Fueled by the pandemic, industry consultants have recently been promoting the outsourcing of in-plant work. Here's a strategy to prepare for such discussions.
Howie Fenton
Face-to-face communication has long been crucial for proving an in-plant’s production expertise to customers. Then COVID put a damper on that. A new blog by Consultant Howie Fenton details how in-plants can increase satisfaction, awareness and sales using video communications.
In a new blog, Consultant Howie Fenton discusses how in-plants can assess the risks in new software investments and then mitigate or minimize those risks.
As we struggle through the shelter-in-place pandemic and wonder how this will change business, there are two strategies in-plants should consider: increase the use of automation and cross-train staff to handle more tasks.
Staffing issues have become one of most significant issues in-plants are struggling to overcome. In this new blog from Consultant Howie Fenton, he relates how one in-plant manager is handling this.
We asked in-plants which new products and services would be fueling their growth over the next few years. The responses were surprising.
Though there tends to be less scrutiny of in-plants when the economy is doing well, don't get comfortable; that can change in an instant.
Your in-plant can increase its performance and value by combining traditional benchmarks with next-generation measurement strategies.
A continued focus on three critical success factors will increase the value of in-plants and reduce outsourcing efforts.
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Understanding TCO is the key to accurately calculating cost per piece, which is essential for commercial printers.
The first time we heard the term “battle book” was in an IPMA panel discussion by Catherine Ciardi, the director of Document Services for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. Ciardi held up her battle book and described it as a tool to help her in-plant battle the threats made by outsourcers and facilities management (FM) firms claiming…
The word “innovation” is not one of the typical subjects discussed in trade magazines or at shows, but maybe it should be. Considering the relentless outsourcing threats and fierce competition in-plants face, perhaps innovation should be a critical success factor for in-plants.
As I write this, 2016 is coming to an end, and there are three things worth remembering. First, it’s been a year since I joined IMG (Integrated Methods Group), and I am happy to say that I continue to work with and research in-plant service providers. In fact, immediately after joining IMG, we were contracted…
The traditional distinction between an in-plant and a commercial printer is changing.
When Web-to-print services were originally offered in e-commerce solutions, they were nothing more than curious novelties. Today, offering Web-to-print services has become an essential part of an in-plant’s arsenal. While the advantages are significant, there are challenges as well. In this article we will discuss both and outline a strategy to help avoid the typical…
