Merging Print & Mail

At these in-plants, combining the print and mail departments has not only reduced costs but streamlined operations and allowed more cross-training.

By W. Eric Martin

When you manage an in-plant, you have a boatload of responsibilities—which is why it may seem strange to hear you should take on one more, specifically, the mail operation."Combining the manufacture of printed documents with their distribution is the most logical of efficient processes," says John Eichmann, the Central Services Division manager for the City of Boise, Idaho, which combined print, mail and office supplies procurement in the 1970s, and has been going strong ever since.