International Man Of Print

In his role as facility leader at the in-plant for Development Dimensions International, Inc. (DDI), Steve Horton is in a unique position. His in-plant not only prints materials for DDI, but also prints and ships products sold to DDI's customers worldwide.

"We're different than most [in-plants], as more than 95 percent of what we produce is materials we sell to clients," says Horton, a 27-year DDI employee.

Founded in 1970, Bridgeville, Pa.-based DDI is a global human resources consulting company specializing in selection systems that help companies hire better employees faster. The in-plant produces a variety of teaching materials and posters used to help develop leaders in the workforce.

Horton, a native of western Pennsylvania, took graphic arts classes in high school, and recalls enjoying the craftsmanship of printing from an early age.

"I have always liked art, but I have never been much of a painter," Horton reveals. "So I was able to create things through print."

After a stint in the U.S. Army, Horton worked at several copy shops and commercial printers, learning to run a variety of offset presses and bindery equipment. He eventually worked his way up to the position of foreman at a commercial shop, when he heard of an opening at DDI.

"I thought it was going to be a temporary gig," he admits, noting that he originally applied to be a press operator. "The company looked at my resume and saw that I had some leadership experience and offered me a supervisory position. So I accepted that job."

One of the first things Horton did was bring the shop up to date with new equipment and services.

"We were one of the first shops to figure out how to run Word files through an imagesetter," Horton proudly states. "That is how DDI wanted to run their work, so we had to learn how to do that."

DDI formerly had a huge warehouse facility that housed $20 million in inventory. Over the years, Horton and the 20 in-plant employees have become proficient in just-in-time techniques and whittled down the amount of products that were being stored.

"Now we do almost everything to order," Horton says. DDI operates two Xerox iGen4s and three wide-format printers.

The just-in-time digital production mindset has allowed the in-plant to downsize from a 54,000-square-foot facility to a new 13,000-square-foot space. Actually, 'new' might not be the correct term. The shop moved back into a space it outgrew in the late 1980s.

“The CEO came to me and asked if we were interested in the basement of our headquarters building,” Horton points out. “We looked into it and we figured out that we could make it work.”

The company updated the HVAC and humidity control units for the entire facility, and added LED lighting. Horton replaced an older Stahl folder with a digital folding machine at the time of the move.

Keeping Employees Motivated

In-plant employees had a lot of input during the move. They also designed the layout of the new shop.

"The more people that are involved in the process can make it better for everybody," Horton says. "It gives a feeling of ownership."

Horton stresses the importance of keeping his staff motivated while having them work as a team. Many of the shop's employees have been with DDI for more than 20 years.

"It's not like the old days where you want someone who will park their brain at the door," he quips. "You want them to think about what they are doing and how they can help the next person in the process."

DDI operates 42 offices and affiliates in 26 countries and produces educational materials in numerous languages. The company has fulfillment operations in Mexico, England and Australia, and will soon open a facility in China. Horton has a hand in the company’s overseas printing and fulfillment operations.

"We try to let the local places run autonomously, but we do consulting with them," Horton explains. "I am probably the only one in the company that really knows printing, so I talk to their vendors and get things worked out. It can be challenging, but it also provides some diversity to the job."

Horton is currently looking to design a system to allow customers to place custom orders online. He also sees a future in e-book production and distribution.

When he isn't busy at the shop, Horton is involved in a program called 'Operation Thinking of You,' which raises money to purchase gifts and other items for active members of the military. He also enjoys shooting sporting clays and spending time at his mountain property.