From the Editor: State of the States

Still one of the strongest parts of the in-plant industry, government in-plants are being challenged to get leaner and update their services. Our new survey of this sector shows an increasing number have added capabilities like wide-format printing, scanning/archiving, fulfillment and online ordering. They’re also doing more four-color printing and variable data to accommodate the increasing demand.

Many government in-plants, like the Missouri State Printing Center (our cover story), are solidly established and respected by their agency customers, who rely on them for super fast turnaround and data security. Others, like the Washington State Department of Printing (which just won an NAPL Management Plus Silver Award), have been challenged by politicians who fail to understand the benefits and cost savings they bring.

Washington State Printing & Imaging Manager Jean-Luc Devis reports that as of October 1, his 92-employee operation was consolidated, along with four other agencies, into one mega-agency called the Department of Enterprise Services (DES). About 10 in-plant office positions were consolidated with similar positions in DES to reduce administrative overhead costs.

“Senate Bill 5931, that was passed in June 2011 also had a section in it that required that up to six DES activities, including bulk printing, be considered competitively for outsourcing,” reports Devis. “This process will occur during this calendar year, and we are uncertain of the outcome.”

In other states the story is different. In Tennessee, a plan to consolidate Printing and Media Services with the data center and move into a new facility has been put on hold, reports Director Tammy Golden. Meanwhile, some of her staff are worried about losing their positions due to a state law that allows employees from other divisions to bump them out if their own divisions experience reductions. Still, the in-plant is moving ahead, and just added a Xerox 1000 with clear dry ink capabilities.

“Our first job was printing a promotional calendar that we gave to all of our customers,” she says.

In Wisconsin, the Department of Administration’s Publishing & Distribution section has updated its digital printers in recent years, adding continuous-feed printers and transferring cut-sheet work to them. This year the in-plant installed a new 60˝ HP designjet L25500 latex wide-format printer. Though lower volumes of quick copy work necessitated the closure of its satellite operation, mainframe print has risen slowly over the last four fiscal years.

“Next fiscal year we hope to be able to place print submission software in our budget,” says Tim Smith, Section Chief.

At the California Department of Justice’s Communication & Imaging Resource Center, many former offset projects have gone online, so the in-plant focuses on short-run digital jobs. With the state budget in the red, replacing equipment has been a challenge. To save money, Communications Manager Jerry Hill now leases more equipment and eliminates service contracts on less productive workstations.

Still, the in-plant looks for ways to reinvent itself. It now supports more multi-media products such as training videos and offers online ordering of business cards and other items. To get support and share new ideas in these difficult times, he has formed a state agency in-plant managers networking group that meets quarterly.

Elsewhere in the Golden State, Placer County Central Services has been able to upgrade recently, adding a two-tower C.P. Bourg collator-booklet maker with face trimmer just last month. The shop is also about to buy a digital color envelope printer and a envelope feeder for its Multigraphics 1360 to keep work in-house. Though the in-plant lacks the right of first refusal, it has heavily marketed its services both to county departments and outside agencies and nonprofits. Still, says Blagg, “We service other county departments, and when they cut back we feel it.”

That's one challenge that government in-plants all over the country share.