Ray Chambers

Ray Chambers

Ray Chambers, CGCM, MBA, has invested over 30 years managing and directing printing plants, copy centers, mail centers and award-winning document management facilities in higher education and government.

Most recently, Chambers served as vice president and chief information officer at Juniata College. Chambers is currently a doctoral candidate studying Higher Education Administration at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU). His research interests include outsourcing in higher education and its impact on support services in higher education and managing support services. He also consults (Chambers Management Group) with leaders in both the public and private sectors to help them understand and improve in-plant printing and document services operations.

Management by Wandering Around

Organizations where management makes unstructured, random visits to the shop floor tend to be more efficient and enjoy greater morale.

Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

Years ago, after partnering with a vendor to implement one of the first all-inclusive copier management programs in higher-ed, I was shocked when that same vendor approached our administration with the news that we had too many copiers, too many printers and too many copy centers. 20 years later, nothing’s changed.

It’s All About the Mission

Often, the VP and the in-plant manager have different perceptions of which data is important to measure and report on. The in-plant manager needs hard numbers to guide shop performance. But the VP needs to know why these metrics are important. Make sure you ask which metrics management wants to see.

What Is an In-plant?

Ray Chambers explores how the desire to control the supply chain to meet business objectives led companies to create in-plants.

ACUP Is Nearly Here!

After a year of planning, the Association of College and University Printers conference is just over a week away.

How a Listserv Created a Community

Twenty years ago, HardCopy—the listserv for print professionals serving in the educational space—was born. Here’s the story.

The Price Is Right. Or Is It?

In his new blog entry, Ray Chambers reveals why comparing prices with other in-plants may be of limited value.

Debunking the MPS Myth, ACUP Style

Managed print services (MPS) have evolved as a major force in our part of the printing and document management space. They’re also a ma

Managed Print Services: Document Solution or Cash Cow?

Managed Print Services (MPS) is becoming mainstream. Ever since a large IT research organization published a "study" a few years ago in which it estimated that organizations spend 1 percent to 3 percent of total revenue on printing, an entire sub-industry has evolved to tap into this market. The researcher called it a "gold mine" but failed to address the fundamental issue: Is 1 percent to 3 percent too high, too low or just right?

Writing Successful Proposals

As an in-plant manager, crafting proposals is nothing new. But a poorly conceived request sent to management could mean your print shop being denied that new press, facility or employee you may so sorely need. In a new article by consultant Ray Chambers, he details how knowing your numbers may mean the difference between a proposal being approved, or tossed in the trash.

Writing Successful Proposals: It's All About the Numbers

As managers we have all been faced with situations where we needed to invoke change. Maybe we’ve had too few or too many employees. Maybe we needed to add a new piece of equipment or get rid of an old one. Maybe we needed a new facility. The common element in all of these change initiatives is that, most likely, we’ve had to convince someone at a higher level that action was needed.