Enhance Your Value

TO REDUCE the environmental impact of their operations, in-plants are reexamining the way they do things. As a result, soy-based inks, water-soluble solvents and recycled/FSC-certified paper are becoming commonplace. In-plants are switching to chemistry-free CTP, promoting duplexing and initiating recycling programs—all in the name of improving their image and doing the right thing for the environment.

These initiatives can have added benefits too. They align the in-plant more closely with its parent organization's sustainability goals and can even bring in new business from customers looking for the greenest possible printing. That's what Steven Rigby found when his in-plant at Washington State University started making some changes for the greener, including getting FSC chain-of-custody certification.

"There are a lot of environmentally minded people on campus and, when we told them what we were doing, they were extremely interested," says Rigby, director of Printing Services. "It's a matter of pride for customers to see their publications printed with the FSC-certified logo." Our cover story details how this in-plant has successfully reduced its environmental footprint, and how the operation is prospering as a result.

Going green isn't the only noteworthy thing that WSU doing, though. The in-plant started offering Web services several years ago. Now, as some publications move to electronic delivery, University Publishing is in position to retain this business. The Web unit has doubled in size in recent years and has become an integrated cross-media operation, with Web and print complementing each other on many projects. The unit offers everything from e-mails, to content management, to Web site development.

Finding new services like this that your in-plant can offer makes it more valuable to customers, thus ensuring its survival. We looked into value-added services in another of our stories this month. Ideas include not only e-mail services, but variable data and mail-related services, as well as photography and video.

Of course, sometimes the best new service is an expansion of one that you're already providing. Not long ago, Colorado's Integrated Document Services operation took over the state's IT printing—items like checks, reports and statements. That work is now being printed more efficiently, being delivered faster and is saving the state money. This success story is detailed in this month's issue.

These are just a few examples of what in-plants are doing to make themselves more indispensable to their parent organizations. Look around for ways that your in-plant can do the same. Then make sure your upper management knows how indispensable you are, lest your in-plant be seen as just another expense to be trimmed.

Bob Neubauer