Automation and compatibility with digital printing equipment have revolutionized stitching equipment, making operator involvement almost obsolete. "Automation, automation, automation," declares Rick Trapilo, general manager and executive vice president of C.P. Bourg. This, he says, is the primary trend typifying today's stitching equipment. Since operator skill levels vary greatly, Trapilo says, stitching equipment companies are making significant changes to reduce operator involvement. "Threading a stitch head could be difficult for some operators," Trapilo explains. "We're virtually taking that setup issue out of the equation for an in-plant manager." Some automated features now include self-loading, self-threading and operator warning systems in the event of
Heidelberg
Are you ready for a calamity to hit your in-plant? Neither were these managers. Find out what happened to them, and how they recovered. For most people, spring break brings thoughts of warm, bright Florida sunshine under which college coeds hit the beaches by day and party by night. But for Brad Johnson, print services manager at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., last year's spring break was about as far from fun as he could get—and not just geographically. "I was in shock. It was a reality check for sure." That was how Johnson says he felt when he first laid
Will toner-based printing make offset obsolete? No way, say the offset experts. Offset will transform into a more user-friendly, more digital process. With the final year of the 20th century now well underway, offset press venders are beginning to turn their thoughts toward the future—and it's not as far off as you might think. For some time, the industry has been beset with hushed voices forecasting the potential demise of offset due to intense competition from digital printing. Not so fast, offset venders insist. The next few years, they say, will bring about new generations of presses so technologically advanced, convenient and attractively
Spartan Stores Grand Rapids, Mich. Growth would be an understatement when talking about the changes that have taken place at Spartan Stores' in-plant over its 35-year existence. The Midwestern grocery wholesaler, located in Grand Rapids, Mich., began its in-plant with just a one-color duplicator used for printing company bulletins, according to David DeWildt, director of printing and design at Spartan. Since then, Spartan's in-plant has grown into a 36,000-square-foot, full-service print shop, which includes three Heidelberg sheetfed presses, four Goss webs, 43 Macintosh workstations and full binding and copying capabilities. And there are no plans for stopping there, let alone downsizing. DeWildt
Cigna Charleston, S.C. STARTING OUT with several small in-plant facilities at locations across the country, Cigna Printing & Distribution eventually centralized into one main printing shop located in Charleston, S.C. This is where the majority of the insurance company's printing work is done today, although there is one smaller in-plant located in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., and a few copy centers spread throughout the nation. The in-plant serves about 50,000 Cigna employees, according to John Panhorst, who oversees printing in both in-plant locations. The majority of in-house work is black and white, he says. What's the in-plant's secret of survival? "We
Despite falling just a month after IPEX in England, this year's show drew more than 44,000 visitors—and the vendors didn't let them down. When graphic arts industry representatives from all over the world arrived in Chicago for Graph Expo recently, Xeikon decided to shock them a little bit. At a press conference, the Belgium-based digital color press manufacturer contended that digital color production costs are now comparable with offset at runs of 1,000 units or more. Based on a study Xeikon had commissioned, which used real costs and time factors in actual production environments, the company insisted that digital color presses have
USAA San Antonio, Texas With a customer base of more than 3.5 million people—a figure that grows every year at a rate of 6 to 8 percent—the USAA in-plant in San Antonio, Texas, is kept busy on a daily basis. This insurance and financial services company's in-plant department was founded about 40 years ago to primarily print business forms and declaration pages for automobile policies. Today, the operation boasts a 40,000-square-foot facility and averages 36,000 jobs per year—a figure that is expected to grow annually, according to Jack Mondin, executive director of publishing output services. Despite this anticipated growth, Mondin put some pressure
University of Washington Publications Services Seattle, Wash. As the largest university in-plant on the IPG Top 50 list, University of Washington Publications Services has an impressive operation. Not only does it fill a three-story, 48,000-square-foot building on the edge of the Seattle campus, but it includes 16 copy centers, two of which are located off campus. In addition to printing and copying, the mega-in-plant handles all of the university's incoming and outgoing mail—a massive undertaking, and part of the reason that Publications Services employs a staggering 160 full-time employees and 112 part-timers. But why? Why does a university need such
California Office of State Publishing Sacramento, Calif. Sometimes when you're big you've got to get smaller to survive. That's what happened in 1996 at the California Office of State Publishing (OSP), the largest state printing operation in the country. That was the year the Sacramento-based operation went non-mandated—when state agencies were no longer required to use the in-plant's services. The result was a significant drop in sales—10 percent over two years—and a corresponding reduction in staff. But the move also reduced some of the privatization challenges being directed at OSP by private sector printers and won the operation a lot of
University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, Calif. University of California-Berkeley Printing Services has a long and distinguished history as the main provider of printed materials for the school. According to George Craig, director of printing services, the university created its first print shop in 1874 in the basement of an early administration building. Up until the 1950s the printing department was combined with the publishing division. When the printing needs of the school became too great, a separate department was born. "It was recognized as an early requirement and has grown since," Craig says of the printing department. Since those days back in
