Shelter Insurance, a recognized insurance and financial services leader, has built a solid reputation on integrity, excellence and an ongoing commitment to improvement.

That commitment is reflected in its full-service Document Services operation, located in Columbia, MO. "Our printing operation has grown in the past year and is dramatically different than it was just two years ago," explains Manager Linda Winn. "We have been able to strike the perfect balance between offset and digital services."

Having both has significantly slashed production time and costs by allowing them to select the most efficient printing option for each job. Last year the talented 26-member team added a 4-color Shinohara perfecting press, a Standard Horizon booklet maker, a brand new Challenge 45-inch cutter, and an Avanti MIS system to their cache of equipment which included a Hamada 2-color press, a Hamada 1-color press used primarily for envelopes, an iGen4 and a Xerox wide format printer.

The iGen 4 and Avanti MIS system have been especially instrumental to their success during the past year. "Before the arrival of our MIS system, we relied on an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of our work and to provide estimates," she shares. A simple spreadsheet, however, couldn't provide an accurate real-time picture of the jobs in progress, waste, time frames and costs. "The new MIS system will provide us a more accurate picture and allow us to greatly improve upon our workflows and processes."

"quick turn around and prices that can't be beat" 

This high-efficiency operation produces a wide variety of over 8,000 printing projects annually including brochures, stationery, direct-mail, post cards, booklets, banners and so much more. "Our large format banners have been very popular, not only for our agency force, but for our outside customers!" Thirty percent of their work is insourced from outside sources even though they do not promote their services externally. Winn says they tend to hear about the shop through word of mouth. "We do not advertise because we exist primarily for Shelter operations and our agency force. Accepting work from outside customers ensures our equipment will stay busy. They come to us because of quick turn around and prices that can't be beat." Outside work helps to maximize their equipment and staff, plus the extra revenue allows for equipment upgrades. "We keep our equipment and employees quite busy filling requests."

But their capabilities extend beyond just churning out traditional printing. They make a point to keep up-to-date on the most current printing trends such as variable data and wide format opportunities. And for some time now QR codes have been incorporated on company business cards and other printed pieces. Winn says, "Our graphic designers have been doing more work assisting our marketing partners with online advertising and presence within social media."

Winn says another area of growth has been the use of the postal service's Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) which makes it easier to market locally. No names. No addresses. Just pick the audience you want to reach.

"We are not only saving our agents and outside customers money on the cost of printing, but the postage rate for EDDM is about .14 bringing the cost per piece to less than .25 depending on quantity. This is also a big convenience for our agents. They pick the routes, we print, bundle and ship to their location. All the agent has to do is deliver them to their post office and the post office distributes to every mailbox on that route." It has provided an affordable advertising option for their customers that also provides quite an impact due to its size. "We worked closely with our mail operation to learn the details and requirements of the system so we make it as easy as possible for our customers."

What has the team learned from their growth and success in the last year? "Review your processes and procedures. Ask yourself how can this be done better, faster, less expensively." The answer will outline your path for success in 2013.