Consolidation--Moguls of M&A

PI: How much cost savings does your company bring to an acquisition after buying it, and in what areas (paper, consumables and equipment)?

Thompson: We know that we can bring substantial cost savings to the companies we acquire in these and other areas. The one simple reason: We are a large company and we have more leverage in the marketplace. We are sensitive to existing vendor relationships in acquired companies, but we eventually want our companies to participate in our corporate purchasing programs.