Smart Management in Colorado
While Imaging Services, the in-plant for the University of Colorado-Boulder, has been dedicated to offering high-quality, full-service printing to its campus since 1923, the shop has never worked smarter than it does today.
This boost in intelligence can be attributed to the shop's print management information system (MIS) from EFI, contends Manager Al Goranson.
The university in-plant first implemented EFI's Pace system for the shop's core print MIS activities about nine years ago. The shop utilizes Pace's estimating, price list quoting, production, accounting and reporting modules.
It later integrated EFI's Digital StoreFront for customer-facing, Web-to-print job entry. For Imaging Services' internal customers, Digital StoreFront provides an easy and seamless way for them to submit new jobs, or modify and reprint existing documents.
"The Digital StoreFront has leveraged a lot more business for us, and we are really happy about that," Goranson reports. "At the same time it has reduced my need for staffing."
Essentially, customers are writing their own job tickets by using Digital StoreFront, freeing up the in-plant's nine full-time employees and 10 part-time student workers to handle other tasks. The complete, integrated workflow provides more versatility in creating jobs and getting them completed in the most efficient manner possible.
"By having customers input the specs of what they want, that translates directly to my Pace engine and generates a job order," Goranson explains. "So we don't have to touch it. That has been the real advantage."
Goranson says that about 90 percent of the shop's customers look at the online ordering option favorably. For the small percentage of customers that are not as computer savvy, the in-plant still will take orders via email or fax.
"But those types of orders have reduced significantly," he maintains. "Online ordering works for most people."
No Going Back
Goranson can't imagine going back to the manual job-creation process the shop dealt with before it had an MIS.
"Literally every business card had to be typeset, then a job order had to be written up," he recalls. "So now the customer actually keys in their information into Digital Storefront and it does two things: it not only writes the ticket but it also makes a print-ready PDF."
Student employees previously handled order-entry tasks, but now they can be used to perform other functions around the shop, including making deliveries, working in the bindery and doing accounting work.
With Pace, Goranson receives a lot of quality data about the in-plant, which he can use to show the university how well the shop is performing.
"The reporting module gives you a lot of information, and our Pace system integrates directly with the university's PeopleSoft billing software system so our financials are very credible," he notes. "Also, you can see what is happening in the shop almost in real time."
This is especially important when it comes time for the in-plant to justify its need for new equipment, such as when it acquired a Presstek 34DI digital offset press and a black-and-white Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 951 in 2012.
"We really needed a way to do longer runs," Goranson says, noting that the in-plant does a significant amount of long-run publications and calendars that are now more efficiently produced on the DI offset press. "With the Pace system, I can verify exactly what we are doing."
The shop also commonly produces brochures, postcards, note pads, coupon books, manuals, permits, punch cards and tickets for its on-campus clients.
Giving Back to the University
Goranson notes that the in-plant contributes a significant part of every dollar spent at the shop right back to the university, since it operates as a total auxiliary unit.
"We have to pay all of our salaries, plus rent, plus an overhead fee to the university," he explains. "So we keep track of that information in Pace, and we give reports back to the university about how much money we give in revenue. And that is money the university can spend in any way it sees fit because it is not general fund money and it is not money from the state."
Goranson notes that the in-plant insources a good deal of work from the state of Colorado, including producing a high volume of envelopes.
"We give them a great price," he says. "We try to find niches like that because we are statutorily prohibited from taking away outside work. We cannot go out into the city and start advertising for our services."
Having Web-to-print services has helped bring in more print work from students on campus. Many jobs, like student projects, resume printing with matching envelopes, and thesis printing and binding, could easily be lost to outside vendors.
"Without that Web interface, we would be less likely to get those student projects," Goranson admits, noting that there is a UPS store on campus that advertises its competing services.
"We compete head-to-head with them, and it is brutal," he says with a nervous laugh. "With Web-to-print, the only interaction students really have with us is with our driver who delivers the product. And that is exactly what we have to do to be competitive."
Promotion is Crucial
Goranson is a strong proponent of promoting the in-plant's services to its customer base. Imaging Services engages in numerous marketing plans throughout the year, including sending post cards, letters and targeted mailings with variable data to different campus groups and departments. The shop gives out a full-color calendar every year that has become popular on campus.
The in-plant is home to a pair of HP 5500 series wide-format devices to produce laminated posters and signs on foam core materials. The in-plant also manages bulk mail, but other mailing work is outsourced due to space constraints.
The in-plant is currently looking to add equipment to produce large, outdoor signage for sporting events and other happenings on campus. The university now outsources outdoor signage jobs, but would like to take better control of the school's branding and bring that work in-house, Goranson concludes.
