Museum.

"It's a good way to reinvest in the community," Renn says.

Bob Neubauer can be contacted at: bneubauer@napco.com.