Business Management - In-plant Justification

I've interviewed a lot of in-plant managers over the years. Some of them have revealed that, before they started, their in-plants were in bad shape. The previous manager was obstinate, disorganized and afraid of new technology. This got me wondering: what does a "bad" manager look like? And could it be you?

With about 100 In-Print prizes being awarded, your odds are pretty good. We'll try to make them even better by revealing some secrets to winning. Why you should enter by Bob Neubauer You say you don't do much color offset work any more? You don't think your in-plant has produced anything worth entering in In-Print 2002? Think again. In-Print has changed. Last year we added a host of new categories for the "non-offset" in-plant. And guess what? These categories are still a secret to most in-plants. The year these categories were introduced, only 10 percent of the entries were in the non-offset

Feeling distant from your organization's marketing department? It's time to get closer. Printing marketing materials just might save your shop. by Vic Barkin "That dang marketing department! They never talk to us, always go outside to other printers, and have no idea what we do around here!" Sound familiar? In many corporations, organizations and universities, the printing and copying operations were not created to aid their parent's external marketing efforts. As a result, many in-plants are still segregated from those who determine the marketing strategies. But with the Web and the desktop printer conspiring to steal certain traditional sources of in-plant work, the

A chargeback system will help you build a successful, outsource-resistant in-plant, but first you must sell the idea to management. If you know the benefits and drawbacks up front, it will be an easy sell.

With so many threats to their survival, in-plants must adopt an entrepreneurial spirit, forge partnerships and become more visible. by Steve Jarvis In-plants are under siege. The forces against them are formidable: intense internal competition from digital office printing fleets, the threat of internal clients outsourcing jobs to commercial printers, apathetic senior management that doesn't view printing as a core business function, and an overall lack of awareness within enterprises regarding the services and cost savings in-plants can deliver. To counter these threats, in-plant managers should become entrepreneurs and secure business within the organization. They should demonstrate they can serve as viable profit

"Out of sight, out of mind" is a dangerous place for an in-plant to be. Let your organization know what you do by holding an open house. I love open houses. The term itself evokes the ambiance of free food and fun, and I'm a strong proponent of both. I was attending an in-plant publishing department's open house a few years back, and a colleague who prepared the event was telling me that one of the benefits of having an in-house position was that he didn't have to worry about "selling." Trying to believe what I was hearing, I glanced over the richly

The current economic climate is a prime opportunity for facilities management firms to peddle their out-of-the-box solutions to your upper management. Watch out.

Mismanagement, underfunding and poor morale are just some of the battles in-plants have to fight. Against the odds, some in-plants have turned themselves around. by Allan Martin Kemler WHEN RICHARD Raveson first came to the North Broward Hospital District in-plant, the machines were broken, the staff was unhappy and the management was indifferent. The in-plant was like a chronically ill patient in a world without doctors. Thanks to Raveson's skills as a manager, though, not only has the patient recovered, it's never been better. But 12 years ago, Raveson says, it would have been pretty hard to imagine this kind of turnaround. Back then,

You say you'd love to upgrade your equipment but can't get management to OK it? Find out how this manager was able to justify the cost of new equipment — repeatedly.

In-plants have traditionally been stuck in cramped, out-of-the-way places. Those who have moved into larger, brighter facilities report a world of benefits. Rodney Dangerfield couldn't get it. Aretha Franklin just wanted a little bit. And Monica Lewinsky never had much to begin with. Respect. Everybody craves it, but for many in-plants—stuck in the basement like vegetables in the crisper—respect and pleasant working conditions can be hard to find. Often in-plant facilities are too small, with low ceilings, bad lighting and no windows. While managers may not like this, some feel it comes with the territory. "The term "print shop" implies a dingy, dumpy