In-plant Profiles

In high school Joe Morin worked at his school's in-plant. For the past decade he's been its manager. By Kristen E. Monte Born and raised in Colorado Springs, Joseph Morin entered the world of print as an impressionable high school sophomore by taking a course called Printing Technology I. "That year the field just grew on me," says Morin—so much that now, 28 years later, he is manager of Production Printing for the same school district, Colorado Springs District 11. "The diversity of the field, computerization, creativity and the ability to apply real-life disciplines such as math, science and language really appealed

By printing the course materials Kepner-Tregoe uses to train the world's top corporations, this in-plant helps its parent company shine. By Bob Neubauer Kepner-Tregoe is a familiar name to many Fortune 1,000 companies. Based in Princeton, N.J., this 47-year-old firm has made a name for itself by studying the habits of business leaders and teaching them to corporate clients around the world. These courses, like Kepner-Tregoe's flagship "Problem Solving and Decision Making" course, have trained thousands of corporate employees to be better managers. The materials required for these courses can be extensive—sometimes 40 items are needed for one three-day course, including wire-bound

For 25 years, Rick Levine has toiled to build up his in-plant at the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority. By Carol Brzozowski The biggest compliment Rick Levine ever received was being told that if his department were a commercial printing operation, it would be one of the country's top 10 firms, based on output per employee. Levine heads up Replication and Digitizing Services (RADS) for the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority in Washington D.C. The authority serves a half-million bus riders and 700,000 rail riders daily, requiring the in-plant to provide millions of pieces of printed matter: brochures, maps, bus timetables, forms, flyers,

From CD-ROM reproduction to labeling innovation, Beckman Coulter Central Printing Services has advanced to meet its company's changing needs. By Bob Neubauer Just because your in-plant has been in business 45 years doesn't mean you've got it made. You have to be willing to change when your company's needs shift. That knowledge has driven Beckman Coulter Central Printing Services to look in new directions in recent years. Not only has the 25-employee in-plant picked up new business in CD-R duplication—outmaneuvering a local supplier in the process—but it has innovated a label printing process, making its label supplier take notice. Operating out of a

As the University of Washington's first director of Publications Services, Eric Mosher presides over the top university in-plant in the country. By Joe Ranoia Eric Mosher didn't set out for a career in printing. However, his ability to do many things well and adapt to challenges led him on a fascinating career path, culminating in his appointment as the first director of Publications Services in the University of Washington's history. Mosher, 59, was born in Pittsburgh, but grew up in Boulder, Colo., where he briefly attended Colorado State University before joining the Army. Mosher served in Korea during the Vietnam War and fortunately saw

He may not be making chocolate, but Bob Wamsher has found his work at Hershey Foods to be every bit as important to the quality of the product. By Bob Neubauer When you're growing up in Hershey, Pa., where streetlights are shaped like Hershey's Kisses, it's a fair bet that chocolate is going to play some part in your future. "That was the only game in town, chocolate," remarks Bob Wamsher, manager of Printing Services at Hershey Foods Corp., where he has worked since 1968. Even so, despite a number of relatives in the chocolate business, Wamsher admits he hadn't given much thought

In-plant managers got a chance to see the technologies they've been reading about at the recent Graph Expo show. For the many in-plant managers in attendance, the recent Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2004 show in Chicago was a graphic arts fantasy land. "I felt like a kid in a candy store," observes Mike Renn, of Mellon Corporate Publishing, in Philadelphia. "I went to take a look at the latest direct-to-plate systems and software management packages and came away with numerous options." Attendance this year was pretty healthy, he adds: "I had to wedge myself between bodies to check out the latest gear." Other managers agreed. "I

Since joining the in-plant at Portland General Electric, Wes Friesen has worked hard to strengthen its team atmosphere while adding equipment and services. By Bob Neubauer Wes Friesen has been a busy man for the past six years. Since taking over as manager of Billing & Remittance Services at Portland General Electric, which includes printing and automated mail, he has been hard at work revamping the 11-employee in-plant—upgrading equipment, adding services and building a team atmosphere. The operation's success is evident from the handful of recent awards it has won. "I really have enjoyed both printing and the mail functions," Friesen says. "I find

Smaller formats, chemistry-free alternatives and a variety of imaging technologies are motivating in-plants to successfully—and profitably—bring computer-to-plate imaging in-house. By Vincent De Franco Doug Fenske is one of the growing number of in-plant managers who have realized the benefits and profitability of converting to a computer-to-plate (CTP) workflow. "It's just awesome," he enthuses, referring to the productivity gains he's enjoyed since leading the transformation of the Minnesota State University at Mankato Print Center to CTP. According to Fenske, the range of new opportunities and benefits includes perfect registration, faster imaging speeds and significant process improvements. "It's just so cool," he says.

Hobby Lobby's in-plant has gone from a one-man, one-press shop when it started five years ago, to 14 employees, four presses and a new HP Indigo digital color press. By Bob Neubauer Brad Smith can still remember the good old days. "It started off small—one press, one person," recalls Smith, offset printing manager for Hobby Lobby's Oklahoma City-based in-plant. But he doesn't have to think back very far to summon up this memory. It was the fall of 1999, five short years ago, when he was hired to run the new Hamada 234 the company had ordered to print its forms. Having spent 12