Business Management - In-plant Justification

How does an in-plant remain strategically relevant?

AS WE plod through this recession, I keep hearing rumors of a growing interest in document outsourcing. Consultants say that facilities management firms are tripping over each other in a frenzied effort to convince companies to outsource their printing. With equipment purchases slowing, they say, vendors are encouraging their outsourcing divisions to get busy.

As in-plants, we all have bosses, and those bosses have much more to worry about than our operations. So the question is, what and how much should we share regarding our operations?

I WAS proofreading this issue, just getting to the end of John Sarantakos’ article on reporting to upper management, when I saw it. It was perfect. John had hit upon what is essentially the theme of this entire issue: “The best strategy is to become indispensable.”

JOHN CAMERON’S grimace slowly turned into a resigned smile. He had only worked at Central Piedmont Community College’s (CPCC) Campus Printing Center for five months, but he was already aware of how things were done at the in-plant. If there was any reasonable way to exceed customers’ expectations of the timeline or quality of their jobs, Campus Printing would do it. He looked again at the project that had crossed his desk that morning. It was 14 different files—a mishmash of PDFs, Word documents and PowerPoint presentations. The customer wanted that unruly mess melded into one book, of which she wanted 19—and oh, by the way, could she get them this afternoon?

HOLDING AN open house is a great way for your in-plant to promote its capabilities and generate new business. All it takes is a little planning. To help you and give you some ideas, we spoke with three California in-plants that have held open houses. San Diego State University (SDSU), California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and California State University-Sacramento built on each others’ experiences to make their events even more successful. In all three cases, open houses were organized around the acquisition of new digital printing equipment. Leslie Rutledge, manager of ReproGraphic Services at SDSU, was the first of the three to take the plunge.

In an article in the December issue of IPG, Ricoh's Greg Cholmondeley writes: In-plants face a never-ending fight for retaining and growing print volume—and this is as it should be. It is always in an enterprise’s best interest to find the most effective way to produce work. For in-plants, this simply means the need to constantly evolve as technologies, competitors, applications and business practices change.

As an example of changing business practices, consider digital color printing. Caslon and Co. reported that in 2006, for the first time ever, the retail value of digital color printing in the U.S exceeded that of black and white—even though digital color print volumes are a fraction of monochrome. Digital color production costs are higher—but then so are the margins.

RESTON, VA—Enterprise printers will get the inside scoop on how to add value to client projects through the GRAPH EXPO® Seminar Program, to be held October 26 - 29 in Chicago’s McCormick Place South during GRAPH EXPO 2008. More than 70 educational sessions, as well as hands-on computer labs featuring the latest in software solutions, provide in-plant printers with real lessons that can be put to use as soon as they return to the plant. “Now, more than ever, corporations are looking to their in-plant printer to provide more than just a print job-they need a marketing partner who can offer value-added

In-plant customers have a hard time differentiating one printer from another, so they often use price to decide where to send business. By offering superior customer service, you can reduce the importance of price in the customer’s mind and keep him or her coming to you. The key to customer service? Good communication, namely excellent phone skills, since customers who receive poor treatment on the phone initially are unlikely to return. For maximum phone flair, you must: • Answer the phone promptly. • State your name and department clearly. • Match the volume and pace of the customer’s voice. • Repeat important information to

Does your in-plant have a mission statement? Those that have created one say it shows customers they are more than just an in-house service center, but a business with goals and a customer-service focus. Mission statements can also guide the direction of your marketing efforts. A good mission statement should communicate your in-plant’s purpose. It should motivate and inspire employees, while also resonating with customers. Don’t get caught up in complicated verbiage, though; make it clear, convincing, and easy to understand. Also, make sure it’s concise so employees can remember it and quote it.