A MERGER that results in the creation of a dynamic financial institution and can boast two in-plant printing sites is a great success story that ends with a thud. I don’t recommend trying to build better in-plants through subtraction and I take comfort in the fact that none of my staff was harmed in the production of this story. Defying Gravity “They are going to close you.” my wife said, as I left for work, “I don’t know why you bother to keep taking meetings.” I didn’t answer. I couldn’t allow myself to be that pragmatic. I did what I always did when
Mike Renn
INSOURCING IS more than a trend. It can be a life saver to your in-plant. Who knew it would send me on a 3,000-mile last-gasp attempt to rescue my in-plant? Insourcing in Theory The policy of providing printing services to clients outside of the in-plant’s organization pays off in more ways than one. In the utopian model of insourcing, the in-plant manager zeros out his budget with external revenue and gives internal clients the lowest cost services possible. In return, the external clients gain the benefit of the in-plant’s cost-cutting philosophy. I sat through a session on insourcing at an IPMA national conference
WHEN PROPOSING something as volatile as the right of first refusal, it makes sense to benchmark one of the forefathers of insubordinate enlightenment. In 1776, Thomas Paine published an essay called “Common Sense.” It clearly delineated the reasons why 13 overtaxed colonies should work together to succeed without bowing to the self-interest of outside concerns. It was a logical call for interdependent independence. It took courage to point out the obvious. In-plant managers will require a measure of that valor. Knowing Why Doesn’t it make sense for an organization to invest in its own services? It’s like taking money out of the left pocket and putting
Facilities management firms are still out there, whispering in your upper management's ear. To survive, you've got to get your message to management first.
A chargeback system will help you build a successful, outsource-resistant in-plant, but first you must sell the idea to management. If you know the benefits and drawbacks up front, it will be an easy sell.
You say you'd love to upgrade your equipment but can't get management to OK it? Find out how this manager was able to justify the cost of new equipment — repeatedly.
