MACMILLAN EDUCATION
“ We now know when we want to print something , it ' s the right book , it has all the right content . And we also know we can print it anywhere , anytime on-demand , so we have a lot of confidence in that digital supply chain now .”
SHAUN PLUNKETT VP GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN , MACMILLAN EDUCATION
Printing Press in Lebanon and Cloc in the UK . One of Shaun ’ s first experiences with the hub system took place in Singapore , where he observed an entire production , warehousing and fulfilment operation under one roof . This was the catalyst for Shaun ’ s decentralised model , and he soon met with other partners in order to convince them to make investments and transform their infrastructure . To his surprise , he wasn ’ t met with resistance , as the partner companies soon realized that transforming their own operations could mean a higher volume of production and the potential to sell on the model to other clients . These partners recognized the mutual benefit , with Grupo Espinosa – for example - currently printing and delivering nearly 1.5 million books per year for the company .
In the summer of 2020 , when Lebanon experienced a catastrophic explosion at their port , one warehouse partner lost their entire facility . Incredibly Arab Printing Press was able to remanufacture all local requirements in 2 weeks and our third party logistics vendor found an alternate warehouse within days .
Edelvives , a long term partner based in Spain , has been transforming its operations in line with the hub model by acquiring a new warehouse and installing print on demand equipment . Cloc , based in London , is the local partner in the UK and has introduced a fast track digital printing service in order to support print on demand services and eliminate unnecessary waste .
When it comes to sustainability , Macmillan Education has made notable strides in ensuring they use sustainably sourced paper for all publications . They have also reduced the use of plastic globally , eliminating shrinkwrapping and packaging wherever possible – amounting to millions fewer items of plastic in use each year . As a business , Springer Nature has committed to supporting delivery of the UN ’ s sustainable development goals , and so as a part of the larger organisation , Macmillan Education follows suit .
As a closing statement , Shaun is once again reminded of the challenges that lie ahead , but is confident that with the right kind of transformation in place , the future looks bright . He concludes “ Macmillan Education is an old organisation , I would say , and needed to consider emerging potential risks as the world is moving on . Actually you can ' t just stay still . People will overtake you and you need to change , and so this has been a roller coaster and fun journey , but there is more to come .”
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