Editor's Note Among The Best

It's always great news when an in-plant is honored by the rest of the printing industry. It reminds commercial printers and vendors that in-plants are every bit as professional and worthy of respect as they are.

So I was pleased to hear the National Association for Printing Leadership recently named six in-plants on its list of the country's best-managed printing operations. Gold Awards in NAPL's 2001 Management Plus Awards competition will go to University of California-Berkeley Printing Services, CIGNA Printing and Distribution, the Nevada State Printing Division, the State of Tennessee Printing Services Division and Allstate Insurance, which won its seventh Gold Award. Also honored, with a merit award, was HAPSCO Printing & Graphics Services.

As if this weren't enough, I recently caught wind of yet another big honor bestowed on an in-plant by an industry organization. Master Printers of America named Dartmouth College Printing & Mailing to its "Best of the Best" list. This list comprises printers that MPA feels are leaders in organizational structure, work environment, training, development, personal/work-life balance and other areas.

A key factor in the decision to place Dartmouth on this exclusive list was the in-plant's daily morning troubleshooting sessions, which it calls "rounds." Everyone on the 19-employee shop meets for 20 to 30 minutes each day to discuss ideas for improving productivity, agree on standard ways for doing tasks, go over upcoming jobs so everyone is prepared, share opinions on possible new equipment and much more. Employees are encouraged to talk about their mistakes without worrying about retribution. As a result, they no longer try to cover up errors, says Jim Leech, director. The meetings, which started about a year ago, have had a profound effect.

"We've saved so many errors, increased production, know what's coming down the line and...gotten closer as a group," Leech says.

This closeness has virtually eliminated the cliques, gossip and backstabbing present in so many other in-plants, since everything is out in the open during rounds.

Other factors that helped put Dartmouth on the Best of the Best list are its flexibility (employees can name their own hours, to a point), extensive cross-training efforts (even some drivers are trained to run equipment) and staff appreciation through stress breaks, birthday celebrations, picnics and more.

To help everyone realize their importance, the in-plant staff is encouraged to take on management responsibilities.

"We virtually look at everyone as a manager," Leech says.

Likewise, management jumps right in to help on jobs. When I spoke with him, Leech had just returned from working on a hand-collating job.

"We make it a point to be routinely involved," he says.

With management and employees teamed like this, animosity between the two has virtually disappeared, Leech reports. He says employees take more interest in their jobs because of the flexibility and responsibility they've been entrusted with. This has dramatically reduced turnover. It has also aided the shop's survival: quality has risen, errors have dropped, the shop is kept clean and customers are pleased.

We could all learn a lesson from Dartmouth College Printing & Mailing. Better communication within your in-plant is the key to your survival and success.

"Our survival depends on each other," notes Jim Leech.

Are you doing everything possible to make your in-plant one of the best?