Remembering the Past, Preparing for the Future

VERY YEAR, the City of Los Angeles Publishing Services holds an open house to show off its capabilities and meet its customers. This year’s event had a very special twist: it celebrated the in-plant’s 100th year of existence.

Established in 1907 with two police officers working part time, the city’s in-plant has flourished over the past century to become a 47-employee operation incorporating some of the latest digital technologies.

Only a handful of in-plants can boast 100 years of operation, and Publishing Services made the most of this accomplishment at its recent open house. The event celebrated the rich history of the shop while highlighting its present-day state-of-the-art capabilities.

“The open house serves a couple of purposes,” explains Michael Leighton, director of Publishing Services. “It allows our customers to see what we do. It also gives our employees that don’t normally have an opportunity to deal with the customers a chance to show the work that they do and the involvement that they have. So often it’s the front office...that has the face time with the customer. And I think that making the connection with the actual people working on the job and the people ordering the printing has some value to it as well.”

Remembering the Craft

Leighton, a 39-year printing professional, has a deep-rooted appreciation for the history and craft of printing.

“My dad was a linotype operator,” he reports. “I learned linotype when I was 12.”

This is why Leighton is just as proud of the three antique presses the in-plant uses for numbering and die-cutting as he is of the recently added Agfa Apogee digital workflow and Agfa :Avalon CTP system.

“These two Miehle B-50s have consecutive serial numbers,” Leighton enthuses. “I’ve got a picture of someone running them in 1948. We use them for die cutting door hangers. I mean, it’s specialized equipment for a specialized purpose. At the same time we have a Heidelberg DI, we’ve got a five-color 29? coming in, we’ve got the four-color and two-color 36? [presses].”

“I think that it’s important to have a bridge to the past, especially in something like [printing],” Leighton adds. “It is important to have kind of a link to that because it did come basically from a craft, and now it’s evolved into more of a science. But having that craftsmanship, having it important to the people who are working here, gives it another element.”

Leighton has worked hard to instill that sense of craftsmanship since his arrival to Publishing Services in 1998. Admittedly there were hurdles to overcome at that time.

“Turnaround time was horrible,” Leighton admits. “And the perception was that there wasn’t a problem. So I couldn’t do any kind of marketing or PR work until we started fixing some of those problems. And we did that right away, and within the first year we were up to 80 percent on-time delivery with a 10-day turnaround time. Now, it’s common practice to turn work around in 24 hours, 48 hours. But with the DI it’s possible, with reprographic equipment it’s possible, with CTP it’s possible.”

Avoiding the Habits of the Past

“I don’t want people to go back and say ‘Well, what did we do last time?’ ” Leighton admits. “I have to get them into that whole mentality of saying ‘What can we do today? What’s the best way to do this today?’ Not ‘How did we print it last time?’ It’s the kiss of death in private industry…and it should be the same here.”

Leighton saw the growing need for excellent client communication, so he brought in three customer service specialists to do just that.

“And that’s a low number really,” he says. The open house focused heavily on the strength of the in-plant’s new customer service mentality.

Plant Manager Stephan Nalbantian agrees that it is very important for the clients to know their customer service needs will be met. Nalbantian, who had arrived at 4:00 a.m. to prepare for the event, spent most of the open house leading about 15 tours of the facility. Although he enjoyed showing off the 50,000-square-foot in-plant, he reports that the primary reason for the event is so the customers can get to know the team.

“Obviously we are here for customer service,” Nalbantian states. “The needs of the city have changed. It seems like our short-run market has increased. They need things sooner. If we cannot provide it for them someone else will.”

Nalbantian believes the open house assures the customers that they will get the services they need.

“Showcasing our equipment, our capabilities, not only reinforces that but also helps identify who they talk to over the phone,” he says. “You put a face with the name.”

Big Turnout

If making the client feel important was the goal, the in-plant certainly succeeded, as nearly 200 guests toured the facility. In the crowd was Bruce Gillman, director of Public Information for the City of Los Angeles. His department uses the in-plant for its newsletter and is looking to add its annual report to the job docket.

“I wanted to come out and see what was being offered and just to show my support because the folks here have done just an outstanding job,” Gillman says.

When asked what was most impressive, Gillman’s answer was simple: “I think quality and the attention to detail…the customer service. I’m made to feel like I’m a huge account, but in fact I’m not…Michael [Leighton] remembered my name and made me feel like an important client, and that goes a long way.”

Overall, Leighton was pleased with the event.

“I would say it was successful…I talked to one of my customers and…he pointed out that really we have 44 departments within the city, and within those 44 departments you only deal with a couple people so we probably hit the mark pretty well.”

To prepare for the open house, the staff got the in-plant spic-and-span. Fresh wide-format banners were produced and hung, indicating the location of each department. Still, despite the display tables filled with samples, the trays of cookies and the occasional guided tour, it was business as usual for employees.

“It’s a working open house for a reason too, because we want people to see we’re busy,” Leighton stresses. “So you know we don’t take time out and all come in dressed in suits. We keep doing what we do every day.”

Leighton beamed about his staff’s performance.

“Everybody stepped up,” he boasts. “We’ve got a really good group of people here and that’s one of the things that differentiates us. I’m pretty proud of what we’ve done here…proud of the people that work for us.”

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A Brief History

Publishing Services was born in 1907 when two police officers worked part-time to publish the wanted person’s bulletin and various police records. By 1926 it was a flourishing print shop.

Then, at the urging of the Police Printing Bureau, the city absorbed the printing department. In it’s first year, the city Printing Bureau ran roughly 80 percent of the city’s printing at a savings of $34,474.

In 1943, City Printer Eugene Edwards received a commendation by the Police Commission. During the 1948 Printing Week Celebration, Mayor Fletcher Bowron kicked off the festivities by running off a proof on the in-plant’s Miehle V45, a machine still in limited service today.

From 1968-72, letterpress printing was gradually replaced with offset. An eight-color, 36? press was added in 1973, then high-speed copiers/duplicators in 1975.

Under current director Michael Leighton, the shop has made numerous advances, including:

• 1998-99: Copiers consolidated; electronic forms implemented.

• 2000: Hagen OA data collection installed; name changed from Printing to Publishing Services.

• 2002: Variable printing on copiers; Heidelberg DI press installed; new copier contract established.

• 2003: Web-to-print incorporated, allowing customers to order through the Internet.

• 2004-05: Consolidation of Planning, Fire, Recreation and Parks, Library and Airport Security Police print facilities.

• 2006: Computer-to-plate installed.

• 2007: Automated workflow initiated, providing a hands-off production sequence from customer order through plate production.

And coming next year: a new five-color, 29? Komori press that will reduce setup time to 10 minutes.

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In-plant Snapshot

City of Los Angeles

Publishing Services

Employees: 47

Plant Size: 50,000 square feet

Key Equipment:

• Hagen OA (version 9.3)

• Printable Web submission software (Moving to EFI Digital Storefront)

• Agfa :ApogeeX workflow

• Agfa :Avalon process-free platesetter

• Four-color Heidelberg Quickmaster DI

• Two-color Heidelberg Quickmaster 46

• Four-color, 36? MAN Roland press

• Two-color, 36? MAN Roland press

• Canon IR 2800, IR 8500

• Three Danka HP 9850s

• Two Heidelberg 9110s

• Heidelberg 9150 with perfect binding

• Xerox 5390

• Two Xerox DocuTech 135s

• HP 5500 wide-format printer

• Stahl B22 4/4 folder with right angle

• Stahl B26 16-page folder with right angle

• Muller Martini Volare pocket stitcher

• Standard Horizon QC S10 10-bin collator

• Polar cutters

• GBC Digicoil Inserter

• GBC AP-2 Ultra spiral binder

• GBC Model 110EB binder

• GBC Catena 105 laminator

• Rollem scoring, perforating, numbering machine

• Kirk-Rudy tabbers

• Pitney Bowes DI 800 Inserter

• Administrator of the city’s 1,641 copiers