The combined impact of the Internet and digitization have moved print production closer to the source of demand, a migration that is transforming the structure of the in-plant industry.

By Richard Vines

From In-house Printing to Document Workflow

Richard Vines has published two white papers on the in-plant industry in Australia, with the support of Canon Australia and the Network of In-house Print Professionals Australasia (NIPPA). The papers can be downloaded from these Web sites:

• 2006 paper: www.nippa.com.au/pdf/RichardVinesJune06.pdf

• 2004 paper: www.nippa.com.au/whitepaper.pdf

One of the key objectives of the 2006 industry white paper, “From In-house Printing to Document Workflow,” is to provide in-plant managers with a guide for expanding the value of their in-house printing activities by:

• Delivering services superior to other operational models such as outsourcing, and;

• Being seen by their host enterprises as natural partners in developing and implementing any print strategy for their enterprise.

The 2006 NIPPA white paper provides resources to help readers think about the challenges in a strategic sense. It outlines an action plan for in-plants that want to transform enterprise printing.

The paper also provides resource materials for reflection in three areas:

• Why still print? Print is a preferred format for readers; it is not just a presentation technology, but also a connecting technology.

• Print as part of a document workflow system. The implications of placing the user at the center of the document workflow service system.

• Document workflow and value management. The ways in which in-house printing can support and leverage the value (and values) of host enterprises.

A 10-point action plan has been conceived in partnership with NIPPA members to achieve the objectives outlined in the white paper.

The key points of the Action Plan are as follows:

1. Establishing effective in-house printing as a foundation.

2. Securing authorization to establish a reform agenda.

3. Fostering a reform vision and securing shared support.

4. Identifying strengths and weaknesses of current operations.

5. Developing a strategic plan to leverage enterprise value.

6. Securing whole-of-enterprise commitment to the transformation plan.

7. Allocating resources and establishing a project-based reform agenda.

8. Establishing a lessons learned culture and measuring the impact.

9. Selling the achievements and continuing the reform agenda.

10. Linking performance indicators to enterprise strategies.

THE INTERNET has distracted enterprise management from the importance of adopting a strategic approach to the management of print. It is true that the print industry has embraced huge transformations in the past 15 years; there is nothing left of the print industry of just 20 years ago. But in many ways, the changes of the past 15 years have been about using digital technologies to emulate aspects of the analog print industry.

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In-plants: An Epicenter of Industry Transformation