American Printing — Fast-track Firm

American Printing is, by its own definition, a small national printer. But if the venerable Birmingham, AL-based shop can follow through on its game plan, that will change drastically.

Growth has been a key for the sheetfed offset, half-web and digital print provider. When current owner Robert "Bo" Stanford acquired the company in 1992 from a venture capital group, American Printing boasted just 18 employees and annual sales under $1.8 million.

Fast forward to 2005. A base of more than 170 employees has enabled American Printing to post $19 million in sales for fiscal year 2004. Its current plant, acquired eight years ago, has been expanded twice and is due to be given another growth shot once a new, full-size web press is obtained.

Business Takes Form

The former business forms specialist has come a long way in a short time frame, but that path could easily pale in comparison to the growth jag Stanford and his executive team have in store for the company. Stanford is eyeing the $25 million in revenues level in two years before graduating to $35 million in five years.

How will that be possible? American Printing, which actually dates back to 1912, enjoys a veteran leadership core with a varied background of past experiences. And it's not relegated to just the upper management ranks. The company has pored over the country in search of the best and brightest that the industry has to offer.

"We've been able to hire good people from 14 or 15 different states," reports Bob Sturgeon, general manager for American Printing.

"Take the two lead pressmen on our half-web: One is from Florida via Missouri. Another is from Nevada via Pennsylvania. We've hired well because we spend a lot of time making sure we have the right people to do particular jobs."

This also extends beyond production personnel. "Another key is looking at your capabilities, and then identifying those salespeople and customer service reps who can handle specific types of accounts--matching accounts with people and building relationships from there," Sturgeon adds.

What has also helped American Printing grow is its ability to maintain a loyal base of customers for a prolonged period. Some clients have been with the printer for 30-plus years, and Sturgeon notes that many are substantial accounts.

"We tend not to lose customers," he says. "We build deep relationships and we sell horizontally within a given company, so that we're not relying on one person to keep us in the game."

American Printing has developed an eight-step formula for success in the printing industry.

According to Sturgeon, the points have buoyed the company during its growth period and are an essential part to making the five-year growth plan become a reality.

In order to be successful, Sturgeon says a company must:

Have an owner willing to invest money;

Identify and hire top-flight employees;

Identify and purchase quality equipment;

Develop a plan of action for the short, intermediary and long term;

Have an appropriate plan in place to make it become a reality;

Provide ongoing training programs;

Pay attention to details; and

Market its capabilities, then be proactive in the marketplace.

A general commercial printer, American Printing serves a wide array of customers in the retail, financial and educational sectors. Many jobs that come through its 90,000-square-foot manufacturing area incorporate a combination of sheetfed, half-web and digital printing.

Web on the Way

The natural progression, according to Stanford, is the pending addition of a full-web press. American Printing has narrowed its choices down to two manufacturer models, both of which fully address the printer's quality requirements. Big picture-wise, the company will be able to extend business with existing customers and allow it to penetrate the regional market for publications, directories and catalogs.

"Without a full-size web at this point, there are many product lines in which we can't be competitive," Stanford admits. "The complementary addition of the full-web will allow us to expand with our existing customers and compete in some markets where we didn't have a fit previously."

The sheetfed department is decidedly Heidelberg, with a pair of eight-color, 40? Speedmasters; one four-color, 40? Speedmaster; one four-color, 25? Speedmaster; and a two-color, 40? Speedmaster leading the way. The web division consists of two Didde webs and a six-unit, 26? Zirkon heatset press equipped with inline pattern perfing, inline gluing, a Gämmerler rotary trimmer and folding capabilities. A Xerox DocuTech leads the variable printing division.

In the bindery, American Printing operates two 54? Polar cutters, an 18-pocket Wohlenberg perfect binder, and six- and eight-pocket Muller Martini stitchers. But MBO America equipment rules the roost, with five 32-page MBO folders and an eight-page MBO folder. Aside from dependability and solid customer support, what strikes American Printing Plant Manager Rich Clair the most about the MBO gear is its ease of use.

"I've been around a number of different manufacturers' equipment and they all can fold," Clair says. "But we hire a lot of young people for the bindery, and they have to learn how to makeready the equipment. They usually lack any background but, within a reasonable amount of time, they're able to properly set up our MBO folders."

Recent investments have helped enhance American Printing's prepress department, with redundancies added to its KPG Matchprint and Agfa Sherpa proofing systems, as well as its Agfa platesetting systems. About $1 million has also been invested on inline finishing. In a five-year period prior to 2004, Clair estimates that American Printing spent $12 million on presses and related equipment.

"Bo has never been shy about signing a check for a web or sheetfed press," he says.

The willingness to invest is only one aspect that has enabled American Printing to widen its footprint in the industry. Its work was shipped out to 46 states in 2004, but Stanford considers the company a "small national printer" with room to grow.

"This business is based on word of mouth, and I think we've been successful with our self-promotion efforts," Stanford remarks. "Some of the big printers do not do a good job of marketing their companies. We're very big on sending packets out to potential clients. Some of the work we do is very breathtaking; we're very good at what we do."

Experience is a major plus for the executive team, which has a combined 114 years of print know-how among the trio of Stanford, Sturgeon and Clair. Along the way, they have learned more than a few dos and don'ts.

"We just don't go out and sell a printing job. We do our homework up front," Sturgeon says. "We know what each customer is doing--how they distribute their product, how they sell their product, and what their retail and wholesale markets are. This provides us with a good idea on how they need to be serviced."

The ability to add value to jobs and a varied client roster helped provide nearly 11 percent growth for the company in 2004--a true growth spurt, according to Sturgeon, not the product of adding a single, large customer.

American Printing is also pretty adept at taking care of its employee base. Pressroom employees work just three days per week and are paid for 40 hours. Web department employees work four days and get three off.

"We're big on developing a family atmosphere. We don't (over)work our people until they die," Stanford says. "This helps to enable us to go out and attract some of the finest talent available."

In kind, the shop floor workforce has set American Printing on a crash course with success.

"Obviously, the management and office people understand our goals but, in our case, it goes all the way down to the drivers," Clair remarks. "All our employees understand what we're trying to achieve; they're proactive, and we couldn't do it without them. It's really a team effort throughout the company."