Reach New Heights at Your In-plant

One of the most informative sessions at the recent In-plant Printing and Mailing Association conference featured a panel of four in-plant managers sharing some of their innovative ideas.

“Most of the ideas I’ve got, I’ve stolen from other in-plant managers,” quipped panelist Doug Larsen of Boys Town.

He and the others agreed that wide-format printing has been a growth area. Larsen said his in-plant’s three wide-format printers paid for themselves in less than a year. John Cruser of Bloomberg said adding a flatbed cutter not only improved safety by eliminating the need for hand trimming, but led to a 60% increase in new work. Robbie Feazel of Federal Home Loan Bank Atlanta said his shop plans to add a new wide-format printer to add even more value. Teachers at Richland School District love the oversize calendars and vinyl banners the in-plant prints with its two printers, Chelle Palmer said.

Larsen explained how he encourages his staff to provide “radical” customer service — going above and beyond to help them. His in-plant has a reputation for solving problems. Likewise, Palmer coaches her staff not to overlook problems but to “See it, own it, solve it.”

Cruser noted that he views rush jobs as an opportunity to build his team’s reputation as a department that can be relied on. The in-plant averages 350 rush requests per month.

“This is where we prove that we’re here to support the company,” he noted. “When you do the right thing enough times, they become your best cheerleaders.”

Feazel related that one of his operators challenges himself to have projects printed before the customer gets to the print shop.

The panel discussion, moderated by Rochester Software Associates’ Elisha Kasinskas, was one of the last sessions of the conference. Watch some videos of the panelists sharing other great ideas here. Download the "Ideas for Reaching New Heights" book from this session here. And read about the rest of the IPMA conference in the August issue of IPG.