Not the State Printer You Used to Know

WHEN YOUR in-plant has 153 years of history behind it, promoting it as a cutting-edge marvel with a “customers first” mentality can be a tough job.

Jean-Luc Devis thinks he’s found a way.

Just 15 months into the job, the new director of the State of Washington Department of Printing has made it his mission to rebrand his 130-employee in-plant in the minds of customers. His message: “We’re not the state printer you used to know.”

Instead of using the state mandate to force agencies to use the in-plant—the strategy just a few decades ago—the Department of Printing (PRT for short) now strives to partner with customers to further their success.

“We’re really looking out for their best interests,” declares Devis.

One way he and his staff are doing this is by showing customers how new technology—particularly variable data—can help them better reach their audiences. Many agencies, clinging to antiquated perceptions of the state printer, are amazed to find out what the operation can do—and printing is only part of the picture.

“I’ve seen us change from one ‘P’—printing—to the other ‘P’—which is partnerships,” quips Dan Swisher, assistant director and a 10-year PRT veteran. “We are a partner; we’re not just a printer.”

Customers are getting this message and are signing on, bringing new business to the in-plant. This, combined with other cost-cutting and restructuring efforts, led to a $790,000 surplus in fiscal year 2007—big news, considering the previous year saw a loss of $638,000.

A Giant Among In-plants

With $34,345,000 in annual revenue, the Washington Department of Printing is one of the country’s largest in-plants. (It ranked fifth by sales on last month’s IPG tally of large in-plants.)

Devis’ predecessors in the role of state printer, Larry Weber and George Morton, did much to turn the operation into a model in-plant. Morton brought the concept of customer service to the department, while Weber made it a leader in technology; the PRTonline Web portal he designed remains hugely successful as a way for agencies and the public to order printed products.

But the department’s job pricing structure, combined with expensive equipment leases, led to a deficit. After developing a surplus years ago due to overcharging, Swisher says, the department began undercharging, to return money to state coffers.

“And then we never did make that adjustment to the normal pricing,” he says. This has now been fixed.

Before leaving, Weber started the process of renegotiating the contracts on the digital printers used in the department’s eight copy centers, data print center and main plant. The new contracts replaced Xerox equipment with less feature-rich, more job-appropriate Canon printers, cutting lease expenses in half.

Self Assessment

When Devis arrived in the fall of 2006, fresh from four years as director of Oregon State University Printing & Mailing Services, he knew that change wouldn’t come easily to this large, established in-plant. So he proceeded carefully and methodically.

He and his management team conducted a SWOT analysis, examining the operation’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The first step was to meet personally with each employee, asking them all the same four questions:

• What do you like about working here?

• What do you think we’re good at?

• What would you change?

• If you were director, what would you change?

He and his team analyzed and categorized the answers to discover which issues the operation faced and what its strengths were. Then they met with major agency customers to get their feedback and learn about workflow and communications issues. These meetings and additional customer surveys helped Devis and his team learn more about how the state printing office was perceived by customers.

“It was a period of discovery,” remarks Devis—and a period of anxiety, as well, he adds.

Armed with this data, the management team concluded that the organization was in need of some realignment. To realize its potential, the department would need to focus on technology, customer needs and rebranding its image. To bring this about, the team drew up a five-step plan:

• Cost Containment (reduction of overhead, reduction of management, better vendor contracts)

• Operational/Quality Improvements (quality double checks, improved workflow—particularly for variable data)

• Customer Service (focus on relationships instead of jobs, more customer meetings to resolve issues, more presentations to agencies)

• New Business & Marketing (rebrand