An in-plant can be much more than just an end-of-the-line manufacturing process. In-plants can refashion themselves into knowledge managers that support their parent organization’s strategic objectives and business goals. The challenge for today’s in-plant manager is to compliment and add value to specific print-related skill sets by providing an information-rich environment integrated into the organization’s information systems. Rather than a unidirectional “island of information” that has just print output as its objective, the modern in-plant must become both an institutional repository and a multi-channel publishing entity coexisting with the organization’s total information environment. The modern in-plant must be both a contributor to, and participant
Wayne Riggall
DESPITE HAVING made the change to digital printing technologies, in-plants may continue to be at risk of being outsourced. As organizations seeking to remain competitive in the new economy of the 21st century become increasingly knowledge based, in-plants must develop competencies that support Knowledge Management. Given the in-plant’s exposure to organizational knowledge via the documents it reproduces, it is uniquely placed to play a vital role and better support the strategic objectives and goals of the organization. Print-on-demand capabilities have revolutionized the in-plant, reducing the need to print for inventory and improving production turnaround times. The ability to produce collated, completed documents from
