In-plant Graphics December 2010
Avoid the In-plant Tipping Point
In this tough economy, commercial printers are aggressively looking for any new revenue opportunity. Many have targeted higher education as one of their growth areas.
Changing the In-plant Perspective
In-plants that view themselves as being in their parent organization’s business will develop strategies to help the organization thrive and meet its goals.
Expressing Your In-plant’s Value
An in-plant manager must take the initiative when defining the in-plant's purpose and contribution to upper management. It is still a numbers game, and the in-plant manager is responsible for calculating the in-plant's financial contribution and articulating that contribution to upper management.
From the Editor: An In-plant Road Trip
AS I'VE talked with in-plant managers at conferences over the years, many of them have extended an "if you're ever in the area" invitation for me to visit their shops. Earlier this year it dawned on me that for a quite a few Pennsylvania in-plants I was already "in the area" more or less, and the only thing stopping me from getting out there and visiting them was my own reluctance to leave the office.
Good Leaders Must Be Good Servants
Organizations and teams are crying out for effective leaders. The most effective and positive leaders are those that understand and practice the philosophy of "servant leadership."
In-plants During the Recession
The in-plant printing market segment is a critical component to the overall U.S. printing industry. In 2008, InfoTrends estimated that the overall industry had a value of shipments of $143 billion. The total in-plant printing market had just over an 18 percent share of the overall market, with $26 billion in value of shipments.
Know Your Total Cost of Ownership
As you hang up the phone, you're engrossed in thought. This offer from a potential vendor, like similar ones before it, was tempting: they'd like to audit all the printers and MFPs in your organization to give you the picture of what you're really spending for printing. Of course, they'll do all this work for free, and of course, they'll make recommendations that will save your organization some serious cash.
Offset Is Alive and Well
I am happy to report that offset printing is indeed alive and well at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Why? There are several contributing reasons.
QR Codes: Making Print and Mail Interactive
Channels such as social media and mobile marketing are becoming more important each day. If you can commit to offering multi-channel marketing services to your organizations, you can offer more value.
Social Networks and the In-plant
By some estimates, blogging and social networking sites account for about one in every six minutes of the time spent on the Internet. Social networks can be used to spread information about your organization to customers and to enhance customer interaction and brand recognition.
SUPDMC: A Southern In-plant Reunion
About 30 in-plant managers met in Auburn, Ala., in October for the 35th annual Southeastern University Printing and Digital Managers Conference (SUPDMC). It was hosted by Glenda Miley, manager of Auburn University's CopyCat operation, who put together an informative, interactive and fun agenda that kept all attendees involved.
The Industry Giants
THERE ARE some very large in-plants in North America. To find out who they are, we surveyed our readership and created these two lists of some of the largest in-plant operations.
