From Modest In-plant To Powerhouse

For decades, new equipment was a rarity at the New York City Department of Health’s Reproduction Unit. Like many in-plants, the 18-employee shop languished in its basement abode, accepting equipment handouts from other agencies and buying inexpensive, small equipment when it could cobble together some funds.

Then, about four years ago, everything changed. The Health Department invested $1.13 million in new press, computer-to-plate and bindery equipment for the in-plant. Then federal bio terrorism grant money funded more than a dozen additional machines. This astounding equipment infusion is unlike anything ever seen in the in-plant world.

“We were just knocked out,” proclaims Bruce Krueger, director of Graphic Services. “We thought it was just great.”

The capital investment by the Health Department was something he and Nick Monello, director of the Reproduction Unit, had been requesting for many years. By modernizing the in-plant’s capabilities, they reasoned (and getting a four-color press, in particular), more business would remain in-house instead of being sent to outside printers, at a higher cost.

“After begging for about 16, 17, 18 years, that’s when they finally gave in,” he reveals.

As a result, the shop bought:

• A five-color Ryobi 750 perfector press
• A Perfecta 92 TVC guillotine cutter
• A Presstek Dimension 412 CTP system
• A Duplo System 5000 booklet maker

But in a strange twist to this success story, the Health Department decided to relocate the in-plant a few years ago so electrical work could be done in its facility. The shop “temporarily” moved to a new location across the street. This created the question, where should the new equipment go? Krueger wasn’t happy with the answer.

“The equipment was in storage for three years,” he proclaims.

The Department also decided that the in-plant should open a satellite shop across the river in Brooklyn, in case something happened to the main shop.

An Even Bigger Installation

Meanwhile, because of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 (just a few blocks away), the Health Department had become heavily involved in various federal programs initiated to increase preparedness in the homeland. These projects not only covered man-made terrorism such as anthrax and dirty bombs, but also natural occurrences such as epidemics and flooding. Monello was approached several times and asked what type of equipment would further the Department’s preparedness goals. The resulting purchases have been staggering. Over the past few years, the in-plant has installed:

• A two-color A.B. Dick 9995A press
• A Ryobi 3200 CD press with a T-head
• A Diamond P7-13 envelope press
• A JetPlate 7800 CTP system
• A Standard collator/saddle stitcher
• A Standard Horizon BQ-270 perfect binder
• A Heidelberg KAMA TS 74 die cut embosser
• A Mathias Bäuerle Multimaster CAS 52 folder, from GBR Systems
• A Mathias Bäuerle M-40 envelope mailer, from GBR
• A Mathias Bäuerle AutoSet 18 inserting/addressing machine, from GBR
• A Challenge Titan 265 cutter
• A Vacumatic Viscount 2 tabber
• A Beseler LSA 5040-C sealer
• A 30" Ledco HS-30 Thoroughbred laminator
• A 42" HP DesignJet 5500 serial 42? printer
• An eight-color 60? Canon image-PROGRAF iPF9000S printer

All together, the grant brought more than $1.32 million worth of equipment into the in-plant.

“We’re really delighted about it,” says Krueger. “We were really fortunate.”

Each machine has a specific purpose, for emergency preparedness reasons, he says. For example, the presses and folder will let the shop produce two-color alert flyers faster; the perfect binder is for binding emergency manuals; the wide-format printer is for printing signs for emergency dispensing centers.

“The die cutter was primarily obtained for its ability to create doorknob hangers, which could be used by field personnel in neighborhoods affected by some type of epidemiologic or environmental hazard,” continues Krueger. “The laminating system was obtained to produce weather resistant signs and notices.”

Prepared for the Unthinkable

Though he hopes the equipment will never have to be used for its intended purposes, “if something happened tomorrow, we could do it,” he says. And in this city that bore the brunt of the September 11 attacks, that assurance is crucial to the Department’s mission.

“Of course, we’re not covering the equipment in tarps when there is no emergency use for it,” points out Krueger. “We’ve taken advantage of the new capabilities to grow our shop’s in-house client base and to bring in work from our sister agencies.”

In another twist of fate, because the Brooklyn “satellite” center was ready before the shop’s original location had been remodeled, the five-color press was installed there, along with the new CTP, booklet making and cutting equipment.

“We have a complete print shop there,” says Monello. “It worked out pretty good, because we had all our paper there.” The Brooklyn shop, he says, is located in the distribution center, where paper deliveries are made. Now, with paper so close at hand, he says, “turnaround time is faster.”

Since the in-plant still houses the bulk of its offset equipment in its “temporary” Manhattan digs, and its original copy shop location is open again, Monello now has three facilities to oversee.

“It’s a lot of running, but it keeps me busy,” he quips.