58 Super Service Bureaus

By Lisa DiGiacomo

Want to avoid the hassle and expense of handling big conversion projects in house? Want tooutsource day-to-day work? Hereıs the scoop on 58 bureaus.

The yearıs annual service bureau survey captures detailed contact, service, format and technical data on 58 companies. The results are presented in the tables on pages 76 to 79. The companies range from one-location, one-person operations to nationwide players with more than 200 locations and 15,000 employees.

Does bigger prove to be better when it comes to conversion and outsourcing? That depends on the size of your organization and the exact nature of your needs. Do you have several offices nationwide that all require service bureau support? Do you want or require a local presence, or can shipping and/or electronic delivery serve as the pipeline between you and your service bureau? Here is what a few bureau executives had to say.

ıThe major advantage of being a national service bureau is national support,ı says Jeff Baldo of Bell & Howell Image Conversion Services in San Francisco, CA. ıMost of our 15 service centers are located in major cities. If a customer has offices across the country, Bell & Howell will generally have a center in or near the same region.ı

Ikon Business Imaging Services in Walnut Creek, CA, boasts 11 locations nationwide. This not only gives the company national coverage, says Ikonıs Jennifer Martin, it also means they can establish localized relationship and work onsite at client offices. This is beneficial to companies with confidential documents that must remain on the premises.

Saztec, a five-location service bureau in Billerica, MA, offers volume discounts to clients of any size. Since initial setup expenses are typically the costliest part of a project, Saztecıs Richard Brennan advises his clients to establish long-term relationships and perform work on an ongoing basis [rather than in crisis mode]. Brennan lists Caterpillar, the maker of earth moving equipment, as a client who uses Saztec for repetitive, day-to-day work. In turn, Caterpillar is able to establish a close relationship, ensure clear understanding of their needs and cut costs and headaches.

Donıt discount the smaller one- and two-location service bureaus. Some deliver attentive local service while others are regional or even national players with specific areas of expertise. For example, ExeComp in Boulder, Co, is a one-location firm with 10 employees. President John Franko says he can take on small jobs that larger companies might not offer, like converting magazines onto CD. They also specialize in color, whereas many larger companies handle only high-volume bitonal conversion. Franko adds that some larger service bureas send their specialized jobs to ExeComp.