U.K. Managers Gather Again

In June, the U.K.-based University Print Managers Group (UPMG) met at Redworth Hall, in County Durham, bringing dozens of U.K. higher-ed in-plant managers together. The event included a Medieval banquet in which members dressed in elaborate Medieval garb and enjoyed a hearty feast (eaten without utensils).

U.S. in-plant manager Catherine Chambers, from Virginia Tech, gave a session called “Sustaining Operations in Turbulent Times” in which she described her use of metrics to track performance while turning around her in-plant. Her husband Ray Chambers, a consultant, also gave a presentation on “Critical Success Factors” for in-plants.

Other talks covered customer relationship management, employment law, the Progamme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the rising popularity of different communication platforms such as social media. Also discussed was a proposal to change UPMG’s name to the Association of Print Managers in Education, to give it a legal identity.