My wife Catherine and I recently returned from an incredible experience. We were invited to present at the annual University Print Managers’ Group (UPMG) conference in the U.K.
I had the opportunity to spend a few days recently visiting a shop that I worked with two or three years ago. Revisiting a shop that had issues, only to find that most—if not all—of the issues have been resolved, is one of the most rewarding things about my job.
The current economy can be viewed as a threat or an opportunity. For in-plants that have made the right investments, the economy has opened the door to some new and exciting opportunities.
You need to proactively and succinctly communicate the value that the in-plant is delivering to the organization in terms that all levels of management will understand.
In a difficult economic climate, organizations are seeking to improve business metrics by outsourcing operations that are not directly related to their core products.
Will outsourcing the Washington State Department of Printing really reduce printing costs? Really? Closing a self-supporting in-plant print shop doesn’t make the demand for printing in the organization go away.
The legislature has convened for the current term in the State of Washington, and it looks like business as usual, at least for that state’s Department of Printing (PRT). A group of Republican and Democratic Senators, including Senator Rodney Tom, who sponsored a similar bill last year, has introduced Senate Bill 5523, which would eliminate the state printer.
As in-plant managers, we are often expected to confirm our value to our parent organizations. We are asked why the organization needs an in-plant. The following is a true story. Only the names have been changed to protect the...Well, bear with me.
A lot of the people I work with are confused about how to respond to “let’s close the print shop and save a bundle.” There are a lot of excuses put forward to justify closing an in-plant. One frequently used excuse is the cost of new equipment and the organization’s inability or unwillingness to modernize.
How do you define “impression?” Printers have been arguing about the definition of an impression for as long as we’ve had devices that put marks on pieces of paper. Longer, actually.
