Managing for Survival
One of the things I've noticed in working with in-plants is that few are closed because they weren't doing a good enough job of providing printing. The most common reasons were more esoteric. In higher education, where space is always coveted, a frequent reason for closing the in-plant is that another, more strategic unit wants the space. We often hear in-plant managers bemoaning a management decision that will move them from their prime location near the center of campus to somewhere less conveniently located—but in reality these managers should be thanking their lucky stars that they are no longer the bull's-eye.
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- Guru Tom Peters
Ray Chambers, CGCM, MBA, has invested over 30 years managing and directing printing plants, copy centers, mail centers and award-winning document management facilities in higher education and government.
Most recently, Chambers served as vice president and chief information officer at Juniata College. Chambers is currently a doctoral candidate studying Higher Education Administration at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU). His research interests include outsourcing in higher education and its impact on support services in higher education and managing support services. He also consults (Chambers Management Group) with leaders in both the public and private sectors to help them understand and improve in-plant printing and document services operations.
