In-plant Profiles

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

As Niki Steenhoek likes to say, her employees don't work for her, she works for them. Together they have gone far. by Bob Neubauer Niki Steenhoek likes people. And with her upbeat, personable nature, it's hard not to like her back. But being liked is not the Iowa native's goal. Working well with others is. "One person can't do it all," she declares. "You have to have a good team." Whether that team comprises coworkers or industry association members, Niki Steenhoek has shown a strong willingness to learn from others in her 24 years in the graphic arts business. This philosophy has propelled

Computer Integrated Manufacturing is important enough to CIP4, Creo, Printcafe and MAN Roland to take it out on the road. The four have joined forces to develop a series of seminars, free for printers, titled "CIM in Print: It's Here. It's Working. It's Ready for You." The seminars will show printers how to utilize CIM to streamline workflows and maximize automation. The dates are: • November 12: Phoenix • November 13: San Diego • November 14: Los Angeles • November 19: San Francisco • November 20: Seattle • November 21: Vancouver The roadshow will hit the South and Southwest in January and catch up

• 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

After moving from offset to digital printing, this in-plant slashed turnaround time and increased business. by Dan Pothier A few years ago, Portsmouth City Public Schools, in Virginia, decided it was time to transform the existing offset print shop into a digital, on-demand print center. Skipper Duck, assistant superintendent, and Dan Pendarvis, purchasing agent, hired me to run the center based on my experience as digital production supervisor at the U.S. Government's Defense Automated Printing Service (DAPS). My first act was to transform the shop from being all offset to producing 80 percent of all jobs digitally. Since then, turnaround time has

BlueCross BlueShield is a big name in the in-plant world, with dozens of shops serving its many offices around the country. We spoke with several of them to find out why BCBS values its in-plants so much. By MIKE LLEWELLYN &012;If you were to look at a list of all the in-plants in the country, one name would pop up more than any other: BlueCross BlueShield. Because BCBS is not centrally operated, each "Blue Plan," as employees call the independent companies in the network, must produce its own marketing materials, explanations of benefits (EOBs), brochures and internal correspondence. Thus, many BCBS Blue Plans

Mike Compton has been in the printing industry for almost 30 years, and he's just warming up. By MIKE LLEWELLYN Mike Compton is Chicago born and raised, and he can't hide the affection he's got for his hometown. "This is a great city," he says. "I love big cities like New York, but Chicago is beautiful." So he's stuck around. Printing first caught Compton's interest when he was still in high school. Mr. Reginald Wagner's shop class introduced him to the trade, and he began his career as a facsimile operator with Chicago's Southtown Economist press in his junior year. Staying with the

When the Missouri State Printing Center throws a party, the whole state is invited. By MIKE LLEWELLYN &012;Nearly 150 representatives from agencies at every level of the Missouri state government converged on the State Printing Center recently for a long-awaited open house. State Printer Gary Judd and his staff had been planning the event for two months—and they were not disappointed in the turnout. "All together, the Department of Health brought in the most people," says Judd. "But we also got folks from the Department of Social Services, the Department of Natural Resources, several came from the executive branch, like the Secretary of

New digital gear and a streamlined production process are propelling this Alabama in-plant to the forefront. by Bob Neubauer When Alabama's finance director mandated that all state printing be routed through the Division of Printing and Publications a few years ago, he ticked off a lot of state agencies. One of them, the Alabama Forestry Commission, grumbled for weeks, upset it couldn't keep using its long-time commercial vendor. "But they worked with us a time or two and found out that we could do the job—and we actually did it cheaper," notes Jerry Wilson, division director of Alabama's Division of Printing and Publications,