In-plant Profiles

When the going got tough, these in-plants boosted their sales anyway. From free-falling consumer confidence to scandalized captains of industry, it's been a rough year for the U.S. economy. Likewise, many in-plants have reported a drop in revenue, including 19 of those in the Top 50. But 26 other Top 50 in-plants not only survived the crunch, they flourished in it. They have increased sales, expanded their services and now rest on a foundation more solid than it was before the economy turned sour. How did they do it? Basically by keeping their eyes open for new opportunities—and not just printing

"Printing Services exists to save the corporation money," says Gary Hiltbrand, manager of Printing Services for Target Corp., in Minneapolis. "As soon as we stop doing that, we stop having a reason to exist." If there is one thing that Hiltbrand's in-plant excels at, he says, it's finding ways to provide value for the parent company. "To do that, we look at what niches of printing would save the most money," he says. Part of providing value to the company, according to Hiltbrand, is knowing when outsourcing the work will save more money. For example, the millions of advertising circulars Target requires for

J.R. Gaddis and his staff at University of Oregon Printing and Mailing Services run an in-plant that does it all. Of all the in-plants on the IPG Top 50, this operation provides the most services—just about every service an in-plant can offer. Here's a look at what they do: Design The in-plant employs four prepress specialists who also handle some design work when requested. It's not a service that Gaddis is ready to start pushing too hard, though. "If we're asked, we'll do it," he says. Electronic Prepress "A couple of years ago we installed an Avantra 30 [imagesetter], and we went totally

The Division of Publishing and Distribution Services for the State of Oregon has held strong for the past year, with sales steady despite an unfriendly economic climate. Manager Kay Erickson attributes the health of her facility to seeking out innovative ways to bring in extra revenue. Clocking in at three years on the job, Erickson may not be a veteran yet, but she has not let that stop her from guiding the shop through what she sees as the three main changes shaping its future. They are a transition into digital printing, a partnership with Oregon Corrections Enterprises and the addition of graphic

• Jerry Chamness has beenpromoted to director of Auxiliary Activities at The Citadel, in Charleston, S.C. He will continue to oversee the in-plant, but will also be in charge of six other auxiliaries. • Sappi Fine Paper North America was honored with the 2002 Maine Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence in recognition of Sappi's pollution prevention efforts at its Somerset mill. • Polly USA, an independent distributor of Polly sheetfed presses, has been acquired by the manufacturer of Polly presses, Grafitec, headquartered in the Czech Republic.

What's it like to run the in-plant at a prominent graphic arts university? We talked to managers at the major schools on each coast, as well as one in the heartland. By MIKE LLEWELLYN &012;Professor Ken Macro has a lot on his plate nowadays—and he couldn't be happier. Macro is director of Reprographic, Mailing and Shipping (RM&S) Services and a faculty member at California Polytechnic State University, in San Luis Obispo. The fact that he works for one of the most important graphic arts schools in the country has had a large effect on his shop and his career. Macro says his shop benefits

Director Leroy Richmond admits that the original Web site for the State of Tennessee General Services Printing department was not very impressive. "It was very simple, very plain," he says. "And I was sitting there thinking 'How can we get our message out?' " Richmond insists that the Web is "where everything is going," so he wanted to do more than just give his site a shot in the arm. He also wanted to advertise Web design to his customers. But doing so would require a pretty impressive show. So that's just what Richmond and his team set out to create. Now, his in-plant's

I am a son of a printer. My father spent his entire working life in the industry. Born in 1933, John "J.T." Sarantakos was a depression era child who never forgot the difficult lessons he learned growing up. I guess you could classify him as street smart and street tough.

Almost 80 university in-plant representatives converged on Indiana University for the recent Big Ten Printing & Copyright Conference. Joe Goss, director of IU Printing Services and Materials Management, organized an excellent program, which included a tour of Printing Services' impressive facility. Among the exciting topics discussed during the educational sessions were online job submission, on-demand printing and doing more with less. Watch for complete coverage in an upcoming issue.

In-plants at manufacturing firms are often integrated very closely with their companies' core businesses. This can bring those in-plants some unique opportunities. By MIKE LLEWELLYN &012;Mercury Marine Printing and Publishing Services doesn't merely support its parent company, a leading manufacturer of outboard motors. "We're integrated with Mercury itself," says Mike Schrader, manager of the 25-employee in-plant, based in Fond du Lac, Wisc. "We print most everything that goes with the engine." That includes owners' guides, installation manuals and more, all of which gets ordered through the company-wide Material Requirements Plan. "Fifty percent of everything we produce goes directly in the box," he says. Few