UPFRONT
Xerox Agrees to Deal for ACS
NORWALK, CT—Xerox Corp. and Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) announced a definitive agreement for Xerox to acquire ACS in a cash and stock transaction valued at $63.11 per share, or $6.4 billion as of the closing price of Xerox stock on Sept. 25. ACS is a $6.5 billion company with revenue growth of 6 percent and new business signings of $1 billion in annual recurring revenue during its 2009 fiscal year.
Best Press Expanding Facility
ADDISON, TX—Best Press broke ground on a multimillion dollar expansion project that will see its building grow by 44,000 square feet to nearly 100,000. The addition—expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2010—will help accommodate a new fulfillment and distribution center, along with three recently purchased presses. The lineup includes a 10-color, 40˝ Komori Lithrone perfector; a six-color, 40˝ Komori Lithrone UV press; and two-color, 40˝ Heidelberg perfector.
Grandville Growing Building
GRAND RAPIDS, MI—Grandville Printing announced plans to expand its facility by 91,000 square feet in order to accommodate its Nexgen Retail Division, which produces on-demand variable data retail shelf advertising. In addition to meeting rooms, office space and fulfillment, the expansion will house its six HP Indigo presses that are used to produce weekly ad tags, shelf labels, shelf talkers and signage for retailers.
ECRM Mourns Founder's Loss
TEWKSBURY, MA—William Schreiber, ECRM founder and professor emeritus at MIT, died Sept. 21 at his home at the age of 84. Together with Melvin Fennell from The Associated Press and fellow MIT professors Samuel Mason and Donald Troxel, Mr. Schreiber developed one of the first commercially successful optical character recognition (OCR) machines in 1969. In March of 1969, he founded Electronic Character Recognition Machinery (ECRM).
C2 Repro Nets Universal
COSTA MESA, CA—C2 Reprographics has struck a deal to obtain San Diego-based Universal Reprographics, its Color World and onsite subsidiaries. C2 Reprographics is the largest independent reprographics firm in Southern California, primarily serving the architecture, engineering and construction industries, and the general business community.
UNIMAC Nets TanaSeybert
CARLSTADT, NJ—UNIMAC Graphics has received court approval to acquire TanaSeybert. A printing, mailing and fulfillment company, TanaSeybert had filed for bankruptcy. UNIMAC says it will benefit from TanaSeybert's interactive/online, out-of-home, specialty production and creative services capabilities.
RRD Workers Get Assistance
SPANISH FORK, UT—More than 100 employees of a now-closed RR Donnelley plant here are eligible for federal aid because their jobs were sent to Mexico, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. The roughly 120 workers can receive Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) since the U.S. Department of Labor certified that their jobs were "adversely impacted by foreign trade," the paper reported. The assistance is in addition to customary state aid.
New Gear for Macomb Printing
CLINTON TWP., MI—A coldset web printer for 20 years, Macomb Printing has installed a five-color Solna heatset web press. According to Ron Bracali, Macomb president, the move into heatset allows the unionized printer to offer more products to existing clients while expanding its customer base. Other acquisitions include a five-color Heidelberg SM 52 sheetfed press and an eight-pocket Muller Martini saddle- stitcher. The company primarily produces contract books, catalogs, tabloids, flyers, newsletters and postcards.
SEC Completes Goss Deal
BOLINGBROOK, IL—Shanghai Electric (SEC) is now the second-largest shareholder in Goss International, having completed the deal set in motion last June. Jochen Meissner, CEO of Goss, believes the investment "should send a strong signal to printers and publishers regarding our strength, stability and long-term capacity to deliver value." SEC is one of the largest equipment manufacturing groups in China.
Kay Printing Adds Mark Litho
CLIFTON, NJ—Mark Lithography of Cedar Knolls, NJ, has agreed to merge with Kay Printing, based here. The deal provides Kay with additional sales strength and expanded capabilities for heatset web printing. Kay Printing, a 35-year-old business, reaps approximately $12 million in annual sales. In addition to providing sheetfed and digital printing services from a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Clifton, NJ, the company provides design services from its location in New York.
Agreement Reached on Jobs
HEIDELBERG, GERMANY—Management and employee representatives for Heidelberger Druckmaschinen have come to terms on a plan to eliminate redundancy and enable the equipment manufacturer to remain viable in a weak economy. As a result, roughly 1,500 positions will be eliminated at six of Heidelberg's German facilities during the 2009-2010 fiscal year. PI
