In-plants Gather for Rochester Workshop

Fenton suggested that in-plants adjust their customer satisfaction surveys and ask customers to rate them in comparison with the competition. After all, customers tend to leave because the competition provides a better service, he said.

IPG's Neubauer gave a presentation in which he unveiled the results from IPG's latest in-plant industry survey. He noted an increase in in-plants that charge back for services and compare their costs with outside providers. Digital services like wide-format ink-jet printing and variable data have increased over the past two years, he said, though this could stabilize, since fewer in-plants plan to add equipment and services in 2010. Almost 56 percent of in-plants now insource printing, he said, and 73 percent of university in-plants do. This is helping them to justify their operations, he said.