New Research Examines Equipment Used by Higher-Ed In-plants
Our latest survey of college and university in-plants generated 71 responses from U.S., Canadian, and U.K. institutions. While 58% have budgets below $1 million, 15% report budgets between $5-$15 million.
The majority (66%) of higher-ed in-plant respondents have 10 or fewer employees, though nearly half (47%) still have open positions they haven’t been able to fill. To cope, they are taking a variety of actions: 59% of managers are spending more time working on the shop floor; 41% are seeing an increase in overtime work among employees; 38% are hiring student workers; and 26% are outsourcing more work. For 23%, new automated equipment is reducing the need for workers.
Despite the labor shortage, 65% are expanding the types of services they provide to bring in additional revenue. Those that insource printing from outside their school report that business is expanding. And overall, revenue is trending upward for 41%.
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.
