IPG Visits Two LA In-plants
While in Los Angeles this week, IPG Editor Bob Neubauer visited two of the country's largest in-plants: The City of Los Angeles Publishing Services Division and the Church of Scientology International Dissemination and Distribution Center.
At the city's in-plant, Acting Director Gerald St. Onge showed off his 34-employee, two-shift operation, which includes a five-color Komori Lithrone SX 29, a Heidelberg DI press and a handful of other presses. A Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C8000 and a trio of Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS 1250s make up the plant's digital print section.
The latest growth area, St. Onge revealed, has been in wide-format printing using a removable vinyl substrate. The 108-year-old in-plant uses four HP and Epson wide-format printers to turn out decorative wall art, which adorns the walls of several city buildings.
The in-plant's next update, noted Richard Malvino, prepress supervisor, will likely be to upgrade its Agfa :Avalon CTP to version 9.
From downtown L.A., Neubauer traveled to nearby Commerce, CA, to visit the Church of Scientology's 185,000-square-foot facility. With a six-unit Goss Sunday 2000 web press, a five-color Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 sheetfed press and a continuous-feed HP Indigo W7200 digital press, the operation is one of the most well-equipped in-plants in the country. Opened just five years ago, the in-plant cranks out millions of magazines, brochures, direct mail pieces and educational materials each month, in 17 languages.
With high ceilings and plenty of open space for future expansion, the in-plant is extremely clean and orderly. Equipment is positioned so that work flows efficiently in one direction, from printing to bindery to distribution.
None of the equipment operators had any experience when they started. All were trained from scratch at Cal Poly and Rochester Institute of Technology.
The facility handles much more than ink on paper too. Garment printing and embroidering, wood cutting, metal work, audio visual and more are all part of the 106-employee operation. Check out our photos from the in-plant tours.
