Rick Neumann

By anticipating the needs of its company, Best Buy's Print Solutions Group has become one of the top in-plants in the retail business. By Mike Llewellyn BEST BUY Corp., based in Eden Prairie, Minn., opens between 50 and 70 new stores every year, according to Rick Neumann, director of printing for the company's Print Solutions Group (PSG). With each grand opening representing $35,000 in new print and fulfillment business each year, on top of the corporate and insourcing work PSG already provides, it's little wonder the 110-employee in-plant ranked 15th on IPG's Top 50 list. In fact, PSG's process group is charged with staying

In-Plant Graphics hosted the second annual Top 50 roundtable in Chicago recently, bringing together managers from around the country for some intensive discussions. By MIKE LLEWELLYN For the second year in a row, In-Plant Graphics hosted a roundtable luncheon for the Top 50 in-plants. Managers from some of the largest in-plants in the country met in Chicago during Graph Expo to discuss the challenges they share, and to learn from each other's experiences. For some it was a reunion. For others there were a lot of new names and faces to remember. But for everyone it was a welcome break from the crowds

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