Reviewing the cost power of in-plants is important for any executive wanting to make key decisions regarding cost and value and profits. Many make the mistake of simply categorizing in-plant production as a cost reduction or expense area. That can blow costs up in many other areas of the company. However, an inefficient in-plant that has not worked hard at value add may provide cost reduction after all. Unless, you work on the value add.
Profit leaders in commercial print plants keep Value Add at 65% or better. An In-Plant can do better. I’ve seen plants up to 85% where materials are not of high significance. Part of the problem is that corporations and organizations outside of manufacturing don’t get the concept. Even companies in manufacturing forget to apply costing and planning principles to individual departments that are applied to the entire company profit and value calculations.
What is Value Add?
Value Add is simple. Value Add is what your shop produces minus materials (paper, ink, plates) and minus what you shop out and outsource to others (mail list handling, large runs, design, etc…) When you shop out the work, you are not adding value for the client, the departments, or your business. Someone else is adding value. It devalues your overall business proposition.
Managers and executives, no one can do 100%. We need to measure today and work to move it above the 65% line. This is long term value for you as a business. You can be making profits off of this work and improving your single source provider influence in the mind of the customer. Customers want to go once place and get service from you, the provider that understands their needs.
So Where Can You Improve an In-Plant Service?
Simple. Ask the people sourcing work out of the company and organization.
Are there posters and banners and event collateral being serviced down the street for three times what could be produced in-house? Trust me, if you are doing these types of work and not enabling the in-house team with equipment to produce, you are losing money. It is costing you profits.
Is direct mail being serviced outside? Your in-plant should be working to integrate that into their digital offering. If your in-plant is already out-sourced, you should challenge the provider in this area.
Are you supporting online and variable print collateral across your organization? It is expensive out of house. A committed in-house or commercially provided in-plant can make that area work excellence for your organization.
What does your organization need?
Are you doing finishing at a secondary site and adding confusion, less reliability, and production lags in delivery? Think it through.
As an executive, you should be challenging the provider whether your in-plant is in-house or commercially provided. As an in-plant manager, you should be actively seeking product and services that build the value of the offerings to the business or organization.
Value Add builds business value, expands worker capability and contribution, and reduces production mix ups and lags due to outsourcing.
Next up? Product Optimization… a real place to get costs down and profits up.
SOLUM SERVICES 
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