IPMA 2002 A Hot Time In Atlanta

In-plant managers from around the country headed south for the 43rd International Publishing Management Association conference.

by Bob Neubauer

Atlanta got even hotter recently when the the country's largest gathering of in-plant managers dropped into town. The International Publishing Management Association's annual conference drew scores of managers from around the country to Georgia's capital for four days of education and fraternization.

Though attendance was down this year compared with 2001's Oregon conference, enthusiasm was as high as ever. The numerous social gatherings during the conference had a much more intimate feeling than usual, inspiring managers to forge new friendships.

Because IPMA 2002 took place on the outskirts of Atlanta, right near Heidelberg's U.S. headquarters in Kennesaw, attendees got a rare opportunity to visit Heidelberg's facility. There, they took a close look at the latest printing technology and talked with the company's key managers, including President Niels M. Winther.

As usual, the conference's highlight was the awards banquet, during which the In-Print 2002 award winners were honored. The climax came when Paul Atkisson, of Phillips Petroleum, was called to the stage to accept his in-plant's third Best of Show award.

Visualize The Future You Want

Kicking things off at the opening keynote session, Steve Moroski praised the power of visualization. The subconscious mind, he said, does not know the difference between what is real and what's imagined. If you visualize your goals vividly, you will reach them, he contended. He backed this up with personal anecdotes and audience exercises that proved his point.

By the same token, he added, if you take outcomes and worries that you don't want to realize and visualize them far away and hazy, then they will become less a part of your life. By repeating negative thoughts you reenforce them and make them more likely to come true, he said.

Moroski stressed looking on the bright side and asked attendees to reframe the negatives in their lives by asking:

• What's great about this?

• What don't I like about it now?

• How do I want it to turn out?

• What am I willing to do about it?

• How can I enjoy doing it?

In the same vein, motivational speaker Carol Grace Anderson encouraged the IPMA crowd to spend more time with positive people and to "lighten up."

"Your thoughts are what create your actions," she said.

Anderson advised the audience to make a list of everything going right in their lives, and to start each day doing three things: praising yourself, planning your day and picturing a great result.

Continuing the positive thinking theme, Tim Gard gave a comical presentation that implored attendees to have fun and find the humor in situations. Don't stack up the little things that bother you and drag stress around, he said. Instead, recognize how absurd it all is.

"You've got to insulate yourself from all the negativity," he said. "Find the humor where other people can't find it."

Gard kept the audience in stitches with his fake "major credit card" routine and his personal policy book that he quotes from whenever a hotel recites its own policy.

The Customer Is King

Customers are the key to your business, and knowing how to treat them can make or break your in-plant. To help managers with this, Jean-Luc Devis, of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (and the new director of Printing and Mailing Services at Oregon State University), offered his insights on the new role of the customer service representative (CSR).

With a CSR's duties ranging from job intake to estimating to marketing and problem solving, Devis said, it's extremely important for this person to understand that the customer is the most important person in the entire organization. Customers do no interrupt work, they are the purpose of all work.

Since the way the customer is received and treated is so important, Devis stressed that CSRs should greet customers cordially and listen proactively in a way that shows concern. Never blame the customer for a problem; ask questions and let the customer vent. Then make a commitment to specific action.

Proper phone etiquette is critical, Devis continued, since the phone is probably the most important point of contact. Phones should be answered by the second ring with a clearly identifying greeting. Speak with a smile, he added; it will be noticed in your voice. Never put a caller on hold for more than a minute, he stressed, never tell a customer to call back and never lose a caller while transferring a call.

"Losing a customer when you transfer a call is just a reflection of your service," Devis remarked.

When a visitor and a caller compete for the CSR's attention, however, the visitor should take precedence, he added.

Devis went on to list common reasons CSRs fail on the phone, including lack of concentration, failure to pick out the customer's key points and jumping to conclusions.

Successful Management

At a session on successfully managing an in-plant, Wes Friesen, of Portland General Electric, stressed that people are an in-plant's most important asset. As such, he encouraged managers to recognize them for their performance, reward them and respect them.

Friesen also offered tips to help in-plants justify resources, such as people and equipment. First, he said, figure out how the in-plant can help the parent organization meet its important goals, while saving it money. Know the in-plant's costs and understand the organization's capital budgeting and approval processes. Partner with internal departments, too, he said, especially those that influence decisions.

Marketing your in-plant is important, he added. In addition to passing out promotional brochures and in-plant newsletters, he encouraged in-plants to hold open houses. After his shop had one, he said, volumes rose.

Other speakers also pushed marketing. Sid Chadwick, of Chadwick Consulting, said when a customer praises your in-plant's performance, write this down and then let others know about it. Make mention of it in a newsletter. Similarly, when a customer helps you out, perhaps by improving his or her digital files, don't forget to thank that customer.

Running technical seminars for customers is another form of marketing and customer service, added Corey O'Donnell, of Océ-USA. Vendors may be willing to help with this. Also, he said, with each finished job, give the customer an itemized list showing the cost savings received by using the in-plant. And while you're at it, provide a list of all services you provide.

Small Shop Survival

Customers aren't the only ones you should be marketing to, stressed Jerry Chamness, of the Citadel. In-plants have to continually market their value to their superiors. In his session on small shop survival, Chamness noted that both internal threats (politics, disgruntled employees, uninformed administrators, competition for resources) and external threats (outside competition, facilities management firms) can threaten an in-plant's survival. This was brought home forcefully at the conference when one attendee announced the closing of his in-plant by his non-profit organization.

Chamness urged in-plants to know their financial contributions, be customer oriented, make creative suggestions to help the organization and keep their bosses informed.

In this climate, building a business case for new equipment is not always easy. But it's not impossible either, stressed Consultant John Rountree. First, describe the current situation in simple terms, he said. Then detail the proposed changes, and include photos. Describe the benefits this will bring. Finally, include a cost analysis. Since timing is crucial, Rountree suggested writing up the business case and waiting until a problem occurs that can be fixed with the proposed change. Then present your case.

Of course, getting new equipment does not always solve every problem. Finding room for it in the in-plant—while maintaining a smooth workflow—is often a challenge.

Wal-Mart PMDC came up with a practical approach to improving workflow efficiency, and Rick Parker shared it with attendees at his session. Often jobs were delayed, he said, not by slow equipment, but because they were waiting to be moved from one station to the next.

After identifying the "pinch points" in the in-plant's workflow, the in-plant consolidated similar equipment in one area so that jobs moved through the plant in a logical fashion. When the results were examined, new constraints were identified and new equipment was purchased to help relieve them. Eventually, Parker said, throughput was increased.

Technical Talk

Technology topics sure weren't neglected at the conference. Frank Romano, of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), talked about the future of printing, referencing many of today's newest digital printing devices. Frank Steenburgh, of Xerox, told in-plants about the growth opportunity presented by digital color.

Variable data was one topic that kept poking its head up. In separate sessions, Barb Pellow, of RIT, and Heidelberg's Richard Sands listed the benefits variable data printing can bring to companies in response rates. They urged managers to take that message back to their marketing departments.

"You could be the change agent," Sands said. "You can show how this type of technology can be used."

Links to IPG articles about past IPMA conferences:

• IPMA 2001: Portland

• IPMA 2000: San Antonio

• IPMA 1999: Minneapolis

• IPMA 1998: Norfolk