Heidelberg

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

As the need for efficiency increases, sheetfed presses are getting smaller, faster and more automated. By MARK SMITH Just what is a "mid-size" press? Most would agree that 40˝ presses fit into the large-format press category, but defining a cutoff point for the mid-size designation has proved more elusive. "Most manufacturers have discontinued their 26˝-wide presses because the format was just a downsized version of a 28˝/29˝ press with a similar cost," says Mike Grego, marketing manager for Sakurai USA. "We are taking the opposite approach by introducing the compact, 466SIP 26˝ press that is a super-sized version of a 22˝ press. This

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,

With new advances, faster paper cutting doesn't have to mean compromised safety. by Chris Bauer Speed isn't everything—not when you're talking about paper cutters. With this equipment, safety comes first, leaving features like speed and productivity to take a back seat. "Safety was really important when we were looking at cutters," remarks Carl Zalaznick, supervisor of Printing Services for Holy Cross Hospital in Florida. "Before the [Swaneck] ProCut 235, we had a really old Challenge. Except for cutting my finger once, we were really lucky that we didn't have any accidents." He says his shop's new cutter makes up for the lack of

In-plant managers from around the country headed south for the 43rd International Publishing Management Association conference. by Bob Neubauer Atlanta got even hotter recently when the the country's largest gathering of in-plant managers dropped into town. The International Publishing Management Association's annual conference drew scores of managers from around the country to Georgia's capital for four days of education and fraternization. Though attendance was down this year compared with 2001's Oregon conference, enthusiasm was as high as ever. The numerous social gatherings during the conference had a much more intimate feeling than usual, inspiring managers to forge new friendships. Because IPMA 2002 took

James Mason visited the Federal Reserve Bank on a school trip. He's been at the bank ever since. by Mike Llewellyn During his senior year of high school, James Mason's class toured the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank. When the trip concluded at the bank's in-plant, the guide asked if anyone in the group thought they might like to work with that equipment. Mason was the only one in the group with a raised hand. "I graduated on a Thursday," he says. "On Friday they offered me a job." Today, Mason is the award-winning operational supervisor of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Print

Variable data: Is it in your future? It better be, according to several speakers at the International Publishing Management Association conference. At the recent in-plant event in Atlanta, I listened to representatives from Heidelberg, Xerox and the Rochester Institute of Technology talk enthusiastically about variable data in their sessions, calling it a burning hot trend—a way to improve an organization's marketing efforts and generate more revenue. They pointed out the excellent response rates of personalized direct marketing pieces, showing chart after chart proving personalized printing is on the rise and is very effective. They made a good case. But they also left

With digital cameras rising in popularity, and drum scanner lines being pulled from the market, is there a future for scanners? by MARK SMITH When Heidelberg announced it was discontinuing "all scanner development and production operations," it sent a few shock waves through the industry. After all, high-end scanning used to be all but synonymous with Hell drum machines, a tradition Heidelberg inherited when it acquired Linotype-Hell. According to Heidelberg, the market for scanners has experienced a downturn in recent years, with declines as great as 20 percent in 2001 alone, depending on market and product. "This move is a timely

Excellent crossovers and great color consistency vaulted Phillips Petroleum to its third Best of Show victory in nine years. by Bob Neubauer Investors are rather important to Phillips Petroleum Co. The Bartlesville, Okla.-based firm knows, however, that before investors put their money anywhere, they often rely on the opinions of industry analysts. To impress those analysts with its accomplishments and future plans, Phillips Petroleum puts a lot of effort into designing an impressive, colorful Fact Book each year. And because it needs that piece to be printed perfectly, the company goes to the best printer it can find—its in-plant. It has never