Bowne Dedicates South Bend Facility

SOUTH BEND, IN—Six weeks prior to its official opening and less than a year after groundbreaking ceremonies, Bowne & Co.'s South Bend manufacturing facility printed more than a half-million merger documents.

The new facility, which became fully operational on Aug. 4, represents a 25 percent increase in web press capacity for Bowne, and is budgeted to produce the print component for roughly $100 million in sales. Bowne, as a whole, recorded fiscal year 1997 revenues of $716 million.

The South Bend plant, strategically located to serve the Midwestern market, is expected to handle overflow mutual fund and financial printing from Bowne sites around the country—focusing, more specifically, on mutual fund prospectuses, shareholder reports, and financial or transactional printing.

Total cost for the 127,000-square-facility was $19.65 million. In its first full year of operation, it is expected to employ anywhere from 130 to 160 people and is estimated to contribute roughly $6.6 million in local salaries. In large part, purchases of paper, graphic arts supplies and other material to support the operating plant will be handled locally.

Of the total cost, Bowne invested $11.6 million in equipment. At present, the plant houses one six-color, 28x40˝ Mitsubishi 3FR-6D sheetfed perfector with a tower coater and two six-color Heidelberg Web presses—one an M-130, and the other a V-30—both equipped with Martin splicers and two KL503/1 compensating stackers. In addition, the M-130 boasts a Gammerler RS 111 in-line trimmer.

The pressroom has enough room for the company to add another sheetfed press and three additional web presses.

The bindery is also equipped with the latest technology—running two six-pocket Muller Martini Prima saddle stitchers with cover feeders and fourth and fifth knife trimmers.

The overall goal of these large equipment investments is to give this plant the capabilities to improve utilization and margins for large printing jobs, primarily for Bowne's growing number of fund clients.

"We will continue to invest in our people and the tools that make us more efficient and profitable in the business of transactional, financial, mutual fund, commercial and corporate report printing," affirms Ken Swanson, president of Bowne Business Communications.

BY A. L. Ruslavage