Fulfillment A Profitable Service At University Of Texas Health Science Center

Adding new services is crucial for in-plants, and one of the value-added services gaining traction is fulfillment. New IPG data shows that 43 percent of in-plants now offer this service. A great example of an in-plant that does this well is UTHealth Printing and Media Services, the subject of our June cover story.

The in-plant serves the University of Texas Health Science Center, located in Houston, and began taking on fulfillment work to bring in more business and improve its services and value.

One of its largest clients has been the Children's Learning Institute, part of the Department of Pediatrics. Some of its kits involve binders, peel-and-stick labels, post cards and even the odd specialty item, like toy animals or puppets, all of which the in-plant is in charge of ordering, storing, assembling and shipping. One of these fulfillment projects netted the in-plant more than $800,000 in billing.

According to Donna Horbelt, director of Auxiliary Enterprises, Printing and Media Services, prior to her arrival at the in-plant, this work had been turned away, forcing the client to give the business to an outside provider. Not any more.

"As our customers change, we change," says Horbelt. "I will do anything for a client. If I had stayed stagnant…my doors would be closed."