CJK Group Closing Kodi Danville; Arandell Buys Minnesota Plant

CJK Group has been making headlines in recent years for its efforts to consolidate the book manufacturing market. Its February 2024 acquisition of the assets of LSC Communications’ Magazine and Catalog business unit and Continuum Marketing Services — known as Kodi Collective — expanded the national footprint of the Brainerd, Minnesota-based conglomerate, which is led by CEO Chris Kurtzman, even further.

The acquisition consisted of Kodi magazine and catalog web offset printing facilities in Maple Grove, Minnesota; Lebanon Junction and Danville, Kentucky; Pontiac, Illinois; and Liberty, Missouri.

It also included LSC’s digital printing and fulfillment operations in Las Vegas, Nevada; Post Falls, Idaho; and Mahwah, New Jersey, which have been rebranded by the CJK Group under their former moniker, Digital Lizard. Their core competencies include direct mail, stationery, business products, document management, branded Web-to-print portals, on-demand printing, photo and art printing, and yearbooks.

In addition, the LSC transaction comprised a photography/videography and creative studio located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Following an evaluation of its new assets, CJK Group announced this week a strategic plan to target the short-to-medium-run publication and catalog printing markets. This led to the decision to close its Kodi Danville longer-run catalog and magazine web offset plant in the coming weeks. The 821,000-sq.-ft. Kodi Danville, Kentucky, facility employs about 300 workers. Work produced at Danville is being transferred to other Sheridan or Kodi offset locations.

According to a CJK press release, Kodi Danville employees have been encouraged to pursue open positions at other Sheridan or Kodi offset locations, including its Kodi Lebanon Junction and Sheridan Versailles, Kentucky, facilities. (Sheridan Versailles is about 45 minutes away.)

“The strategic plan affords the remaining Kodi facilities in Lebanon Junction, Kentucky, Pontiac, Illinois, and Liberty, Missouri — in addition to Sheridan’s publication facilities — the ability to significantly hone and strengthen their capabilities and offerings in order to better support not only current but future customers,” the CJK press release indicates.

Arandell Acquires CJK’s Maple Grove Printing Plant

This latest announcement by CJK Group comes on the heels of the sale of the former LSC Maple Grove, Minnesota, longer-run catalog and magazine printing operation to catalog printing powerhouse Arandell Corp., based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. The 317,000-sq.-ft. Maple Grove web offset plant, located near Minneapolis, employs more than 200 workers.

Reporting sales of $118 million on the 2023 Printing Impressions 300, ranking it #44 on the list of the largest printers in the U.S. and Canada, Arandell’s parent is private equity firm Saothair Capital Partners.

According to Arandell Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Steve Sanfelippo — a 35-year printing industry veteran who served former stints at LSC, RR Donnelley, and Perry Judd’s — Maple Grove’s double-web platform will enable catalog and publication printing on lighter weight printing stocks. The facility, which will complement Arandell’s single-web platform in Wisconsin, also supports flats, tab, or trim mail.

The addition of a second location will help enable Arandell to expand beyond its dominant presence in the retail and direct-to-consumer catalog printing space to also serve the publication and direct mail printing markets, according to Sanfelippo.

He also points out that the high-quality printing and strong customer service reputation of the Maple Grove facility align well with Arandell’s culture. Having a second Midwest location will enable Arandell to provide a wider breadth of product capabilities. Press run lengths can range from as many as seven or eight million copies, as well as those in the 50,000 range.

The two, 12-hour shift Maple Grove printing operation is non-union, whereas the three, 8-hour shift Arandell facility is unionized.