Business Management - In-plant Justification

"All printing is created equal." It's not true, of course, but this is what our customers tend to believe. They've come to expect things like fast, dependable service, a quality product and value for their money. So when they try to differentiate between printers, they often focus on price. And while price is important, the best way for an in-plant to distinguish itself is through superior customer service and satisfaction. Technology is driving our business forward but is also driving our

Don't jump into the Request for Proposal process unprepared. By Mary Hegarty Let's face it, most people cringe (or worse) when faced with the prospect of initiating or responding to a major Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP process doesn't have to be a cause for undue stress, though. Done right, RFPs can be a valuable learning experience for both the buyer and the supplier. An in-plant manager has challenges that the average buyer does not. You are faced with buying equipment that will meet all the needs of very diverse customers, each with their own budget, time and requirement constraints.

By implementing a chargeback system, in-plants can save money, justify new equipment and prove their worth. By Mike Llewellyn IF YOU THINK balancing your checkbook is a chore, try managing the budget at the 52-employee Houston Independent School District in-plant. Steve Blakely, director of administrative services, says watching over the cash is a lot less difficult than it could be, though. That's because the in-plant charges back for every service it offers. Blakely says it's tough to imagine doing business without a fee-for-service system in place. It might come as a bit of a surprise, then, to learn that Administrative Services is relatively

Bringing in outside work is a challenge, but serious revenue is waiting for managers who know how to get it. By Mike Llewellyn JUST ABOUT 20 percent of Cameron University Printing Services' revenue comes from insourcing. According to Director Stanley Verser, that's a contentious number. Like many in-plants looking to insource work to fatten their profit margins, Verser says his Laughton, Okla.-based shop has to walk a fine line between serving the needs of external customers, and making sure the school is always the first priority. But then, serving the school's printing needs was the impetus behind insourcing in the first place. "The more

In the nine months since taking office as the 24th U.S. Public Printer, Bruce James says that, in his visits with the many dedicated workers on GPO's staff, he has been surprised to encounter a few who view the current falloff in printing volume as but a temporary setback. Deep down, they feel printing is sure to return to its previous volume once the economy revives. This is precisely the attitude Mr. James has been trying to change as he works to retool and digitize the 142-year-old in-plant for survival in the 21st century. I had the privilege of spending a few

By Mike Llewellyn Managers say attention to detail and a focus on customer service have made their in-plants among the most respected departments in their organizations. One of the toughest, and seldom discussed, challenges for in-plant managers is the battle to win recognition and respect from their parent organizations. "A lot of managers think they're rated very low on the totem pole," says Mike Renn, assistant vice president for corporate services at Philadelphia-based Mellon Financial. But this isn't because they lack the expertise needed to win the support of upper management. Rather, Renn says commercial printers have the time and money to sit

An in-plant is more than just a supplier of a commodity. Show off your value, as this manager does all the time. by Rosanne Weiman Best Buy works hard to turn on the fun for our consumers and our employees. Still, at Best Buy's Print Solutions Group, we're not immune to the trials every in-plant faces these days: the struggling economy, corporate downsizing and cost-cutting. Recent trends toward a "fear factor" at in-plants are alarming. Fear should not be at the core of life at any in-plant. It's certainly not at Print Solutions Group. Our culture is defined by a get-it-done, we-can-make-it-happen approach

Over the years, In-Plant Graphics has published many articles designed to help managers strengthen their in-plants and stay in business. Here are links to a number of the most useful stories. In-plants that closed and were later restarted: Orlando Magic: An In-plant Victory Story Outsourcing OUT--In-plant Back In Outsourcing: How To Outsource-proof Your In-plant Understanding The FM "Monster" Facilities Management: Be On Guard Defeating Facilities Management That Monday Morning Meeting Running your in-plant like a business: Selling A Chargeback Pays Off Chargeback: Critical To Your Survival Operate Like A Business It's Serious Business; Run It Like One The Power Of Competition

Insourcing has brought in new business for many Top 50 in-plants. Fifty-four percent of the Top 50 are doing it. The benefits are clear. by MIKE LLEWELLYN AS PARENT organizations across the board spend less on printing, some in-plants are looking beyond their primary client. Fifty-four percent of the Top 50 in-plants are insourcing work from customers other than their parent organizations. (See list on page 18.) They are bringing in hundreds of thousands—even millions—of dollars in revenue, even in these tough times. For many, this revenue plays a large part in their success, and helps keep them on the Top 50. At Minnesota

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.