Trends in the In-plant Industry

As our December issue heads to the printer this week, we thought we'd pull out a few key excerpts from the issue to give you taste of what's headed your way. The issue is packed with articles examining trends in the in-plant industry as we head into the new year. Here's a sample:

"This outsourcing trend is discussed by administrators and executives at shows and in management magazines. For many companies, these ideas remain dormant until there are problems—such as customer complaints, price concerns or an inability to meet financial obligations." —Howie Fenton

"Outsourcing may work for some businesses, but it often falls short in offering some of the most beneficial advantages that in-plants deliver—specifically their in-depth knowledge of the organization’s communication requirements and processes, print or digital." —Dennis Amorosano

"We—print managers—need to be visible. We need to get out there, serve on committees, sponsor a club, volunteer to help out. We need to be visible. It’s really hard to eliminate a position held by someone that you go to the gym with, or served on a program review with, or eat lunch with, or who gave their kid a part-time job." —Patrick Bruchs

"If you are seeing print volumes decline for certain products, do some research to discover which products and services are growth opportunities. This could help you better align with the mission of the enterprise, while allowing you to offer higher value." —Howie Fenton

"The wide-format inkjet printing market remains a growth business, yet it is challenged by pricing pressures, buyers’ quality and speed demands, and the emergence of competitive digital displays and mobile advertising." —Rekha Ratnam

"Letterhead and other office documents are expected to decline from 31.4 billion impressions in 2014 to 26.8 billion impressions in 2019. If you are already struggling with declining print volumes, consider this a red flag." —Howie Fenton

"My biggest mistake was thinking that our performance was enough to solidify our value to the university. It turns out, that was not the case at all. Many of the decision makers were convinced that outsourcing print was the right thing to do, even though the numbers didn’t support that position." —Patrick Bruchs

"Over the last 50 years it has been proven that management is the root cause of 90 percent of all quality problems. As managers of print, we create and endorse the culture of quality in our organization and so we are responsible for most quality problems that occur. Inadequate training, incomprehensible or neglected standard operating procedures and poorly designed processes are just a few of the areas where we fail in achieving quality." —Gordon Rivera