IPMA Survey Results Details Tactics and Strategies for In-Plant Service Providers

Howie Fenton

On Thursday at 11:00am in Room C144, Consultant and in-plant expert Howie Fenton will present the final results of IPMA’s survey, “The Next Generation Tactics and Strategies for In-Plant Service Providers,” with additional information on in-plant leaders. The survey, which focuses on best practices and strategies, addresses threats, pricing, staffing, training, education, marketing, and more,

The latest research on in-plant service providers includes both good news and bad news. The good news? Eighty-one percent of in-plant providers reported they had met their financial objectives last year, and 60 percent reported they met their financial objectives the last five years consecutively. When respondents were asked the age of their equipment, the #1 answer, with 58 percent of responses, was that their equipment was “up to date.” On-line ordering continues to grow; when asked how the volume of web-to-print orders had changed in the last year, 43 percent reported it had increased, and 24 percent reported it remained the same.

The survey also revealed challenges that in-plant providers need to address. Fenton will discuss several of these issues, including hiring and training issues, competitive prices and maintaining value, sales and marketing, mailing, and a lack of operational metrics. He will also reveal why leaders perform better and recommend strategies for all in-plants to become leaders.