IPMA 2000 Texas Roundup

Company mergers can also threaten in-plants.

"You need to be proactively selling your operation's work," stressed Chamness. "You can' wait, in a merger situation, till it's done to try to sell your operation."

Facilities management threats are another big problem, he said. But once again, customer service can save you. If you get such a challenge, stress that your in-plant, unlike an FM, is loyal to the parent organization and will work harder to provide the needed turnaround. If the company CEO wants a job right away, the in-plant will drop everything and do it, while an FM, lacking loyalty, will charge extra for this rush job and make it seem very difficult.