From the Editor: In-plants Aplenty at PRINT 17
In-plants packed the room for an IPG lunch session on print automation
PRINT 17 was a whirlwind of activity for me. My schedule was jam packed with in-plant breakfasts and luncheons, vendor press conferences, video shoots, meetings, booth tours and evening events. In short, it was just business as usual for me at the busy Chicago show — with one difference: there seemed to be even more in-plant activities than usual this year.
IPG hosted our usual in-plant breakfast and lunch sessions, both of which drew capacity crowds. (In fact, we ran out of food at the luncheon, to the dismay of a couple of late arrivals. But the strong in-plant turnout sure made us happy.) The In-plant Printing and Mailing Association stepped up its activities this year, adding a seminar on Sunday and a reception Monday afternoon, in addition to its customary in-plant luncheon.
One of several in-plant panels at PRINT 17. From left Laura Lockett (Sacramento State), Jimmy Vainstein (World Bank) and Amanda Bronowski (UPMC) with Elisha Kasinskas (RSA).
Plus the PRINT 17 seminar program featured a number of in-plant sessions, with titles like “Finding the In-plant on the USS Enterprise” and “In-plant Service Providers: The State of the Industry.” One of the better show seminars featured a panel of in-plant managers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, California State University, Sacramento and The World Bank Group talking about their “bold moves for the future.”
In-plant attendance at PRINT 17 seemed higher than usual too. Not only were managers in abundance at the sessions and luncheons, I could barely cross the show floor without running into a manager. With most of them I only had time for a quick hello and a brief conversation about the equipment or software they were investigating. Still, it was nice to touch base with so many managers and to know they’re looking at new technology, with plans to bring some of it home.
IPG's Canon-sponsored breakfast session on security packed the room.
Two of the sessions that managers seemed to get a lot out of were IPG’s breakfast presentation on production printing in today’s security-sensitive world, and our lunch session on document automation at Blue Valley Schools’ in-plant. The first topic was something new for this group. Speakers detailed the undetected vulnerabilities that exist within many companies and how hackers exploit them. We learned that nearly 80% of all hacks come from within; either an employee inadvertently introduces a virus into the computer system or it is introduced intentionally by an internal force.
For an in-plant, which receives new files constantly from a variety of sources, the risk of being an unwitting accomplice in a malware attack is uncomfortably high. (Accepted any customer USB drives lately?) In-plants were urged by the speakers to create a risk-management strategy that includes training and staff education, along with a disaster recovery plan.
Blue Valley’s Jason Gilliam and Paul Ackerman (seated) with Elisha Kasinskas of RSA (at podium)
The IPG luncheon on document automation dished up an impressive in-plant success story. Managers from Blue Valley Schools’ in-plant detailed how they used software to automate document production so that no one touches documents until printed and bound copies are ready to be picked up from the output trays. This enabled the shop to handle an increase in printing without adding staff positions, and saved the district $1.4 million in printing costs.
Blue Valley Schools was one of several in-plants whose success stories were highlighted at PRINT 17. It was great to see in-plants getting the respect they deserve at the show. You can be sure we’ll be covering these stories in the months ahead.
Here are some scenes from the show floor:
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 180 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
