ACUP Draws Enthusiastic Crowd to Boston

FOR THE first time since its initial meeting in 1964, the Association of College and University Printers (ACUP) returned to Massachusetts recently for its annual conference. And despite some stiff conference competition—ACUP kicked off just days after the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association conference wrapped up in Las Vegas—ACUP 2006 was a smashing success, drawing 130 managers from around the world.

A number of first-time attendees from the New England area joined conference regulars from as far away as Alaska, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. A large contingent from California was also on hand, building enthusiasm for ACUP 2007 in San Francisco—not that enthusiasm is ever lacking at this conference.

From the moment the opening reception kicked off, the conversation and networking were in high gear. Managers shared their stories with one another throughout the week, getting advice and ideas.

This year’s event was organized by Steve Dimond, manager of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Copy Technology Centers. He proudly showed off his in-plant on the conference’s third day as part of a tour of MIT’s campus. This followed a private ACUP tour of Boston’s Fenway Park, where attendees got to stand atop the forbidding “Green Monster” and hear details about the 94-year-old ball field’s history.

The conference took place in Wakefield, Mass., just north of Boston. In addition to three days of educational sessions, Dimond assembled a packed vendor exhibit area, where attendees mingled during breaks, getting personal demos from some of the industry’s key suppliers. Evening activities included a dinner at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston, an elegant event co-hosted by Kodak and Danka.

Seek New Services

For the opening keynote presentation, Dimond invited former Harvard University in-plant manager Charlie Corr, now group director at InfoTrends, a consulting firm for the digital imaging and document solutions industry. Corr provided an analysis of the printing industry, noting that 8 percent of commercial printers (3,473) closed their doors in 2005. This means fewer vendors now provide a wider range of services, he said. He encouraged in-plants to analyze their own strengths and look for new services they can provide.

Corr said managers should try to become the “print czar” at their organizations, responsible for such things as distributed copiers/printers, paper purchases and print subcontracting.

“Think about your role as helping your organization with documents, regardless of where they’re printed—or if they’re printed at all,” he said.

Successful in-plants, he added, sell and market their services and operate as full cost-recovery centers. They also measure their effectiveness by using a print MIS system to gather data. Other important features, he said, are online job submission, insourcing and digital color printing, which he said is now entering a rapid-growth stage.

Following Corr’s presentation, IPG Editor Bob Neubauer discussed trends in the in-plant industry based on new IPG research (see page 20). He compared this with data from a survey of university in-plants, showing attendees where they led the industry (CTP, copier management programs, copyright permissions) and where they lagged (design, fulfillment and photography services).

Yale University’s Bob Davis gave managers tips for assessing their print shops, reminding them to examine the customer service skills of everyone who is in contact with customers, including the drivers who deliver finished jobs.

He advised managers to stop chasing jobs and start managing change. Conduct a business assessment, he said, and identify areas needing improvement. Solicit ideas from staff, customers and administration. Then create a formal, written plan for change and assemble an implementation team. Have weekly status meetings and insist on progress. Measure your results and communicate them.

Know Your Mission

More than one ACUP session focused on matters beyond shop management:

• Ray Chambers, of Juniata College, encouraged managers to defend their in-plants by stressing how they contribute to the university’s student education and research goals. Managers, he said, should be prepared with a 30-second “elevator speech” in case they ever have only half a minute to explain to senior management how they contribute to the school’s mission.

• Tom Tozier, director of Printing Services at the University of California-Santa Cruz, gave a tutorial on creating a mission statement. The statement should discuss the in-plant’s opportunities, how it is addressing them and the principles that guide its work. As part of the strategic planning process, he said, list trends that will impact you in the coming years, including enrollment changes, new buildings, new IT needs and new academic programs.

Lead by Example

After quietly attending sessions all week, retired army sergeant Richard Polley gave a stirring talk on leadership, encouraging managers to lead by example, getting their hands dirty whenever possible. Give honest feedback and reward team members, he said. Strengthen and encourage them so they want to follow you.

Also, to be a good leader, he said, be a good follower; support your superiors and the university’s mission, and become an essential part of the school.

Is Offset Dead?

One of the more lively sessions featured a multi-national trio of managers discussing the question: “Is Offset Dead?” The short answer: “No—just make sure your environment can support it.”

Robert Mascarenhas, from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, said his in-plant stopped using offset presses 10 years ago. His department saw it would be more successful focusing on digital printing, MFD fleet management, CD/DVD production and similar activities. Still, “offset is alive and well,” he says; his shop provides it by outsourcing to local printers. In-plants should do a self-analysis to determine if they should stay in the offset business, he said.

The University of Missouri-Columbia takes a different approach, said Rick Wise. His in-plant has a six-color Heidelberg press, but it also has added a Xerox iGen3. He detailed the speed and efficiency advantages offset offers his shop and showed price comparisons for the same job done on the iGen3 and on the press. Other in-plants should consider whether they will continue to have an adequate amount of offset business, Wise said, whether their administration will support equipment upgrades and whether local commercial printers can already provide the same service.

His Scottish brogue always a source of fascination, long-time ACUP attendee Andrew Scott, of Glasgow Caledonian University, said his in-plant also uses both offset and digital printing, and is currently planning to put in a direct imaging offset press. His university demands the highest quality, he said, so offset will always be in his shop. The DI press will make it easier and faster for his in-plant to produce work.

Copier Fleet Management

Another panel discussion tackled the issue of copier management. Four managers spoke about their experiences handling copier/MFD placement and how they have consolidated leases and trimmed expenses.

Cheryl Purefoy, of the University of Akron, says her non-mandatory program was rolled out over five years, with departments joining as their leases expired. Now they pay only a per-copy charge (which the in-plant marks up slightly to cover costs). Through this program, the number of copier vendors on campus has been reduced to just two.

Kip Bruggeman said MIT has three separate programs: the library copier program, which uses a card system; the copier lease program, which encompasses 18 machines used by four departments; and the cost-per-copy program, which includes 106 machines and 45 departments.

Roland Falana, of Duke University, oversees 1,192 devices, 70 percent of which are networked. Departments sign on to a five-year contract, and equipment is supplied by only two vendors.

At the University of Maryland, Matt Raeder says overseeing the copier program lets him monitor volume increases and then ask those departments to send their new work to the in-plant. He has 450 monochrome MFDs in place, with an RFP out for color devices. The average replacement schedule is four years, and his department makes $130,000/year in revenue above costs.

Open a Student Center

Students are a great source of business, and Auburn University’s Glenda Miley offered her tips for creating an effective student center operation:

• Hire friendly workers to greet the students and make them feel welcome.

• Offer extended hours and a variety of services beyond just copying (e.g. binding, laminating, posters).

• Market to students: arrange to have the center included on campus tours, put information into admission packets and give out pens, note pads and coupons.

• Listen to students’ needs.

• Hire graphic design and marketing students.

Miley also stressed the importance of monitoring student workers and disciplining them when appropriate. Her student center is fitted with Web cams, and during her presentation she connected with one of them to give attendees a peek at the operation.

Copyright Concerns

Copyright awareness was the focus of two sessions at ACUP.

Donna Mulholland, of MIT, and Donna Ferullo, of Purdue University, provided an introduction to copyright, covering the fair use statute, digital rights management, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the TEACH Act and more.

Rosemary Chase, copyright officer at George Mason University, suggested creating a short presentation for managers’ groups and faculty meetings to let them know about their responsibility to obtain copyright permission. A full-length presentation can be given later to get into details of the fair use statue, public domain, file sharing and liability. IPG

ACUP 2007 will be hosted by the entire University of California system. It will take place in San Francisco, April 15-19. Check the Web site for updates:

ACUP2007.ucdavis.edu