Fond du Lac

As communications leader for print production at Kohler Co., Christopher Donlon has his hands full. Each year, Donlon's team uses its array of Xerox equipment to produce millions of finished printed products in support of Kohler, best known as a manufacturer of plumbing products.

MIKE SCHRADER, his wife, Deb, and their two sons—Rob, 13, and Pete, 11—reside in a small town halfway between the Green Bay Packers and the Milwaukee Brewers. Schrader was born and raised here, in Berlin, Wis., just northwest of the Fond du Lac headquarters of Mercury Marine, where he is manager of Printing & Mailing Solutions. As far back as he can recall Schrader had an interest in graphics and drawing. While in high school, he painted signs and vehicles for local businesses. He went on to receive an Associate Degree in Commercial Art in 1984 from Western Wisconsin Technical College, in LaCrosse, Wis.,

In-plant managers share how they've convinced customers to leave hard copy behind. By Mike Llewellyn It's a shame some customers have to make it so difficult for a manager who's trying to make their lives easier. For example: you know that sending a job electronically to the in-plant over the network is far easier—and faster—for customers. But still some of them insist on bringing you hard copy or dropping off disks. You can't really blame them—they're not trying to make your life miserable. They're just afraid of using the network. It's your job to put them at ease. One-on-one Interaction Most in-plant managers

In-plants at manufacturing firms are often integrated very closely with their companies' core businesses. This can bring those in-plants some unique opportunities. By MIKE LLEWELLYN &012;Mercury Marine Printing and Publishing Services doesn't merely support its parent company, a leading manufacturer of outboard motors. "We're integrated with Mercury itself," says Mike Schrader, manager of the 25-employee in-plant, based in Fond du Lac, Wisc. "We print most everything that goes with the engine." That includes owners' guides, installation manuals and more, all of which gets ordered through the company-wide Material Requirements Plan. "Fifty percent of everything we produce goes directly in the box," he says. Few

Even as platesetters flourish, many in-plants are sticking with imagesetters. We asked several in-plants why they chose the imaging technology they use. by Bob Neubauer With so many printers turning to computer-to-plate technology, why are some in-plants sticking with imagesetters? We decided to ask a few managers. Providing their comments were: Mike Schrader -Printing & Publications Manager -Mercury Marine -Fond du Lac, Wis. -15 in-plant employees _________________ Dan Kovalsky -Director Print & Digital Media Services -Constellation Energy -Baltimore, Md. -22 in-plant employees _________________ Charlie Tonoff -Manager Corporate Printing Services -Highmark -Camp Hill, Pa. -20 in-plant employees _________________ Sticking With

More Blogs