O’Neil Printing — A Century of Innovation

IN ARIZONA, only one commercial sheetfed printer has a reputation for being “traditionally innovative,” and that’s Phoenix-based O’Neil Printing. Claiming that this business philosophy has made all the difference for the company’s success in the last century, the staff at O’Neil has never lost touch with the basic foundation that William “Bucky” O’Neil set into motion in 1908—going above and beyond for his customers and employees, and keeping an ongoing commitment to the innovative use of technology.

“When William O’Neil decided to open O’Neil Letter Shop in 1908, there wasn’t much in terms of business in Phoenix at that time,” notes Tony Narducci, president of O’Neil Printing. Arizona wasn’t even a state then, and trains had not yet pushed through the rugged territory. “But O’Neil was a pioneer who managed to keep the letter shop afloat, even through The Great Depression,” he adds.

William O’Neil’s daughter, Estelle, and her husband, Harry Findor, took over the business in the 1960s and, in 1996, sold the company to their employees through an employee stock ownership program (ESOP).

“As an employee-owned company, the staff here now has a stake in the company. We share the rewards, the work and the future,” Narducci explains.

When Narducci became president of O’Neil Printing in 2007—after serving as the company’s general manager—he strived to ensure that the firm lived up to the “traditionally innovative” moniker that the O’Neil family set in place. He worked with Dean Toth, O’Neil’s vice president of production, to update the shop’s equipment, supervised the re-launch of the company Website, embraced “green” technology and has continued to support youths in the community through a partnership with rocker Alice Cooper.

In the past three years, O’Neil has made investments throughout its operation, including: a six-color HP Indigo press 5000; a six-color, 20˝ Speedmaster SM 52 perfector with aqueous coater; a Heidelberg ST400 stitcher; a Polar cutter; a 32˝ Stahl folder; and a 38˝ Stahl SSP folding system. Other additions include full-service mailing and fulfillment capabilities, as well as a Web-to-print system called O’NeilDirect.

Creating a Better Dot

In 2007, O’Neil entered the fine arts market, and began producing coffee-table books. “We have been highly successful in the past 12 months in this fine art niche,” notes Narducci. “That is partly due to our ability to color manage what we print very well, especially since there are such high expectations in that environment,” he adds.

O’Neil turns to Phoenix-based Roswell Bookbinding—a company they have had a partnership with for 30 years—for the binding of these and other specialized projects.

Aside from fine art, O’Neil produces a wide range of printed products, including annual reports, calendars, brochures, posters, product catalogs and other corporate collateral. It serves a wide variety of industries, such as law offices, education, healthcare, banking, finance, real estate development, hospitality, professional and governmental.

“One of the unique things about O’Neil is that not one of our clients represents more than 5 percent of our total business. So, we are very diversified in terms of our client base and that affords us the opportunity to do many things,” Narducci notes. “We will even print on plastic,” he jokes.

O’Neil has been an all-Heidelberg sheetfed pressroom since 1976, and currently operates three models: an eight-color, 40˝ Speedmaster long perfector with aqueous coater; a six-color, 40˝ Speedmaster CD with aqueous coater; and a six-color, 20˝ Speedmaster SM 52 perfector equipped with an aqueous coater.

“We have chosen and remained with Heidelberg because they bring consistency to our pressroom and make it even easier for our press operators to cross over from one press to another,” notes Toth.

Wanting to create a one-stop shopping environment for its customers, O’Neil decided to enter the color digital marketplace in 2006. But a key concern at that time was finding a digital press that would mesh with their lithographic output as far as the look, feel and quality.

“We did extensive research of all of the major digital press manufacturers. We actually print-tested all of them, and put the test results in front of our clients for them to decide what they would buy from us,” explains Narducci.

The HP Indigo 5000 won the most votes. “What impressed me the most about the HP 5000 was that it did not have the toner-type piling that’s created on most digital devices, but instead uses a liquid ink that is more similar to a traditional offset press,” explains Toth. “Because of the press’ variable data capabilities, it was also a perfect fit for our mailing department,” he adds.

Since 1908, O’Neil Printing has moved four times, but has remained within its original four-square-block radius in downtown Phoenix. Currently, the company operates out of a 50,000-square-foot facility, which it has occupied since the late 1950s.

Last year, O’Neil posted $16 million in sales. The company boasts more than 500 active customers—adding 230 new clients last year alone. It has 90 employees, and serves the Phoenix metropolitan area, but has clientele in Sante Fe, NM, San Francisco and Chicago.

Also in 2007, O’Neil received FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification and partnered with Toyo Ink to utilize Toyo’s HyPlus 100 process series. The printer has maintained an ongoing internal sustainability program, and employees are also encouraged to seek alternative “blue air” methods for their commute to work.

Alice Cooper Rocks

The company has also been very proactive over the past seven years in partnering with Alice Cooper to produce various promotional materials to help make Cooper’s Annual Celebrity-Am golf tournament a success. The proceeds go to Cooper’s Solid Rock Foundation, which was founded in 1995 by Cooper and his friend Chuck Savale.

To kick off its 100th anniversary, O’Neil Printing held an open house in March to celebrate the occasion. Guests and employees all received a 100th anniversary book, which highlights the history of O’Neil, Arizona and the rest of the world in the past century. In addition, the company has established a special 100-year brand that’s been posted on its Website, trucks, boxes, labels and work shirts.

“We are really making it known that O’Neil Printing turning 100 years old is an unusual event, especially in Arizona where things are relatively new,” Narducci concludes.

“We’ve been blessed with a business that is growing, with good clients and a dedicated workforce. So, we’re going to make sure that we take time to celebrate this important milestone and then look forward to our next century.” PI