From the Editor: Where Are the In-plants?
In the past two months I’ve been fortunate to attend both the Association of College and University Printers and the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association conferences, where I saw about 215 managers, all told. It was great to see them, and as far as I could tell each of them thoroughly enjoyed the events. I can’t help but wonder, though: where are the rest of them? There are tens of thousands of in-plants out there; around 20,000 of them read this magazine. Yet most remain holed up in their shops, alone with their thoughts and troubles, no one to confer with.
OK, I know for some of you the cost of attending makes these conferences a real challenge. Perhaps your parent organization isn’t fond of shelling out travel money (even if it is for education, which will ultimately improve the service you give them). Others may be too worried about their jobs to even ask (though I’ll bet most regular attendees were once afraid to ask too).
Here’s the thing: More than any other segment of the printing industry, in-plants are known for freely sharing information about their struggles and solutions because they don’t compete with each other. So in-plants come away from conferences like IPMA with much more practical information than, say, a commercial printer who attended the Vision 3 Summit.
While in California for the IPMA conference, I overheard dozens of conversations between managers comparing the way they do things, relating their experiences with a certain piece of equipment, suggesting new services that have worked for them, etc. When commercial printers chat with their competitors at similar events, they’re more guarded in what information they give out. Admit to a problem and your competition can use it against you; divulge a new idea and watch your advantage slip away. In-plants, on the other hand, seem to work for the common good.
The sessions at IPMA were largely led by in-plant managers, generously describing processes that are making their shops more successful. Whether it was Steve Nelles, of Ventura County’s in-plant, discussing his success with electronic forms; or Zach Cameron detailing how Brigham Young University uses Web tools to turn customers into loyal partners; or Debbie Pavletich, of Briggs & Stratton, giving examples of money-saving tips; the intent was always the same: helping other in-plants strengthen their operations and stay in business.
I had the chance to meet many new attendees at IPMA this year, including new California State Printer Jerry Hill, who was extremely pleased with the event. He told me he had made a lot of new friends there and vowed to continue being part of the IPMA community. Prior to this he had not even known about the group; after just one conference, he’s a fan.
So for those who have never attended an in-plant conference, now’s the time to start looking into it for next year. Make a business case for it. Find a way to bring it up with management. You won’t regret it.
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 180 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
