A Journey to Printing

As communications leader for print production at Kohler Co., Christopher Donlon has his hands full. Each year in the 1,500-square-foot in-plant, about an hour north of Milwaukee, Donlon’s team uses its array of Xerox equipment to produce millions of finished printed products in support of Kohler, best known as a manufacturer of plumbing products.

Donlon matches Kohler’s print demand with an eager and energetic spirit that clearly conveys how much he loves his job. He wasn’t always into printing, though. His resume is eclectic, showing off a multitude of talents, some of which have come in handy as an in-plant manager.

“When I was in junior high school and high school, I took drafting and metal working. I was going to be a machinist,” Donlon reveals. “There is such a technical aspect to printing, in addition to the sales side, which I absolutely love.”

In fact, Donlon had previously worked as a salesman for EP Direct, a Fond du Lac-based printer, from 1997 to 2007. Kohler had been one of his best clients. When he saw that Kohler was hiring an in-plant manager, he applied for the position.

“The rest is history,” he says.

A Lifelong Wisconsinite

Born in Sheboygan, Wis., just a few miles from Kohler’s headquarters, Donlon has stayed fairly local his entire life. In 1981, he took a job cleaning a retreat house on the shore of nearby Lake Michigan. Next, he became a technician at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan.

“That was a pretty cool job,” he reflects.

Donlon attended the University of Wisconsin from 1983 to 1985, and worked as a bellman for the American Club. Then, after working brief part-time stints with Sears as a salesman and with a custom plastic excursion company, he landed his first outside sales job. From 1988 to 1997, he worked in radio sales advertising for WHBL in Sheboygan. After that he worked for EP Direct for 10 years before accepting his current position with Kohler in 2007.

“I brought to the table a much different thought process in satisfying clients’ needs,” he explains. “I was thinking more of what a quick print shop needed to have. Most of our jobs are in and out in less than 48 hours, with a majority of them being out in one day.”

In addition to maximizing efficiency, Donlon’s first major improvement to the in-plant was to cut costs.

“When I first started, the budget was about $1.1 million,” he explains; it is now around $925,000.

As with most in-plant managers, juggling various tasks is second nature to Donlon, who has multiple responsibilities.

“Besides managing the in-plant, I work with the exhibit and display group, I am the print buyer for many of our brands and I also travel for Kohler Canada,” he says. “The variety of work my colleagues and I produce is pretty amazing.”

The Right Motivation

To keep that work flowing, Donlon motivates his staff through professional and personal encouragement.

“I find out the motivational points of each of our staff,” says Donlon. “Work goals are very important, but personal goals are very important as well.”

To stay motivated himself and to find a little in-plant support, Donlon is a member of the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA). Last year, Kohler entered the In-Print contest (cosponsored by IPMA and IPG) for the first time and walked away with an award in the non-offset calendar category.

“My biggest success was winning the Silver Award,” he says, enthusiastically. In addition to that In-Print award, Donlon says his in-plant also receives internal accolades from Kohler.

“We’re extremely well respected in the company because of what we achieve. We produce more than 11 million pieces a year with only three people,” he says proudly.

As for the future, Donlon says that he would like to expand the in-plant.

“We’ve already secured the square footage,” he says. “We just need to complete the plans for expansion.” He would also like to add a tower booklet maker and keep up with the highest quality digital printing equipment to increase the shop’s volume. Donlon is also interested in producing more marketing work and brochures, and in winning additional In-Print awards.

Outside of work, Donlon and his wife, Connie, have a 21-year-old son, who is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. In his free time, Donlon, a mechanic and race car driver by hobby, serves as a pace car driver for the Road America race course. This may have been an alternative career for him had he not gotten into printing. But, when asked whether he made the right choice in becoming an in-plant manager, Donlon does not hesitate.

“It was definitely the right choice,” he declares.