Ten Reasons To Have An In-plant

When someone asked, "Why do we have an in-plant?" this manager had 10 good answers.

WHEN THE space Boys Town Print Shop was occupying became the spot another department needed to complete an office consolidation plan, a question came up: "What do we do with the print shop?"

Then another question was asked, "Why do we have a print shop anyway?" I was given the opportunity to answer those questions and more.

If you feel you are in a comfortable position with plenty of security, lots of work and great customer relations, I am happy for you. However, I still urge you to cut out this page and keep it handy, so when conditions change, you will be prepared to answer these questions too.

If you feel there is no such thing as a print shop that is completely safe from reorganization, downsizing and budget cuts, feel free to use this list in your next memo to those who are not yet believers in the in-plant printing process.

Here are 10 intangible (non-financial) reasons to have an in-plant print shop:

1. Convenient location—You're located on site.

2. Confidentiality—You will keep proprietary documents within the organization.

3. Service and ease of doing business—You are better able to produce proprietary documents.

4. Loyalty to institution—You don't say no without exploring all the possibilities first.

5. Dependability and familiarity with company/organization processes, people and programs—You have a better ability to prepare for the "special" needs of departments.

6. Vested interest in company's/organization's success—You are all on the same team.

7. Money-saving efforts—The in-plant is interested in looking for savings. You shop around and ask how many copies are actually needed to avoid the normal 10 percent industry standard overrun.

8. Institutional control—You're better able to prioritize work, while a for-profit printer may print for hundreds of different customers. Your print shop will go above and beyond the ordinary level of service or standard turnaround time at no extra charge.

9. On-site experts in printing and composition—You have an awareness of emerging technologies combined with years of experience.

10. Quality—You have a thorough understanding of corporate identity standards. This reduces the likelihood you'll make mistakes and therefore it lowers costs.

The Boys Town Print Shop has completed its move into our new space and we are delighted to have the opportunity to continue to serve our organization. I know the above list was not the only reason Boys Town continues to have an in-plant—we also did a lot of accounting comparisons, bid requests and alternative scenarios—but it didn't hurt. IPG

by DOUG LARSEN

Doug Larsen has been in-plant manager at Fr. Flanagan's Boys' Home in Omaha, Neb., for five years, and has worked in in-plants for nine years. He is serving as past president of the Greater Omaha Chapter of the International Publishing Management Association and has earned his CGCM designation.