Consolidation--The Ties That Bind?

Some independents have accepted consolidators as an aspect of the business world. Ken Field, president of Continental Web Press, recalls hearing how hog farmers were being driven out by mega-hog producers because the price of pork had fallen to 15 cents per pound.

"I don't care what business you're in—mergers and acquisitions are a fact of life," he says. "As far as the printing industry goes, it has to happen. Especially in the face of new technology and with the rapid pace technology is changing. The amount of capital investment required to stay state-of-the-art is no small dollars.