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U P M G N E W S L E T T E R E D I T I O N 4 • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

IN THIS ISSUE:P2 Who’s Who on the Executive

P4 Message from the Chair

P5 Welcome to new members

P7 Meeting at the Vale

P8 News on Conference 2012

P11 Life as a University Print Manager

P12 Visiting the NIPPA Conference

P13 UPMG Design and Print Awards 2012

P14 Print & copy service gets a facelift

P15 News from overseas friends

P16 Letter from the editor

(Special thanks and acknowledgements for this edition of the Newsletter go to: Rebecca

Hanlon, Martin Parker, Paul Bishop, Michelle Barraclough, Sue Dummett, Peter Davey, Chris

Hawkes, Simon Hampton-Matthews, Andrew Scott, Roy Stares and Ray Chambers)

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Who’s Who on the UPMG

Executive?

Rebecca Hanlon – UWIC – Chair 2009 – Rebecca was re-elected for a further 2 years as chair, she has been an executive member since 2004 and as Secretary and Deputy Chair.

Sarah Gibbons – Goldsmiths – Deputy Chair, Sarah was elected as Deputy Chair, she has been an executive member since 2005, previously Sarah has been a co-opted member on the executive as well as secretary.

Carol Aleknavicius – Bristol – Executive member since 2009.

Chris Ward – Cranfield – Executive member since 2010.

Francis Reis – Plymouth – Treasurer – Francis has also served as Chair 2002 – 2007 and executive member for over 10 years, and NWP representative.

Simon Hampton-Matthews – UWE (University of the West of England) – Simon was re-elected as Secretary for a further 3 years, Simon has also served as an executive member since 2008.

Andrew Scott – Scottish UPMG chairman (Permanent position) – Glasgow Caledonian – for 13 years.

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Paul Bishop – Sheffield Hallam – Trustee – Paul was re-elected for a further 3 years, and has served as an executive member since 2007.

Janine Barraclough – Sheffield – Executive member since 2005.

Nigel Phillips – Exeter – Executive member for 2011. Nigel has previously served on the executive, and in 2010 became editor of the UPMG

Martin Parker – Robert Gordon University, since 2010. Martin is our conference photographer.

Peter Davey – Glamorgan – Executive member since 2010.

Roy Stares – Conference Organiser

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We have also run a Christmas promotion on canvas and mug printing and this has attracted new customers and orders. This has motivated the whole team to be involved in future promotions and developments.

I know, from the emails and conversations with other members, that many of you share similar stories. We as university print managers are instrumental in developing new services for our customers, as well as promoting and selling these services. And we have the challenge to achieve this with an ever shrinking team and often little or no marketing budget; whilst also ensuring all production deadlines are met; consistent high quality is assured; Health and Safety guidelines are followed; and budget targets are achieved or exceeded. What a fantastic range of skills we have.

Message from the Chair . . . .

Welcome to our Christmas newsletter. The first term of the year is always such a busy time in university life for most of us that the term flies by. In my university it has been a busy one, with many new projects starting and the diary full of appointments for the coming months.

In this edition I wanted to share with you how I was challenged by one of our conference sessions in Darlington where the question was asked: ‘Do your customers really know what you do?’ Initially I thought ‘Of course they do, they use our services every day.’ However, when I thought about it, and listened to the examples given during the presentation, some of the bad examples were a bit close to home, I felt that I should have a closer look and put myself into my customer’s shoes, to see what they really see.

So I did a walk around of our sites, and took a critical look at our front of house, unfortunately I have to admit that the information was not very useful. We had a range of samples on the wall, some information, our logo and opening hours, but for people who didn’t know what we did there was very little to show them our range of services unless they enquired directly.

So, over the summer holiday period the whole team worked together to develop a far more customer friendly face, to raise customer awareness of our products and services. Although it is early days, we are now able to promote our services with plenty of samples and information; enquiries have increased for a wider range of services which we hope will bring increased revenue.

Our 2012 conference is being held here in Cardiff, South Wales and the program is full with a wide range of topics, and it is an excellent source of ideas and motivation, as well as an ideal opportunity to meet and discuss with managers from around the UK.

I hope you enjoy this edition of our newsletter, and I would like to wish you and you families a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2012.

Rebecca

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Welcome!The executive committee of the UPMG would like to welcome the following new members:

Chris Hawkes Deputy Head, Digital Copy Services Anglia Ruskin University

Avril McSorley Production Services Administrator Edinburgh Napier University

Richard Barrett Studio Manager, Print Design Services Glasgow Caledonian Uni

Terry O’Rourke Administrator Goldsmiths

Gill Kennedy Senior User Services Assistant Open University

Alison Allan Studio Supervisor Robert Gordon University

Raymond Irvine Print Supervisor Robert Gordon University

David Knights Print Production Supervisor University of East London

James Allan Head of Imaging Services University of Oxford

Sheryl Mather Graphic Design Manager University of Sheffield

Michelle

Barraclough Operations Manager University of Sheffield

Carol Mathison Commercial Team Leader University of the West England

Carolyn Hancocks Pre-press Team Leader University of the West of England

Leigh Bryant Internal Production Team Leader University of the West of England

Tony Clemson Senior Pre-press/Designer University of Wolverhampton

Peter Maguire Senior Litho Printer University of Wolverhampton

Michelle Barraclough – University of Sheffield

Being from Yorkshire, I started my

profession in the Steel Reinforcement

Industry. I managed various contracts,

including Meadowhall, the Sheffield

Super tram and the Channel Tunnel

project. After a short career break to

have my son, who is now 17, I began

work for Print & Design Solutions at

the University of Sheffield. That was

nearly 15 years ago and I now have a 3

year old daughter to keep me busy!

My job at the university has changed

many times over the years. I began as

a temporary member of staff and was

tasked with the internal charging of

a backlog of print and copying work

tickets. My current role is Operations

Manager which means I am responsible

for the reception/main office and

administration, digital printing, thesis

binding and delivery. I work closely

with our management team to ensure

the success and development of the

service. I also have responsibility for

financial account management including

audits; I have taken part in a number of

service reviews over the years which I

am sure many of you are familiar with.

Currently I am involved in a project

to launch myPrint, which is our online

submission service and another very

important duty is to ensure that Mr

Tetley gets his bacon butty in the

morning!

A major investment has been made

in myPrint, this has brought the usual

challenges that come along with

building a new system and service, and

the most difficult has been allocating

the required resources which are an

area that is often underestimated. The

project has now gathered momentum

and we plan to pilot in December

with a go live date in January 2012.

I can then concentrate on my next

development which is to introduce the

electronic submission of examination

papers. Let the fun begin!

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Chris HawkesI started working for Anglia Ruskin University almost 4 years ago, originally as a Digital Copy Services Technician. I’m now the Deputy Head of Department, and based at the Cambridge campus. Digital Copy Services provide a wide range of black and white and colour print services for University staff, students and the public. In my spare time I enjoy playing guitar and making music, cooking and watching films. Unfortunately, I won’t be attending the UPMG next year as I’m getting married a few days after the conference!

Farewell

We say goodbye to Bruce Wigley, De Montford University, Leicester Bruce has been a member of the UPMG for many years, serving on the Executive, also as Chair and Deputy Chair. I would like to echo the sentiments below and tell Bruce that he will be greatly missed by all of us. Thank you again Bruce for all the support you have given the UPMG over the years and all members wish you an enjoyable and prosperous retirement.

The following comments have been extracted from the UPMG email circuit

Good luck with the retirement

–Simon Hampton-Matthews

I wish you a long and happy retirement

– Sue Fry

I wish you all the very best for a long and happy retirement

– Carol Aleknavicius

I read the news of your departure with a very sad heart. You will be greatly missed by the UPMG and myself

– Alan Lee

Best regards to you and Beulah y Buena suerte

– Steve Redding

Wishing you all the very best for the future

– Chris Ward

It’s been a pleasure knowing and working with you over the years

– Rebecca Hanlon

Enjoy the retirement, and as Rebecca has said you better get those holidays planned and prioritised!

Francis Reis

Wishing you all the best for the future

– Andrew Scott

I would like to wish you and your family all the very best in your future endeavours

- Janine Barraclough

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Inspecting the ValeThis is the first time we have held a UPMG Executive Meeting at a proposed conference venue. Examining the main area where our conference and exhibition will take place enables us to obtain a clearer prospective on how we can apportion space, as we discuss what could go where.

Below are pictures of us touring the Vale Hotel. However, I strongly get the impression that Paul Elton Bishop could also be seizing the opportunity to practise some songs for 70s’ Night !!

Clockwise, around the table: Janine Barraclough, Paul Bishop, Rebecca Hanlon, Andrew Scott, Peter Davey,

Simon Hampton-Matthews, Roy Stares, Nigel Phillips (see him also in 70s’ night!) and Martin Parker.

Meeting at

the Vale

On the 22/23rd of August 2011, the UPMG Executive Committee met at the Vale Hotel, Hensol, Cardiff. Conference planning for 2012 began and it was also an excellent opportunity to view the venue where we would be holding our Conference in 2012.

What was going to be the title? What did we wish to achieve? Should we continue the trend of a theme night? How about speakers? What would members like to do for a social activity? These were all items which needed to be openly discussed and thought through between us. So, let’s examine the returned questionnaires from the previous conference (extremely important), what are the members saying? What would the members find beneficial? How can we give our members a conference which is: appealing, practical, memorable and fun!

Well, I’m pleased to report that conference planning has begun in earnest.

Venue: The Vale Hotel, Hensol, Cardiff

Date: 27th – 30th May 2012

Title: Going for Gold (it is Olympics Year!).

Speakers: Several have been recommended and many have now been confirmed.

Sunday Night? Read further below and Theme Night: The 1970s’

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What could be happening on Sunday Night?

Ladies and Gentlemen - The UPMG proudly presents:

The Cambrian Male Voice Choir (featuring our very own Peter Davey)

. . . who will be performing live before conference delegates on Sunday, 27th May, 2012

The following two articles have been extracted from the Cambrian Male Voice Choir Website:

www.cambrianmalechoir.org.uk

Peter Davey is Secretary of the Cambrian Male Voice Choir. He was born on the 15th November 1961 in Cardiff. As a boy, he first attended Tonyrefail Primary School, followed by Tonyrefail Comprehensive School. He is married to Steph and they have two children Richard and Emma. His first job was a Print room Assistant at the Polytechnic of Wales (now the University of Glamorgan). He has been employed by the University ever since and he now holds the position of Print and Design Services Manager. He lists his hobbies as singing, golf, computers and webmaster to the choir website.

Mr Frederick Nicholas – Musical Director

Mr Brian James – Musical Accompanist

Mr Peter Davey – Choir Secretary & UPMG Executive Member

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They were very active in the arena of local and National eisteddfodau. In the 1930’s it set a unique record as the first choir to win at the National Eisteddfod for three consecutive years.

The present choir was reformed in 1948 under the baton of Mr D.R.Lewis a young man of exceptional talent and dedication and in three years it grew in strength to 110 voices. When there became a shortage of ‘top tenors’ the choir disbanded and reformed immediately under the name ‘Cambrian Gleemen’ with only about 40 voices.

It quickly re-established the tradition of performing at Eisteddfodau, charity performances, appearing on television and singing regularly on radio etc. Many of the celebrities who sang in concert with the choir were world famous names – Sir Geraint Evans, Elizabeth Vaughan, Charles Craig and Delme Bryn Jones were just a few.

In the competitive field the choir won numerous prizes in Eisteddfodau, they grew in number and in stature and were once again named ‘Cambrian Male Choir’

In the mining industry many workers were maimed and killed due to the arduous nature of the work. The Cambrian Colliery had more than its fair share of deaths and the choir lost many men as a result. In 1965, 32 men lost their lives at the No.1 Pit and even though not one of them was a choir member this time, it had a profound effect on their lives. Membership dwindled and interest was at low ebb, when their conductor left them the choir hung together by a thread. In the years to follow, their pianist Mrs Muriel Rees was their rock and the choir began to break new ground musically. One of the choristers, Mr E. Davies took over the conductorship for a while and in 1973 a new conductor was appointed, Mr Paul Bennett. In him they found an exceptional music director and new ideas were soon formulated.

The choir activities are various and widespread. They have sung on numerous occasions at the Festivals of 1000 voices at the Royal Albert Hall. They have given concerts across the length and breadth of Britain and

Peter joined the choir in January 1990 as a second tenor. After just two weeks of him starting, the standing secretary relinquished his position and Peter was invited to fill the role. He accepted and has been secretary ever since. He explains his reasons for joining the choir. “I always enjoyed singing from a young age, taking part in School Eisteddfod, and in the school production of Oliver. I became a member of St. David’s Church choir in the 70s, and was Deputy Head Chorister, then with my arm twisted by Linden Evans (Chairman) I joined the Cambrian and haven’t looked back since”. He was torn between two songs when asked to name his favourite. He decided on “Castilla” though “Autumn Leaves” was a close second.

Of his most memorable moment with the Choir Peter explains,” There are so many to choose from, probably the first concert at the Royal Albert Hall followed by the World Choir event with 10,000 voices at the National Stadium, where we backed Shirley Bassey. The impromptu concert outside St. David’s Hall following the Rugby World Cup final in 1999 where a very large crowd gathered in the Hayes followed by TV camera’s, fantastic”. Is he able to identify one venue which left a lasting legacy with him? Not quite one. He states “The Royal Albert Hall, Millennium Stadium, Vanier Hall,

Prince George, Canada 2001” all hold great, unique memories. So what has belonging to Cambrian Choir personally meant to him? “Just being part of a choir which is held in high esteem throughout the choir community, the camaraderie and of course that sound that can make people cry one moment and laugh the next”.

In summing up, Peter presents his description of the Choir – “A great group of lads who can produce an unforgettable sound and many many unforgettable memories, extremely proud to be a member”.

Choir History

Late in the 19th century, a choir of over a hundred men was formed in Clydach Vale, by the employees of the local colliery and became ‘The Cambrian Colliery Male Choir’.

have performed concert tours in America and Germany. They still take great pleasure in the fact that they were the first Welsh choir to perform in Disneyworld Florida. In Germany, they have formed a lasting friendship with a choir there, the Frohsinn Male Voice Choir in Simmern and have reciprocated by hosting the Frohsinn in Rhondda several times.

Amongst other events the choir participated in a stage production of the works of the author Gwyn Thomas. Actor Glyn Houston required a local choir to help him with the production and he chose the Cambrian. The choir has also participated in the Welsh Association of Male Voice Choirs ‘Choir of the Year’ Competition, winning the title on two consecutive occasions. They were the Majestic Choir Competition Runners Up in 2008, toured Scotland in April 2010 and appeared at the Royal Albert Hall, London in October 2010. The Choir are currently busy planning a major tour to Sarasota, Florida in April 2013.

Monday evening

70s’ Night comes to Conference !!The following photo has been ex-tracted from my 1974 passport.

Yes, it is me!

Children always have a way of putting things and a few years ago I remember my youngest son saying to me: ‘You’ve got none much hair haven’t you!’(Goodness! . . . how times change.) Shortly after that I remember him asking: Dad when you were young? (You mean I’m not!) Did you used to dream in black and white? Of course I did Josh! It was only in the 70s’ when I started to dream in colour! And I haven’t stopped yet.

10 11

Personally, I have early memories of the ‘60s’ and such vivid memories of the ‘70s’. The Beatles, Elvis, Rolling Stones, David Bowie and The Who, to name but a few. I grew up on this stuff; however, as the decades crossed over I also remember hearing the likes of: David Cassidy, Mud, Dawn, the Osmonds and who was that group who sung? ‘Kisses for me. . . ‘Save all your Kisses . . . for me. Oh, yeah, Brotherhood of Man, Yuk! Suddenly, there was another generation coming up behind me who appeared to love the music I hated! I was 17 and found myself in an older generation!

Yes, that was the 70s’; four generations for the price of one . . . when we used to turn our record player up full blast so that mum and dad would start complaining! A time of protest, work to rule, of growing one’s hair and sideburns. A decade of rebellion, central heating, colour television and setting up the new stereo (granddad assumed he would hear the music twice!). We had never known it so good.

So? Why should it end? . . . Well, in fact, it doesn’t have to. For those who were there and even for those who were not, we are giving you the opportunity to relive the 1970s’ decade. Yes, do come with wigs adorned, psychedelic shirts and blouses. Wearing all that is detestable and horrible ! Everyone is welcome; particularly those wearing: Flares, Platform Shoes and/or Hot pants!

Nigel Phillips

What’s happening on Tuesday?For the golf enthusiast there is the usual round of golf; however, for the rest of us:

Rebecca Hanlon welcomes the UPMG to Cardiff Bay !!

My Cardiff Bay

I don’t know if you have ever visited Cardiff, but if not Cardiff Bay will be a wonderful surprise waiting for you when you come to the conference in May.

The Bay is a fantastic waterfront attraction that has emerged in the old

Tiger Bay area of Cardiff. Just over 20 years ago when I first moved to Cardiff this whole area was in deep decline, and this was not somewhere that you would ever choose to visit, and if you accidentally drove through it, you would certainly never park your car.

But since then the whole area has been totally redeveloped and is now one of the most popular, stunning and versatile visitor areas within the City. The construction of the Cardiff Barrage extending over 1.1km from Cardiff Docks to Penarth, and enabling the formation of a 200 hectare freshwater lake gave this whole area its character today..

There is so much to see and do, you can wander into many buildings of historical significance such as the Pierhead Building and the Norwegian church, and then add on the newer landmarks of The Senydd (Welsh Parliament Building) and the Millennium Centre, all of which offer free of charge entrance, this lets you explore and appreciate the many different styles that exist sided by side, and if you are lucky you might also find some excellent Welsh cakes and coffee.

The bay has numerous impressive sculptures, most of them are designed so that you can sit, and climb on them, and take beautiful photographs. They include the Merchant Seafarer’s War Memorial, which is a mix of a beached ship hull and a timeless face; to the Water Tower with its 70ft memories and photos of my kids on sitting and climbing and jumping on these sculptures over the years.

It’s a perfect place to walk and talk during the networking afternoon at the conference, and see a fresh side of Cardiff.

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When faced with a disruption, we can’t ‘do nothing’, our customers and managers wouldn’t accept that, and we don’t want to lose our hard won reputations. We also shouldn’t try to do everything as usual, because the end result could be that we actually achieve very little. We need to prioritise and find other ways to meet our customers’ needs. That’s where Business Continuity Planning can come to your aid. By analysing your customers and determining your critical activities, you can identify which services need to be restored to which customers first, and how much time you have to achieve this. Then, you can think about different strategies that would help you to deliver a minimum level of service, and eventually, full recovery. Next, you can put emergency resources in place, for example, if IT fails and you plan to use paper forms instead of electronic versions, make sure you have paper copies available. It sounds simple, but this is just the sort of task that we think we will get round to, one day! You can also plan how to communicate the interim arrangements to your customers and suppliers. People don’t like being left in the dark; they need to know that you are dealing with the situation.

Your plan needs to be written down and shared with your team and manager. Your staff may well see pitfalls or solutions that you haven’t thought of, and after all, you might not be there to guide them on the day of the incident. Agreeing the plan with your manager is vital because you don’t want to find out in the midst of a major disruption, that you are doing one thing, and your manager is expecting another. An exercise is a great way to have some fun and test out your plan. It doesn’t need to be elaborate; create an imaginary scenario and ask your team to work through the plan, challenging assumptions and looking for gaps. That way, you will know that your plan not only looks good on paper, but that it will actually work when you need it.

Having a plan is the difference between being proactive and being reactive. Your plan will help you to cope during a major disruption, focus on your time critical activities, and give you confidence that you will pull through.

Life as a University Print Manager - What could possibly go wrong?Sue Dummett – University of Exeter

You are a University Print Manager. You are coping with all the demands that this role brings day to day, but you know that life is full of surprises. You can deal with the ordinary things that go wrong, but what if something really big happens? Something out of the ordinary that is more than a short term inconvenience? What will your customers and managers expect of you, and how will you deliver it?

Disruptions can take many forms, ice and snow, volcanic ash, IT failure. Sounds familiar? Also, as several Universities know from firsthand experience, fires and floods can wreak havoc and cause long lasting disruption. Here at Exeter, a student allowed a bath to overflow. A seemingly minor incident, but unfortunately the student’s accommodation on St Luke’s Campus was above a Print Room. The water came through the ceiling, damaging machinery, stocks and finished jobs; a challenging situation when dissertations had to be printed to meet academic deadlines.

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Visiting the NIPPA Conference in Canberra, AustraliaPaul Bishop – University of Sheffield

I was very fortunate to attend the NIPPA conference in Canberra, Australia in October. I incorporated a stop off on my way to the conference and on the way back, which breaks the long journey up and lets one see more great destinations at no extra cost. It was a great time to visit Australia, as it is not often that you can rib Australians about cricket!

Canberra is a purpose built capital city and has some impressive government buildings, national museums and the iconic Parliament building. The conference was first class, with excellent speakers, member interaction and plenty of opportunities to network with fellow delegates and suppliers. The conference was opened with a comedy duo impersonating the current and former Australian Prime Minister, which was a great way to get the proceedings going. The presentations ranged from a motivational free diver, to one women’s success story running a successful commercial print organisation, to a reality check of the environmental impact we are having on the planet, to a dodgy guy from Yorkshire!

The organisation of the conference was excellent and the NIPPA committee and all the delegates make you feel very welcome. The social side of the conference was also very enjoyable with the main dinner and awards night, the final night fancy dress party, which was a thriller theme this year and a visit to the National Australian war museum and remembrance site, which was very interesting and moving.

I would urge all UPMG members to consider attending future NIPPA conferences, it really is worthwhile. One of the many things I enjoy about the UPMG conference is the reassurance that other organisations also face the same challenges and to find out how they are dealing with them, this is no different at the NIPPA conference. As Mark Twain said you will regret more of the things that you did not do than the things that you did do. If, like I did you add a week’s holiday to the visit, you will have a great opportunity to explore this beautiful part of the world.

From left to right: Justine Wilson (Financial Coordinator); Sally Sleigh (Membership

Coordinator);John Cason (Training and Awards Coordinator); Paul Bishop (UPMG); Rob Roberts (Vice

President); Karen Farr (President); Nadia Hollins (Secretary)

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There will be five categories in 2012:

1. In-house Design

2. In-house Print (Digital)

3. In-house Print (Litho)

4. Innovative marketing of Print Services

5. Green award

The first three are self-explanatory. The fourth is intended to showcase how we have publicised our own services and can be in any format (e.g. Internet, flyers, posters etc). The fifth is a new award to congratulate a print unit that has extended the green print agenda in some way.

Each member institution may enter one entry for each category. The entries will be judged during the conference by a panel of our suppliers.

Entries must be delivered to the conference hotel on Sunday 27 May 2012.

UPMG Design

and Print Awards

2012

(Simon Hampton-Matthews)

Training Opportunities with UPMG

Do you sometimes feel a bit out on a limb when it comes to training? Maybe you want to send your team members on a print-specific course but you can’t justify the costs? Don’t despair! Your UPMG membership could help.

UPMG are willing to fund print and/or design-specific training courses for its members. All you need to do is to identify the commercially-run course you want and post details to the UPMG e-mail list to see else may be interested. If sufficient members come forward UPMG will (within reason) fund the cost of the course. Each member would have to cover the cost of travel and any accommodation.

Want to have a chat about your proposal before going public?

Contact the Secretary, Simon Hampton-Matthews

Simon.Hampton-Matthews@uwe.ac.uk or 0117 328 4673.

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Print & Copy Services Gets a Facelift

Nigel Phillips, University of Exeter

“This refurbishment will enhance the focal point of our service, as we grow and develop Print and Copy provision throughout the University”.

So, work began to make it the home of what was then called the Print Unit. Since then we had a major refurbishment in 2002 but it stopped short of getting rid of that basement/cellar look. However, all that is now changing as we have our facelift. We are saying goodbye to the old breeze block ‘Prisoner of Cell Block H’ walls which are being both boarded out and repainted. A new reception area is being created with reception desk, which will front all areas of Print & Copy Services: Production, SSPC (Self-Service Print and Copy) and Student Printing.

In 1990 Print & Copy Services, moved from its then location on the 2nd floor of Northcote House, to its present premises, on the ground floor of the same building, which until that time had been the University Archives. For those who have travelled up and or down the spiral staircase which links us to the first floor of the main admin building, would have noticed a series of black marks on the stairwell rail but thought nothing of it. However, those black marks have a history; as at one time this was the only entrance into the then Archives and people would stub out their cigarettes on the stair rail as they made their way down.

There were only slit windows in those days and rows upon rows of racking, housing records even before 1955, when the University got its charter.

Old and new – new boarding on the left and the Memories of the former Archive

old breeze block look on the right

Work in progress – the refurbished reception area

Bygone age – going, going, almost gone to the old AB Dick 9810. Time to say goodbye!

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News from overseas friends

Ray Chambers, CGCM, MBA1420 Westview DriveChristiansburg, VA 24073540-382-6744

Ray Chambers spent over 30 years managing printing plants, copy centres, and award-winning document management facilities in state and local government, as well as at the University of Iowa and the University of Louisville. Most recently he was Vice President and Chief Information officer at Juniata College. He is also CEO of Chambers Management Group an international consulting practice dedicated to optimizing in-plant printing and document services operations in higher education. He is a frequent speaker at printing conferences and has written extensively for a variety of industry publications. Contact him at: raychambers@earthlink.net

Ray and wife Catherine were both delegate speakers at our last conference in Durham; they came over from the USA and represented ACUP. Ray spoke to us on Critical Success Factors and Catherine on Sustaining Operations in Turbulent Times: Metrics for Survival. It was great to meet them and we thank both Ray and Catherine for their continued support of the UPMG.

I have good news to report. First, after a slow start, the ACUP organization is taking shape. We’ve incorporated as a non-profit entity, launched a web site www.acup-edu.org and scheduled our first conference under our new structure.

ACUP began in 1964 when several Atlantic Coast Colleges and Universities from Maine to Virginia agreed that the formation of an association dedicated to the special circumstances and needs of collegiate printing facility managers would be highly beneficial. It was established to promote communication, training

and educational opportunities within the Higher Education in-plant printing and mailing industry. In 2010 ACUP acquired a non-profit organization status to continue to offer members these same benefits and more.

The 2012 annual conference will be hosted by Bucknell University and held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania April 22 - 26, 2012. Pennsylvania is known as “The Keystone State”, a nickname that has come to represent Pennsylvania’s geographic, economic, social and political impact on development of the United States.

ACUP is the keystone that holds member university in-plants together, through knowledge sharing, networking, support and collegiality. The annual conference will include educational sessions, vendor exhibits with our industry partners, and a tour of the Bucknell University Office of Publications, Print and Mail.

University of Illinois Reverses Decision to Close In-Plant

Another bit of good news, and some-thing that we don’t see enough of in these difficult economic times, is the rebirth of an in-plant shop.

In the spring of 2010, responding to in-creased economic pressure and a large operational deficit in the print shop, ad-ministrators at the University decided to close the in-plant. The in-plant had been in operation for over 90 years, it had amassed a sizeable negative fund balance (debt), and administrators questioned the value of continuing operations noting that printing was not a “core” service.

Not long after the closure was an-nounced, members of the university community began to raise questions about how they would obtain printed materials, like stationery, instructional support materials, and other services offered by the Printing Department, which they needed to do their jobs. This prompted administrators to revisit their decision.

The re-examination proved to be effec-tive. Managers in the group responsible for auxiliary services looked at Print-ing’s revenues, costs and demand, and crafted a proposal to continue opera-tions sans offset. The new department is named Document Services and the unit’s services include digital printing and copying of books and booklets, newsletters, and conference materials; printing of university stationery, busi-ness cards and posters; and preparing mail — all services previously available to UI customers under the printing department.

A news release dated October 27, 2011 states:

CHAMPAIGN, IL (October 27, 2011) – Following an extensive fiscal and functional review, Facilities & Services (F&S) has concluded that areas of the F&S Printing Department organization should remain in operation with an abridged mission and new name. From business cards and brochures to statio-nery, envelopes, posters, presentations, and mailing preparation, the new F&S department, Document Services, will provide professional and timely means for meeting the duplication and mail needs of campus customers efficiently and affordably. Since an announcement to close the unit on June 30, 2012, the Printing Department has discontinued costly and underutilized production methods, including letterpress print-ing, large offset production, and some bindery functions. It has reduced its workforce from 39 to 19 employees.

We’re saddened that so many positions were eliminated in the downsizing, but encouraged by the University’s deci-sion, which validates the value of print to an educational institution.

For more information, or to view the department’s new web site, visit http://www.fs.uiuc.edu/pdfs/sas/crc/crcnews/printingchangesfactsheet.pdf

16 PB

Letter from the Editor

Another highlight for me was when we had our executive meeting at The Vale Hotel in Cardiff and I found myself becoming quite excited as we began the planning for next year’s conference, what we wished to achieve and the speakers suggested. I am particularly looking forward to hearing the Cambrian Welsh Choir and yes, please call me ‘sad’ but I’m looking forward to 70s’ night too. Although looking at my photo taken in 1974 it’s hard for me to believe that I became a grandfather for the first time, in October!

The feedback regarding the newsletters has been extremely positive, as members have found it to be an extra platform of communication and feedback. Please do keep the news coming in and again, thanks go to: Rebecca Hanlon for her continued support, Martin Parker for his excellent design skills and use of photo archive. Thanks again, also go to all members who have contributed to this Christmas Newsletter.

All that’s left for me now is to wish all members a: “VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR !!”

Kind regards,

Nigel

Nigel Phillips

I am sure that many of the members feel the same as I do when I ask: ‘Where has the year gone’? I sometimes feel as though I’ve been on an express train when it finally comes to December, as I look back on snippets of the past year, which appear to have whizzed past me.

Anyway, it’s been a really good year for me and I can look back on some outstanding UPMG moments: last March we had our UPMG Spring meeting here at Exeter, with some important decisions being made. One of which was to allow several honorary members to join free per full member. Consequently, we have a number of new members now, which again, we welcome and look forward to you participating on the email circuit and hopefully, we will be seeing several of you at conference next year. The exec also felt that instead of one members meeting in one location, it would be better if we could have several meetings in a number of locations more regional to our members. Do please participate in the meetings if possible as they are a good opportunity to not only meet fellow members but also to make an active difference in UPMG decision making.

The Conference in Darlington Hall, Durham was of an excellent standard and I’m sure that those of us who went will agree that it was one of the best yet. Good to hear that both Rebecca Hanlon and Ian Wilcox have been able to go from conference and put into practice something learned from a