In-plant Profiles

"In college you learn management skills from a book. In the Navy you get hands-on experience dealing with many different types of people in very stressful situations," says Jimmy Robinson, printing department director at the University of West Alabama. Drawing from the leadership skills he learned as print shop supervisor aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (and the strategies he read in college), Robinson has spent 19 years building this small southern in-plant into a seasoned survivor responsible for 95 percent of all the work printed by the university. Technology, quality and efficiency, he says are the focus areas that will keep an in-plant alive.

When you're the only guy in the print shop, everything's your fault. So if the in-plant isn't pulling it's weight, it's your job on the line. "Over the years, watching so many shops go out of business, I've looked for different avenues to take [to ensure the shop's survival]," says Larry Clements, director of printing at Redlands Community College and the shop's only full-timer. The solo operation is especially tough because the El Reno, Okla., school won't let Clements charge more for printing than the cost of the materials. With a profit margin thinned out to a big fat zero, Clements did what anyone

Pete Twentey has traveled a long road, but the sharpest curves are yet to come. by MIKE LLEWELLYN Every morning, Pete Twentey gets in his car and drives 74 miles from his home in Frederick, Md., to the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., where he is director of Material Services Operations. It's been a long road for Twentey, and to show for it, he's pulled together some rock-solid experience. "I've been in this business for 34 years," he says, adding that he picked up his first printing job after leaving the military. "I was just driving up the road looking for a

In-plants at health care organizations, like Mayo Clinic, feel that their work is helping to save lives. Story by Mike Llewellyn "You can feel extremely good about working here," says Claire Metzler, supervisor of the in-plant at Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. And with good reason. Mayo Clinic is one of the most respected names in health care, priding itself on its compassionate patient care and best known for its cancer treatments and organ transplants. Likewise, Mayo Clinic's in-plant is a standout in its own industry, with 27 employees and a full range of services, extending even to Web-based job submission and data

With steady management and an eye for technology, Tim Hoffstedder has brought his in-plant into the digital age. by MIKE LLEWELLYN When a good thing comes your way, you stick with it. Tim Hoffstedder found his at Western & Southern Financial Group's in-plant. Now printing manager, Hoffstedder has been working at the shop since the tender age of 17, just after his high school graduation. "I really didn't choose this," he says. "But I enjoyed it, so I stayed." Hoffstedder started as an entry-level bindery operator 35 years ago. Leaving the bindery for the smaller presses, he soon took on prepress and typesetting,

Whether rooted in a quest for cost cutting, a push for improvement or an executive/legislative power struggle, serious threats are dogging the country's largest in-plant. by BOB NEUBAUER These are stressful times for the Government Printing Office. Since May the 141-year-old institution has been challenged, disparaged and ignored by the President's Office of Management and Budget (OMB)—despite receiving stellar marks in an audit of its financial statements. Even the excitement of a new Public Printer seems dulled by the political bickering going on between the executive and legislative branches. As Bruce James takes the reigns from departing Public Printer Michael DiMario, the

Scott Lipsey says his in-plant has just taken the first step to becoming a full-blown digital shop. And it's been one giant step. The 30-employee shop, Mississippi State University Printing Services, purchased a Heidelberg QuickMaster DI Pro direct imaging press. "We were doing four-color work on two one-color [Heidelberg] KORDs, and they were both over 30 years old," says Lipsey, the in-plant's QMDI specialist. "So we looked at this purchase as a way to get quick turnaround on four-color work." Lipsey says jobs that used to take three or four days to complete, can now be handled in an hour thanks to the

By recognizing new opportunities for growth, the BYU Print and Mail Production center has increased both its revenue and services. by Mike Llewellyn Sales grew solidly over the past year at the Brigham Young University Print and Mail Production center. Director West Barton attributes the increase to an academic trend. He explains that "independent study," or distance learning, has been a great opportunity for his operation. "We've gone from 26,000 student packets four years ago to 75,000 this year," he says. "And we're looking to reach a goal of 500,000." This growth pushed the in-plant up four ranks on last month's Top 50, placing

When the going got tough, these in-plants boosted their sales anyway. From free-falling consumer confidence to scandalized captains of industry, it's been a rough year for the U.S. economy. Likewise, many in-plants have reported a drop in revenue, including 19 of those in the Top 50. But 26 other Top 50 in-plants not only survived the crunch, they flourished in it. They have increased sales, expanded their services and now rest on a foundation more solid than it was before the economy turned sour. How did they do it? Basically by keeping their eyes open for new opportunities—and not just printing

"Printing Services exists to save the corporation money," says Gary Hiltbrand, manager of Printing Services for Target Corp., in Minneapolis. "As soon as we stop doing that, we stop having a reason to exist." If there is one thing that Hiltbrand's in-plant excels at, he says, it's finding ways to provide value for the parent company. "To do that, we look at what niches of printing would save the most money," he says. Part of providing value to the company, according to Hiltbrand, is knowing when outsourcing the work will save more money. For example, the millions of advertising circulars Target requires for