The Printing & Copy Centre (P&CC) and StudioQ are undergoing a merger, and the AMS says it’s to serve students on campus.
The focus of P&CC is physically printed materials such as banners, posters, and stickers. StudioQ is the amalgamated service offering yearbook, graphic design, photo, and video services. The merger is scheduled to conclude within the next two years.
“We’re slowly moving out of the physical media age towards a focus on the digital. That doesn’t mean print is completely phasing out,” Tina Hu, AMS vice-president (operations), said in an interview with The Journal.
“We’re not just getting rid of and phasing out P&CC; we’re merging them into one larger entity.”
Hu said the merger is working to meet the needs of the student body, while considering the financial interests of the AMS. As it stands, P&CC is a revenue-based service, while StudioQ runs on both revenue and student fees.
“While StudioQ sits in a surplus, P&CC sits in a deficit that matches that surplus. Together, they sit at a zero to zero,” Hu said.
Post-merger, Hu said the management structure at the service will match the current structure at services across the AMS.
“The head manager is where thestrategy plan comes out of, the budget, and overall management of staff and assistant managers,” Hu said.
Hu said the merger will involve the current managers and how they view their services currently. According to Hu, head managers and teams will look at where students and staff derive joy from the current operationsof their service.
“Over the next two years, we’re introducing a project manager position in charge of the P&CC and StudioQ merger—sitting at the senior management level […] Once the merger happens, all three management positions will be amalgamated into one head manager position,” she said.
Hu said the timeline for the merger follows the timeline for the JDUC redevelopment project. She said the amalgamated P&CC and StudioQ service will likely move into the new JDUC as one service.
As it stands, Hu said the AMS is not looking to cut anything, but that remains a conversation over the next two years and the needs of the student body.
“CREO came in and did a very full external assessment of P&CC and StudioQ, assessing the value of those two services. I can’t say for certain; things are moving in a similar direction—I don’t see a huge pivot,” Hu said.
In-terms of service staff levels in the post-merger service, Hu said levels will be impacted due to the efficiency and operations of the services. She said StudioQ and P&CC currently offer a combined 60 opportunities for students including management, supervisors, and volunteer positions.
“As you move into the merger, I would expect number to go down because you’re streamlining processes—you don’t have two services, you now have one,” Hu said. “In the same vein, when we move back into the JDUC, we get The Brew back, and the pub services back. Both of those build out more student jobs and more management positions.”
As it stands, Hu explained P&CC is working to engage with customers in the Kingston market diversifying their customer base. She said another challenge
AMS services are facing is fighting the impacts of inflation and market costs.
“P&CC is also looking into a new revenue stream for poster sales which is very exciting. That’s in collaboration with StudioQ media,” she said.
Market research is a large part of the merger according to Hu, and AMS permanent staff members assist with this work, including the pricing structures at services like P&CC and StudioQ.
The main takeaway for Hu is the merger will bring benefits for students. She said a lot of thought has gone into the merger.
“I think there’s a lot of play and dynamic between the physical media that P&CC does, and the digital media that StudioQ does,” she said.
“I’m really looking forward to working closely with the project manager to work out what the strategy should be for the post-merger service. Because it’s going to be very exciting.”
Tags
AMS, ETC, Media Hub, merger, print & copy centre, StudioQ
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