Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators (DMBA) is a non-profit organization that administers the welfare and financial benefits for the companies affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints (LDS). Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, DMBA’s Central Services is the department that handles all of the printing and mailing for DMBA

As an in-plant operation, the Central Services management is continuously looking to meet key objectives: They need to increase equipment utilization, implement continuous improvements to operate efficiently, and meet the expanding demands of their customers. DMBA realized they needed a better understanding of various operations and associated resource allocations in order to proactively maintain a cost-benefit over outsourcing. DMBA transitioned from home-grown data collection to a Print MIS software, with very positive results, but as good as the MIS software is, it does not provide information on press productivity, equipment utilization, or insights into operational improvements.

Press log data did not provide any relevant information about why the press was not printing or what barriers limited printing usable output. Gathering the operator’s knowledge was critical to replace “guestimates” with fact-based metrics. Rudimentary data collection using paper logs or spreadsheets followed by time-consuming analysis would have been counter-productive for management. Considering the unique capabilities of the SpencerMetrics system DMBA deployed it in their printing department where they had their highest investment – an HP Indigo 7000 digital color press.

Within days of acquiring the SpencerMetrics system, DMBA was fully up and running. Management had immediate visibility into the operations. Impressed with the convenience, value, and affordability of the SpencerMetrics system, DMBA extended it into their mailing department. The scalability of the system allowed them to deploy on a completely different type of device – a Pitney Bowes 8 Series inserting system. DMBA was now able to employ standardized analytics and reporting across their Printing and Mailing departments.

“With SpencerMetrics we can visualize what we are doing in our production department. It is helpful to prioritize the work; it shows problems visually that we can then collectively explore to close the gaps. We are seeing that we were not as efficient as we could be and have realized that we need to do some things differently and more efficiently.” said Mike O’Hara, Manager at DMBA Central Services. “We continue to learn from the system even after a year. It has been an eye-opening experience for us.”