In-plants Gather at Yale for Final Road Show of 2026
With a glorious view of the hilly New England countryside unfolding outside, more than a dozen in-plants gathered yesterday on the 16th floor of Yale University’s Kline Tower for the final in-plant Road Show of 2026. The buzz of conversation filled the building all day as in-plant managers chatted with each other and with a roomful of vendors, who had set up table displays.
New IPMA Executive Director Mark Fallon welcomed the group.
Organized by the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) and hosted by Yale Printing and Publishing Services (YPPS) on its New Haven, CT, campus, the one-day mini-conference drew managers from in-plants like Fairfield University, Sun Life, Sacred Heart University, The World Bank, Fashion Institute of Technology, and Borough of Manhattan Community College, to name a few. Brand new IPMA Executive Director Mark Fallon was also on hand to welcome attendees.
The view from atop the Kline Tower. Autumn colors were just creeping into the foliage.
After enjoying breakfast (and stunning views), attendees gathered for a presentation by YPPS Director Lisa Scott and Associate Director Jason England, who detailed the struggles and successes this 37-employee operation has faced over the past six years, during which both COVID and the federal endowment tax struck hard at its revenues. The in-plant had to pivot and embrace new services, based on customer needs. As a result, YPPS has evolved from a print-centric operation to a comprehensive communication solutions provider. The operation now provides digital services like web design, enewsletters, and animation, and also handles fulfillment work, such as assembling welcome boxes for new employees.
YPPS Director Lisa Scott and Associate Director Jason England detailed the struggles and successes the in-plant has faced over the past six years.
“You have to be willing to take a little risk and venture outside of print,” said Scott.
Still, England said, print makes up the largest portion of the in-plant’s work, with thousands of jobs streaming in through its new Print ePS MarketDirect StoreFront. The shop’s wide-format printers have enabled it to print and install numerous experiential graphics all over campus. A new Mimaki flatbed printer and VIP 660 label printer have brought in specialty printing and label work as well.
England touted the value that print still holds at Yale and the emotional connection it provides.
In-plant managers from Connecticut, Washington, DC, and New York City.
“We're tangible people. We love to feel,” he said. “When you look at something in email, it comes and it goes. You can ignore it. But when you read something in print, you hold it. You might keep it as a keepsake. You keep it on your desk.”
This, he said, makes him feel confident about the in-plant’s future: “We'll all be here for a while.”
Automation and Promo Products
Ricoh's Nikki Hiller
Other speakers at the Road Show included Nikki Hiller, a former in-plant manager who is now director of Ricoh’s Business Consulting Practice. She emphasized that in-plants should focus on streamlining workflows, reducing manual touchpoints, and connecting systems from online ordering through production and delivery. She urged in-plants to operate more like businesses, continually seeking opportunities to expand services, attract work currently being outsourced, and strengthen relationships with internal customers. But expansion, she cautioned, must be supported by efficient workflows and realistic plans to meet customer expectations.
“When you start expanding into these services, you need to make sure that your automation and integration is figured out, so … you can have a strategic plan to put your employees where it matters,” she said.
In-plant managers at the last IPMA Road Show of the year.
Hiller urged in-plant to focus on the value they bring to their organizations when talking with customers and management.
“We can control branding, we can control costs, and we can control time frame,” she stressed. “No other person on the outside controls those three things.”
Lou Manitzas
Hiller was followed by Lou Manitzas of Swag Solutions who talked about the value that selling promo products can bring to in-plants. Promotional products and branded apparel, he said, offer in-plants an opportunity to expand their services, generate additional revenue, and become more valuable to their parent organizations. He offered success stories from in-plants like Georgia State University and the University of Oklahoma, and discussed the benefits of partnering with Swag Solutions, highlighting its dedicated sales reps, revenue sharing with in-plants, and customizable swag stores that can be created for specific departments.
IPI Editor Bob Neubauer recapped PRINTING United Expo. | Credit: Amanda Bronowski, IPMA
Then I gave a presentation recapping the highlights of PRINTING United Expo. I noted some of the new production and wide-format printers that debuted at the show and reviewed the presentations given during IPI’s In-plant Forum and IPMA’s in-plant breakfast.
After lunch, attendees had a chance to visit the booths set up by exhibitors and talk with them about the solutions they provide. This was followed by an interactive roundtable discussion, led by Wes Troup of the World Bank’s in-plant. It covered a range of topics like how in-plants are showing their value, measuring performance, expanding their services, using AI, and more.
In-plant managers toured the YPPS operation.
Then attendees were shuttled across campus, on a beautiful autumn afternoon, to tour YPPS. The facility is packed with equipment, including numerous Konica Minolta printers, two HP Latex 315 wide-format printers, a Graphtec FC 9000-140 contour cutter, and Standard Horizon and Duplo bindery equipment. The Quadient G4 inserter drew a lot of attention as it inserted, sealed, and postmarked envelopes. Another draw was the new Mimaki UJF-6042 Mk IIe flatbed printer, which is being used to print on mugs, coasters, name tags and more. A brand new VIP 660 label printer, demonstrated by Dana Anastasia of Continental Datalabel, fascinated attendees as it quickly printed long strips of labels.
The final IPMA Road Show of the year capped an ambitious program that traveled to all corners of the country, bringing together in-plants that may not be able to attend the annual conference. They got to tour the host in-plants' facilities, connect with peers, learn from industry partners, and take part in practical conversations about the challenges and opportunities facing today’s in-plants. Watch for more Road Shows in 2027.
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Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited 200 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
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