The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is one of the world's leading professional engineering institutions, with more than 158,000 members across the globe. Its publishing arm produces over 60 titles through a practitioner division, making print supply chain efficiency critical to its operation.

As member habits shifted and demand for physical stock declined, maintaining a large warehouse facility no longer aligned with the IET’s publishing needs. Working with Greens, it found a smarter way forward.

“We reached a point where holding stock and running a warehouse-led publishing operation no longer reflected how our members were buying and accessing content. It was important to step back and rethink the model, rather than trying to modernise something built around volume print and storage. Greens took the time to understand our systems and day-to-day workflows, and helped us focus on what was really needed. What we have now is aligned to customer needs, simpler and more sustainable to manage, and gives us confidence that the model can continue to adapt as demand changes.” Steven Collins, Books Production Manager, IET

The challenge

The IET's bookstore had historically relied on holding substantial print stock to fulfil orders to members and distributors. But changing consumption patterns to online meant an increasing number of titles needed to move to short-run or print-on-demand production, leaving the institution managing an expensive, underutilised warehouse.

The challenge was to find a production and fulfilment model that could flex across different titles and volumes, while eliminating the overhead of warehousing stock that might never be needed.

Why Greens

The IET required a partner capable of delivering across multiple binding formats and production methods. Greens' range of production capabilities, combined with in-house expertise in building complex API integrations across multiple systems, made them the clear choice.

“Our approach went beyond replicating existing systems, delivering a solution that gives The IET team instant access to production, customer service, and shipping information with integration for that reconcile with their internal accounting systems.” Rob White, Business Development Director, Greens

The solution

Greens took a consultative approach from the outset. By analysing the IET's previous publishing cycles in detail, the team was able to propose a hybrid model that blended three production methods based on what each title demanded:

• Short-run digital print for titles with moderate, predictable demand
• Print on demand for long-tail or lower-volume publications
• Conventional litho print where volume justified the run

Alongside the production model, Greens developed bespoke API integrations connecting the IET's webstore, order management systems, and accounting platform - giving the IET real-time visibility of stock levels, values and order status from a single dashboard.

The results

The impact was transformational for IET. With Greens managing the full production and fulfilment operation, the IET was able to close its warehouse entirely - removing a significant fixed cost from its operations.

The hybrid production model gave each publication the flexibility to be produced by the most efficient method, and eliminated the risk of holding obsolete stock. Titles that might previously have gone out of date in a warehouse could now be printed on demand to extend their commercial life without carrying inventory risk.

For the IET's customer services team, the order dashboard delivered a step change in day-to-day efficiency. The ability to check order status and access tracking information in real time meant queries could be resolved quickly, without manual chasing across suppliers or systems.

Back-end integrations also ensured that order data flowed automatically into the IET's accounting platform, keeping stock values and reporting up to date without manual intervention.

Find out what hybrid publishing could do for you

The IET’s experience shows what’s possible when production flexibility and intelligent integration come together. If your organisation is managing similar pressures around print volumes, stock obsolescence or fulfilment complexity, we’d be glad to show you how Greens’ hybrid publishing model could help.

Learn more about our hybrid publishing solutions