UK Virtual In-plant Conference Includes Multiple In-plant Tours

In-plants from educational institutions across England, Scotland, and Wales gathered virtually yesterday for a full-day educational conference hosted by the Association of Creative and Print Managers in Education (ACPME). The conference included keynote speakers, tutorials, and video tours of several UK in-plants, whose managers talked about their capabilities and how they have fared during COVID. Several showed off unique applications they have printed.  (U.S. and Canadian in-plant managers can still register and watch videos of the sessions and tours at this link.)

Glyn Johnson shows off the University of Leicester's in-plant during one of the virtual shop tours.

The conference started at 5 a.m. EST (10 a.m. in England) with a keynote by Dame Katherine Grainger DBE, Chancellor of The University of Glasgow, followed by a suppliers’ forum. Then in-plant managers took the stage and led video tours of their operations during which they discussed new applications and how they are recovering from COVID.

First, Ian Hickman, head of Print, Postal Services & Institutional Supply at the University of Leicester, and Glyn Johnson, print supervisor, showed off what their Roland printer/cutter can do, including floor graphics, stickers, window graphics, canvas, pop-up banners and vehicle signage. The in-plant prints graphics for all of the university’s vans.

They walked through the production area, showing off their array of equipment and some of the applications they produce. The shop’s Xerox equipment includes an Iridesse with silver, gold, white and clear options. Its Mimaki JFX 200 flatbed prints on rigid substrates, which are displayed all over campus. The shop also handles mail, does fulfilment jobs for the school, and provides garments, though these jobs are outsourced. Hickman and Johnson also took a tour of campus to point out signage and graphics, including entire wall wraps, produced by the in-plant.

Next, Phil Wilson, of Loughborough University, took attendees through the printing of graphics for the university’s swimming pool area to turn it into an inspiring and exciting sports venue. Then Raymond Dickson, of the University of Glasgow, detailed many of the impressive wide-format projects his shop has done for the school, showing numerous images of these applications.

The swimming pool graphics designed, photographed, and produced by Loughborough University's in-plant.

Lawrence Flavell showed off his shop at the University of Bristol, which employs 20 people, including three designers. To cope with the loss of work due to COVID, Print Services has worked to stop departments from buying printing, scanning and mailing work outside, and requires them to bring this work to the in-plant. Scanning, he said, has become a good business for his in-plant, as the university tries to reduce paper document storage in offices.

Gae Forbes gives a virtual tour of Wolverhampton Digital Print Services.

A virtual tour of Wolverhampton Digital Print Services by Gae Forbes gave a closer look at the shop’s Ricoh production printers with fifth color units, and its Canon wide-format printer, which produced all of the university’s COVID signage, bringing in significant revenue for the print operation. Forbes showed off her shop’s bindery equipment as well as samples of some of the creative work the in-plant is doing.

In other sessions, representatives from the British Printing Industries Federation gave an overview of the state of the printing industry in Europe. Tony Harmer shared his Adobe knowledge in an intense training session. And Jonathan Tame, managing director of Two Sides, talked about his organization’s efforts to stop corporations from making misleading statements about print and paper, such as when they tell consumers to go paperless and “save a tree,”

“Saving paper does not save trees,” he declared. He noted that forests in Europe have grown by the size of Switzerland between 2005-2020 despite the fact that most Europeans erroneously believe forests are shrinking, and that using paper is wasteful because it ends up in landfills. In fact, he reported, 74% of paper in Europe is recycled for remanufacturing, while only 17% of e-waste is recycled.

U.S. and Canadian in-plant managers can still register and watch videos of the all sessions and in-plant tours at this link.