Leaving A Digital Legacy at the University of Tennessee

AS FALLING leaves carpet the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville

campus, so has the autumn of Gary Williford’s career arrived. After 34 years at the university—30 of them in the in-plant—Williford plans to retire in a few months from his role as manager of the school’s Graphic Arts Service department.

But while others might view their final days as an opportunity to kick back and coast to an easy farewell, Williford has insisted on pushing forward, preparing his 55-employee operation for the days after his departure.

“I owe this organization. It’s been good to me. It’s a part of my life,” he explains. “I want this organization to be viable for the future. When I’m gone, I want the organization to live on.”

To that end, Williford has spent the past couple of years equipping his in-plant with the latest technology, from CTP to JDF, to ensure the fastest turnaround times and secure the in-plant’s future.

Now only a few months away from retirement, he has been working diligently to relocate the mailing department—which he merged with the in-plant two years ago—from its facility eight miles away into a newly renovated space adjoining the print shop.

And as his final act—to prepare the shop for the short-run color and variable data needs of the future—Williford has overseen the addition of a new Kodak NexPress 2500. Installed last month, the five-color digital press is one of the first NexPress models equipped with an inline Watkiss bookletmaker, which can provide both standard and squareback spines.

The Digital Decision

With the demand for short-run color rising, the decision to upgrade the in-plant’s digital color capabilities was easy to make.

"It's just not effective to run 1,000 copies on a four-color printing press," Williford says. The shop's Xerox DocuColor 12 was not right for the task either. And with the four-color market expected to grow, he says, "we decided that we would equip for that."
Though the in-plant had numerous options, only the highest quality machine would do for the brochures, posters and postcards the shop intends to print.
"Offset-like quality is paramount," he says.
A growing interest in personalization also told Williford that the time was right for a digital press.
"This gives us the opportunity, by putting in this NexPress, for us to get into that marketplace," he says of variable data printing.
One of the jobs the in-plant was previously unable to handle was the printing of postcards sent to prospective students and alumni. These were printed 2,000 at a time, too short a run for offset, Williford says, so that work was being lost to outside printers.
"With this machine, we can compete in that arena," he says.
Though the in-plant looked at other digital color presses, some were not able to match the official orange color in the University of Tennessee's logo.
"The NexPress can match the 151 orange without any trouble," he notes.
The finishing capabilities on the NexPress 2500 and its ability to intermix black-and-white and color copies also weighed in its favor. The NexGlosser glossing unit was the icing on the cake.
"We think that will cause people to want to use it more," he predicts--particularly for posters.
JDF and CTP
Though this is the in-plant's first foray into production digital color printing, the shop digitized its offset operation a few years ago by adding computer-to-plate equipment and integrating JDF automation (see JDF sidebar). By adding a Fuji Sabre platesetter, Williford says, plates are now ready for the press just 10 minutes after approval. Because of demands for faster turnaround times, he says, CTP was essential.
"We wouldn't be here if we hadn't done that," he remarks.
One reason the in-plant has been able to get the equipment it needs is because it can draw money from its own equipment fund. Williford worked with school officials years ago to create the fund, and he praises the administration recognizing the importance of setting aside money to replace aging equipment.
"To do quality work you need quality equipment," he says.
The equipment fund allowed the shop to get a four-color press during tight financial times for the university. Williford is proud that his operation is able to put money into this fund while still providing the university with the lowest cost possible for printing.

Offset Color Growing
In existence since 1948, Graphic Arts Service generates about $7 million in annual sales. It handles prepress, printing, convenience copiers, bindery and mail. The shop has five offset presses, plus an envelope press, and Williford says 65 percent of the offset work is four-color. Many of the black-and-white jobs, he says, have migrated to the Internet, while an increasing amount of spot-color work has changed to four-color work.
The in-plant uses Printable's online ordering system for business cards, letterhead and envelopes. A year ago it upgraded its MIS system to Hagen OA, which has enhanced its ability to pull up job specs, check job status, create estimates and bill electronically.
Graphic Arts Service has the right of first refusal for all university print jobs. What the in-plant can't print, it bids out for customers.
The in-plant has three satellite centers in addition to its main 17,000-square-foot campus facility. That facility is about to get even larger once mail is moved into an adjoining 12,000-square-foot space.
Print/Mail Merger A Success
Williford initiated the in-plant's merger with the mailing department two years ago, suggesting it to management as a "natural fit" and a way to cut costs.
"Now we have more utilization of labor because we can cross train employees," he says. "We can be more efficient and more timely."
The mailing department now evaluates print jobs earlier in the process, catching potential mail problems before pieces are printed. Having print and mail in the same facility allows printed jobs to flow right into the mail stream, and customers have to make only one stop to check on jobs.

An Inspiration
By initiating improvements like these on the eve of his departure, Williford has done more than ensure his department's future. He has inspired other in-plant managers with whom he has become acquainted over the years.
"For years, I've attended conferences and trade shows with Gary, and I have used his recommendations on many of the decisions I have made here at UWA," says Jimmy Robinson, director of the University of West Alabama's Department of Printing. "Our industry is losing one of our finest craftsmen. He is a true printer in every sense of the word."
Mike Loyd, director of Procurement Auxiliary Services at Louisiana State University, and president of the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association, has also been inspired by Williford.
"Gary has always been there to bounce ideas off of and to share his experiences with me," Loyd says. "He is a very open person who, through his many years in this business, is so knowledgeable that you cannot help but gain from him every time you see or talk to him.
When LSU was evaluating computer-to-plate equipment, Loyd sought his counsel.
"Gary was more than willing to offer advice and share not only technical, but financial information," Loyd says. "Without Gary giving us that information, our exploration and subsequent purchase of computer-to-plate would have been much more difficult and drawn out.
"Gary is one of the true leaders in the college and university printing business and will be sorely missed for his friendship, mentoring and overall good spirit," he continues. "Gary inspires me to continue to improve my operation, while not forgetting to give back to my fellow managers and directors."
As for his legacy at the University of Tennessee, Gary Williford feels confident he is leaving behind an operation fully capable of continuing without him.
"What I've tried to do is set it with the automation as much as you can to maximize the labor," he says. "If we can do that, then we've made a major impact for this organization to stay viable for a long time."