Letters to the Editor

Splendid December Issue

Editor,

I wish to congratulate you on the 60th anniversary of In-plant Graphics' existence and the splendid December 2010 issue. The compilation of so many good articles that relate to today's in-plant management was a great way to amplify why IPG is important to those of us in the industry.

Whether we are trying to use new tools like social media, justifying our value to our parent organizations or grounding our capabilities to market trends in digital or offset printing, this IPG issue offered a valuable insider's guide to our environments and our future. Thanks for the good work.

Maury Kane, Director
Duplicating Services
Temple University
Philadelphia, Pa.

Small Shop Jumps Into Digital

Editor,

I am the operations supervisor for R.H. Printing Services, a three-person in-plant in Rapid City, South Dakota. Over the years, your columns as well as In-plant Graphics magazine have been invaluable to me to help keep my department growing.

I have worked for this corporation for 21 years, 13 years in charge of daily operations for the department. Something I am proud of was that I took over daily responsibilities of the department when I was 29 years old, with no formal education. I have had to ward off the internal naysayers many times who want to outsource the print shop. We have always been a small offset shop, while outsourcing the full-color jobs.

To make a long story short, last fall I managed to make the jump to digital by getting a Xerox 700 Digital Color Press approved and purchased. This $100,000 acquisition was the largest purchase the department has ever made, and this has allowed me to insource a large amount of work. Things are looking up.

Currently R.H. is looking to build a shared services center to house some of its ancillary services. In a meeting gathering input from the various support service managers, we were discussing the building when a CEO said, "Larry we know how much money you save, so we don't need to talk to you. You're in on this." I guess I am making headway on making myself valuable to the organization.

I feel I run a very productive shop for two employees and a supervisor. In 2010, we completed 2,137 jobs and 11.7 million impressions, mainly all offset, wide format and color digital printing.

After all of that background information, my question to you is, are there any online references that could aid me in laying out a productive printing department workflow? I have my ideas but I would sure like to do some research.

Thank you for your time, and keep up the excellent work with In-plant Graphics.

L.M, Operations Supervisor
R.H. Printing Services
Rapid City, S.D.

(Editor's comment: Our April issue will include a great story detailing the preparations made by McGill University Health Centre's in-plant when they relocated. Watch for it.)

Stand Up for the Truth

Editor,

Senate Bill 5523, a bill that will close the Washington State Department of Printing and dispose of its assets, has passed through the Ways and Means Committee and is headed to the Senate for a vote. Proponents of the bill argue that "technological changes have decreased the need for a state printer" and that printing is not a "core service" of state government. They add that new printing technologies have made it possible for state agencies to "conduct their own printing." These are the same tired arguments we've been hearing for years. The problem is, they work.

Unfortunately, for both the organization and the in-plant, these closings rarely reduce costs and/or improve services. They just cost people their jobs.

As in-plant managers, we need to seize the initiative and stand up for what we know to be true. One reason so many outsourcing initiatives are successful is that we haven't done a very good job of telling our story. There are advantages in having an in-plant, and we need to tell people about them.

What can we do? For starters, I urge you to contact the members of the State of Washington Senate and explain, from your personal perspective, the advantages of maintaining an in-plant print facility. We all have stories of heroism—times when we've helped avoid a disaster, tales of extraordinary service, of saving large amounts of money or meeting critical deadlines. We need to let people know why in-plants are important.

In the longer term, each of us needs to take every opportunity to tell our story to a broader audience. Volunteer to speak at civic organizations (they're always looking for content). Tell your friends how you contribute to your organization's success. Write articles for your club or association newsletters. Keep an ear to the ground for outsourcing discussions in your community, and when you hear of one, speak up. Let's not assume that someone else will speak up for us. Let's just do it.

The full text of the SB 5523 can be found at: http://bit.ly/fJEncT

Here's a link to the members of the Senate: http://bit.ly/uCwXy

Ray Chambers
Chambers Management Group
Christiansburg, Va.
www.chambersmanagementgroup.com