November 2014
A Show Floor Tour
With equipment specs, pictures and video all available online, why should an in-plant manager bother going to Graph Expo any more? Those who made the trip to Chicago last month have lots of good reasons.
Best Practices: Charting Proficiency
When a print shop experiences a work surge, it’s easy to assume that adding equipment is the best way to catch up. But at the State of Tennessee’s Division of Printing and Media Services, Director Tammy Golden saves money by increasing the efficiency and capabilities of her staff.
Best Practices: Stretching the Imagination
When shipping multiple pallets per week, manually stretch-wrapping each one is time consuming and can cause fatigue and discomfort to the person doing the wrapping. This was the case at the Washington, D.C.-based Amtrak Headquarters Reprographics Facility until about four years ago.
From the Editor: Challenge Yourself
Sure, in-plants know it's a good idea to benchmark their performance against other printers. But contacting and surveying those other printers is a lot of work. What if there was an online tool that would let managers plug in information and quickly see how they compare?
Geneva College Expands and Rebrands
Joel Palmer knew he could provide more than a copy center for the Geneva College community. By transitioning the college’s small duplicating facility into a full-fledged print operation, he was confident he could provide the school with top-notch work and significant cost savings.
Grace Under Pressure
Paul Kida would like to put to rest some common misconceptions about working for state government. Having worked his first 18 years in the private sector, he'd long been told that the private sector was where the real money was, backed by the best technology and the most opportunities for career advancement.
In-plants Make a Strong Showing at Graph Expo
It was reassuring to see so many in-plant managers at Graph Expo this year. The Chicago trade show has been drawing the in-plant crowd for years, but managers have generally gone about their business quietly, not making much of a splash. This year, because of the number of in-plant events taking place, they were much more visible.
In-plants Meet at Messiah College
Last month, a dozen or so in-plant managers met on the central Pennsylvania campus of Messiah College for a day of networking and education. The meeting was part of the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association’s series of fall regional meetings taking place all over the country.
Putting Their Best Foot Forward
As Mark Baker sees it, providing prompt, painless service is imperative at his company.
"Our brands enjoy being able to get something done immediately," says the manager of Office Services for Wolverine Worldwide, a footwear and apparel manufacturer based in Rockford, Mich.
The Strength of Self Sufficiency
When a business has been successful for as long as The Okonite Company, a strong sense of pride develops among management and employees. Since 1878, the Ramsey, N.J., company has been manufacturing wire and cable, bringing light to iconic locations like the Statue of Liberty and One World Trade Center. Its earliest customers included Samuel Morse and Thomas Edison.
Web-to-print Leaders and Laggards
Last month I was part of the In-plant Graphics webinar titled “Cracking the Code to Web-to-print Success.” It was a very interesting webinar, which featured a presentation by Jim Sinclair, production manager at the International Association of Lions Clubs, about how his PTI Web-to-print system was critical in his ability to increase sales and reduce outsourcing.
