Run an In-plant Like a Business

To ensure the long-term success of your in-plant, you need to manage it like an independent business. This requires discipline in three critical areas:

• Financial managemen: Do you know the costs of your supplies, labor, and equipment? How do these costs compare to commercial printers? If you can produce numbers that show the parent company gets more for its money at the in-plant than at an outside printer, then your shop will keep its doors open.

• Customer focus: Do you know which customers provide the bulk of your work? Do you meet with them to find out what they might need in the future? Cultivating customer relations creates in-plant supporters within the parent company.

• Marketing: You have a built-in customer base, but do they know about all the services you provide? Do they even know you exist?