Free White Paper Helps In-plants Improve Performance

A new white paper from the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) offers in-plant managers a guide to a variety of improvement strategies. Authored by NAPL Senior Consultant Howie Fenton, “How to Improve In-Plant Performance” covers a range of performance-enhancing ideas, metrics and proven tactics.

Based on the field experience of NAPL consultants who have helped hundreds of in-plants improve performance, the 32-page white paper details how to plan, conduct and assess the results of a comprehensive in-plant evaluation. It covers:

• The six critical areas of an in-plant evaluation (beyond financial performance and operational metrics).
• How to investigate your competitive alternatives and conduct a “make vs. buy” analysis.
• How to turn unhappy “captive customers” into clients who don’t want to go anywhere else.
• How to add value to your product and service offerings.
• New products that could fulfill emerging needs based on customer feedback.
• The importance of taking a “future-focused view” of performance improvement.
• The best practices of leading in-plant operations.
• How to determine whether to maintain, expand or close an in-plant.

“In-plant directors and managers recognize the importance of keeping their operations in peak condition, and measurement is key to doing so,” says Fenton, who has conducted scores of in-plant evaluations. “In-plants shouldn’t wait until they’re under the gun to measure performance.” The guide, he notes, introduces in-plants to a proactive process of measuring performance. Gathering performance data and benchmarking are the best tools to counter attacks by outsourcers or facilities management firms, he adds.

“Just as important is using performance data to build and implement an effective improvement plan, and this guide also offers suggestions for how to use data for that purpose. Even if an in-plant is doing well,” he says, “there are areas that can be enhanced, or new services and value to consider adding.”

In-plant directors and managers may download the new publication, “How to Improve In-Plant Performance,” at no charge from www.naplinplantwhitepaper.com.