Free In-plant Insight

The December issue of IPG is packed with ideas to help you strategize and strengthen your in-plant. To give you a taste, here are some insightful excerpts from the articles we've prepared for you:

• John Sarantakos, from the University of Oklahoma, writes: Progressive thinking requires you to get out of your comfort zone. That is not an easy place to be. I started off as a teacher way back when, and I hated speaking in front of people, even little kids. I got over it. If you do nothing else this week, write down what areas you are weak in—speaking, marketing, planning, whatever. Then make and set a plan in motion to force yourself to do just those things. It will be tough at first, but it will get easier and better. The problem is that if you don’t break out of your shell, the cost might be very high. Full story.
• Consultant Ray Chambers shares this observation: A practice currently trending is to include MPS proposals in responses to organizational procurement requests. In this model the customer organization prepares a Request for Proposal (RFP) that includes a more or less complete picture of current document production capabilities. The RFP may include production equipment in the copy/print center, but it will most likely not include desktop laser and inkjet devices. The vendor’s response includes an MPS proposal that promises to do a complete analysis of the existing fleet environment, including desktop devices, and recommend ways to optimize investment in this type of equipment. But I have seen enough to feel comfortable recommending caution when an MPS proposal suddenly pops up in an unexpected place. Device vendors are facing more bottom-line pressure, and in-plants are an attractive target. As managers we must learn to think critically about unsolicited offers, especially when they claim huge savings. Full story.
• InfoTrends' Lisa Cross notes: A big differentiator between high-growth in-plants versus those that are flat or declining is the ability to meet the 1:1 communications needs of the end user departments. In-plants that report experiencing growth greater than 10 percent have created the infrastructure and ability to deliver digital color 1:1 solutions. The survey data indicates that more than 55 percent of respondents own variable data software. Full story.
• Heath Cajandig, of Mimeo.com, observes: Data is the new currency of success or failure in today’s business world. Nearly everything can be measured and reported against in our completely connected organizations. In the past, anecdotal stories and institutional experience carried significant weight. In the future, stories will be crafted around data points and information. Print spending will be more tightly managed, customer service metrics will be specific and your customer’s experiences will be measured and acted upon. Full story.
• Kevin Kern, of Konica MinoltaBusiness Solutions USA, writes: With 3D printing set for rapid growth over the next five years, today’s in-plants have a unique opportunity to become a technology innovation center within their organizations. The key is to centralize the 3D services in the in-plant rather than having equipment scattered throughout the organization. Centralization reduces bottlenecks and underutilization of equipment. From a maintenance and service perspective, in-plants already have talented staff in place that can easily run 3D printing equipment. It also leverages the same workflow processes already implemented in a production print environment. Full story.