USAA
San Antonio, Texas
Annual Sales/Budget: $38 million
Full-time employees: 305
Jobs printed per year: 36,000
For the employees at USAA Publishing Services, an increased workload is to be expected. The customer base, which stands at over 3.5 million people, grows by up to eight percent annually. But with a cap on the number of employees at the shop since 1992, that increase in work must be handled by the current staff.
"We expect capacity to increase with our volume growth but expect staffing to remain constant," explains Jack Mondin, executive director of publishing output services. "That means...we cannot continue to do business the way we have done it in years past. We have to be more creative."
Mondin says the greatest strength of his in-plant has been the employees' ability to change and adapt rapidly to new situations. This is good, because he predicts many more changes to come at his 40,000-square-foot shop.
Mondin feels the in-plant will move to smaller press runs, more variable data printing, and just-in-time printing and mailing. Also, he adds, more four-color, variable data print work may be on the horizon. To bring in these new services, Mondin will have to rely on technology to get the in-plant ahead.
"It will likely be equipment that provides high-speed and quality four-color, electronic variable data print at reasonable prices," says Mondin.
Mondin also feels e-commerce will become a bigger part of the in-plant operation in the years to come. The shop already provides electronic documents to its customers, and USAA does Web creation work in-house, although through a different department. But even with the increase in electronic applications, Mondin says the shop will not be using less paper any time soon.
"But we will limit the number of stocks we will print on," he points out. "We are cutting those by two-thirds over the next 12 to 18 months." This move is intended to bring consistency to the look and feel of USAA mailings.
The in-plant prints training materials and marketing and advertising pieces for the many subsidiaries of USAA, an insurance and financial services company. One job, a quarterly newsletter, is cranked out to the tune of 1.2 million pieces.
Mondin oversees the in-house mail center and electronic print center, as well. Both are sizable operations, with the mail center handling 135 million pieces of outbound and 51 million pieces of inbound mail per year. The electronic print center produces over 596 million images per year.
To remain successful while running one of the largest in-plants in the country, Mondin has found ways to better himself and his shop. He has this advice for other managers looking to improve:
• Know more about the operation than anyone else.
• Capitalize on the strengths of your organization and take a positive approach resolving weaknesses.
• Continually benchmark.
• Educate yourself through seminars, conferences and professional organization networking.
"You must become the print and mail conscience of your origination," Mondin concludes.
—by Chris Bauer
Key Equipment
• Heidelberg Topaz CCD flatbed scanner
• Linotype-Hell Tango drum scanner
• Four Agfa RIPs
• Two Agfa SelectSet 7000 imagesetters
• Creo Trendsetter 3244F platesetter
• Imation Rainbow 2720 digital proofer
• Imation Rainbow 4700 Iris proofer
• One eight-color 40˝ Heidelberg 102+L perfector
• One six-color 40˝ Komori Lithrone with APC
• One six-color 29˝ Heidelberg 74SP+L perfector
• One six-color 28˝ Heidelberg 72SP+L perfector
• One four-color Heidelberg Quickmaster DI
• One two-color 28˝ Heidelberg 72SP perfector
• One two-color 40˝ Heidelberg 102ZP perfector
• One two-color Heidelberg Quickmaster 46
• One four-color 20˝ Muller Martini forms Web
• Five Xerox DocuTech 135s
• Two Xerox DocuTech 180s
• Three Xerox DocuColor 40s w/Fiery ZX40 controller
• Xerox Regal color copier with Splash digital RIP
• Xerox 4890 printer
• Two Xerox 4636 printers
• Two Océ Twin complex printers
• Two 4825 IBM printers
• Four Xerox 5750s
• Eight Xerox 5800s
• Six Stahl Folders
• Two Muller-Martini eight-station stitchers
• Three Pitney Bowes inserters
• Three Heidelberg Polar auto trimming paper/cutting/handling systems
- People:
- Jack Mondin
- Places:
- San Antonio, Texas