Teamwork’s critical at Graphic Communications Center

Ever wonder what keeps UD running smoothly? Up Close & Personnel, a weekly feature, profiles the employees who keep UD ticking around the clock throughout the year. This week, the focus is on The Graphic Communications Center

Carol Ann Harris, technical specialist

3:13 p.m., Aug. 3, 2004--Vincent and Denzel work long hours and they’ve never taken a vacation, nor are they listed among the 24 staff members at UD’s Graphic Communications Center (GCC). Both are digital printing machines, nicknamed by their operator, technical specialist Carol Ann Harris.

“You have to be personal,” Harris, who as worked at the center for 25 years, said. “I see them as my colleagues. We are a family here.”

GCC, a full-service offset printing facility located in the General Services Building at South Chapel Street and Wyoming Road on UD’s Newark campus, recently earned the top prize, Best of Show, at In-Print 2004, a nationwide printing contest exclusively for printing plants within organizations. The recognition came for top-quality printing of UD’s 2004 engagement calendar, as well as five additional first-place awards.

Paul Fahringer, head pressman

Every year, Harris and her human and mechanical colleagues at GCC—and copy facilities at the Trabant and Perkins student centers—make nearly 28 million impressions of a variety of printing jobs, including academic examinations, small newsletters, brochures, letterheads, envelopes, business cards, booklets, manuals and mounted posters.

Work orders range from quick, same-day copies to large print orders that take several days to complete. Most orders are completed in one week or less, Rodney Brown, manager, said.

Additional services include binding and finishing work, as well as stuffing envelopes and labeling for direct mail.

Paul Fahringer, head pressman, said it is not unusual for workers to feel attached to the center’s 32 pieces of equipment.

Don Slaten, production coordinator

“You take care of it,” Fahringer, a 20-year veteran, said of a four-color press as he pulled out a freshly printed sheet of paper and peered closely at the ink. “I like it working at 100 percent because it just makes my job easier.”

Tight deadlines and urgent orders present the greatest challenges for GCC, Brown said.

“We blame the fast-food industry for that: People want to drive up and pick up the completed order right away,” Brown said. “You have to improvise. You can move things around without upsetting the apple cart. Sometimes, we try to see if we can move delivery schedules, and if a piece of equipment happens to break down, we will outsource the job to meet the deadline.”

Chris Donahue, press operator

Modern equipment and about 200 years of collective experience make it possible for GCC to complete jobs in record time, Dan Slaten, production coordinator, said.

“With the technology we have today, we are able to turn the jobs around almost like a miracle,” Slaten said. “I’ve been in this business 30 years, and it’s amazing how quickly they can be turned around.”

Brown said modern, efficient machines and the ability to make printing plates directly from a computer have shortened the production time, enhanced quality and increased GCC’s capacity while offering top-quality services for comparatively lower prices.

Bob Johnston, assistant manager

“Occasionally things do not work as expected and the workflow can be disrupted, but you have to learn how to stay calm,” Chris Donahue, a press operator, said. “It’s one of those things you have to get into to know how to deal with it,” he said.

The need for a smooth flow of work, especially orders that go through several stages, such as printing, folding and binding, requires precise coordination and teamwork, Bob Johnston, assistant manager, said.

“When we have a big job, we pull together in the same direction and that makes it a success,” Johnston, who has worked at GCC for 18 years, said. “We do that regularly, and it’s very nice to work here.”

JoEllen Rathbun, Quick Copy coordinator

At the front desk, JoEllen Rathbun, Quick Copy coordinator, plays the role of traffic cop, taking orders and juggling tasks to keep things flowing.

“Obviously, you have to prioritize certain jobs when we are inundated,” Rathbun said. “It can be very tricky but, ultimately, the objective is to get the job done.”

Rodney Brown, GCC manager

The beginning of each school semester is the busiest season, Rathbun said. It is not uncommon to be working on hundreds of orders of course packs, which have to be copied, collated, shrink-wrapped, labeled, priced and delivered to the University Bookstore in just days.

“A few orders come in early, and that allows us to work at a regular pace,” Rathbun said. “Most of the time I really enjoy it, but there are days whenŠsix people who want their jobs done yesterday. But, once you get the job done, it’s a nice sense of accomplishment.”

Article by Martin Mbugua
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson

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