- Elisha Kasinskas
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- February 27, 2017
Located in Appleton, WI, Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) is part of the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS), the largest higher education system in the state. FVTC offers more than 200 associate degree, technical diploma and certificate programs, and instruction related to 15 apprenticeship trades, in addition to providing services to business and industry. The college serves about 50,000 people annually, more than any other technical college in Wisconsin.
Faced with an expiring equipment lease for underutilized equipment and flat volume, the College conducted a benchmarking study comparing the Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) in-plant with six other higher education in-plants in the Wisconsin Technical College System. While the study found opportunities for change, including moving the in-plant to the main campus, cutting staff, changing and reducing equipment and their hardware vendor and potentially outsourcing the operation, one of the things that did not change was their Web to print solution, WebCRD.
After administration decided to keep the in-plant- making all of the above changes, and eliminating services and equipment that were not being used- the operation initiated student printing services and began offering some new printing concepts and features available with the new equipment.
Customers have been pleased with the changes, welcoming the proximity to discuss upcoming jobs. The shop has a more streamlined workflow, and has increased efficiency with a smaller footprint and elimination of twice-daily deliveries that are no longer needed with the in-plant's new location.
The in-plant has seen a slight increase in work and was recently recognized at an all-organization staff meeting by the college's president for their close alignment with a key element in the college's long term strategic direction- operational effectiveness.
Jessica Van Dyn Hoven, Printing Services Manager said, "It was a great honor to be highlighted by our leadership, recognizing the sacrifices and efforts that we have made over the last few years. It was also a great plug for the things we are doing in our department in front of the entire organization! We are thrilled that we avoided outsourcing, and are grateful that we have been able to establish ourselves as an effective, useful resource that delivers value, redefined our department in a way that allowed us to be highlighted for aligning with the College's strategic direction of Operational Excellence. So much is possible if you are willing to adapt to the needs of your organization."
Learn more about the FVTC in-plant in an upcoming In-plant Graphics webinar on Tuesday, March 14th at 2pm ET| 11am PT.