Eckhart & Co. -- Breaking Boundaries

For most graphic arts companies, there is a clearly defined market from which the majority of customers are drawn. This market is typically defined by the company's size, core competencies, and the size and needs of the geographical region in which it exists.

Every so often, a company will break out of that pattern and create a business model that expands its market base beyond those traditional boundaries. Eckhart & Co., located in Indianapolis, has done just that. A potent combination of desirable manufacturing capabilities and honest customer service has allowed Eckhart to blossom into a complete postpress services provider with a roster of clients that stretches from coast to coast.

"We started life as a local trade bindery," recalls Brent Eckhart, co-owner of the company with his brother Chris. "But we've come a long way from that."

Eckhart & Co. was founded in 1918 by Brent and Chris' grand-father as a trade bindery serving local printers, specializing in cutting, folding, inserting and saddle stitching. In 1956, the company reins were turned over to his son, Bill Eckhart. It didn't take long for him to realize that the company would have to expand its services to keep pace with the changing needs of customers.

"As cutting, folding and stitching equipment became more affordable, more printers began bringing these capabilities in-house," explains Bill Eckhart. "So we focused our attention on adding services that printers really craved, but were loath to try to do themselves."

Adding Services

The result was the addition of mechanical binding and loose-leaf manufacturing capabilities at Eckhart in the mid-'60s. Although the two distinct services gave Eckhart footholds in different markets, the similarity between the two processes made it very attractive to perform both under one roof.

"Our expansion into mechanical binding and loose-leaf manufacturing really propelled our company," adds Bill Eckhart. "We continued to build a stable of loyal clients who appreciated our honest customer service and high quality standards, and continued to look for new markets that would appreciate those attributes."

Bill Eckhart continued to serve as president until 1992, when his sons Brent and Chris assumed co-ownership. About that same time, Eckhart & Co. added turned-edge manufacturing as its third major production component, completing the firm's transition into a single-source solution for binding and information packaging.

Eckhart's three-pronged manufacturing approach includes separate divisions for bookbinding, loose-leaf manufacturing and turned-edge production. Each division operates independently, reportedly allowing for intimate customer service and expert project management.

"To ensure that clients receive the highest level of service and product quality, each division has a customer service administrator who's responsible for every job in that division," says Chris Eckhart. "They make sure that each job is produced carefully, consistently and economically; they truly wrap their arms around each project."

When a project involves operations from multiple divisions, customers benefit by having those operations consolidated under one roof. Customer service administrators and other key personnel from each division meet every morning to keep current on all projects that move through multiple divisions.

Chris Eckhart offered the recent example of a ring binder that included a VHS tape holder. The binding division handled the collating, drilling and trimming for the text sheets, while the loose-leaf division performed the diecutting and UV coating of the index tabs. Meanwhile, the turned-edge division created the binder, built the VHS tape cavity and inserted the tapes, and inserted the text sheets into the finished binder. The binders were then shrink-wrapped and mailed.

According to Chris Eckhart, such projects are increasingly common. "Customers truly feel comfortable handing off the entire project to us," he contends. "We offer the benefits of both specialization and synergistic manufacturing. When a job requires operations from more than one division, it saves the customer money, yields a better product and makes production much more efficient to have all three under one roof."

If Eckhart & Co. has a production strength, it's mechanical binding. Wire-O binding is a particular specialty thanks to two fully automatic Bielomatik mechanical binding machines. The machines enable punching and binding to be performed in a single pass, resulting in very high production speeds. According to Brent Eckhart, the company has made a conscious effort to handle the entire range of mechanical binding options.

"We consider ourselves a foremost resource for all types of mechanical binding," he explains. "We perform Wire-O, plastic coil, plastic spiral and spiral binding in a wide range of sizes. Our in-line production capabilities allow us to handle even the most complex projects. When you combine our mechanical binding capacity with our loose-leaf and turned-edge divisions, we can create a very wide range of projects."

Casemaking is handled on two Kolbus casemaking machines with adjustable guides that offer extended size ranges. A high-speed Kolbus Compact book manufacturing line handles products such as cased-in, Wire-O and casebound books.

Flexible Equipment

For turned-edge and loose-leaf manufacturing and customization, Eckhart & Co. has two Sakurai sheetfed screen printing presses. According to Chris Eckhart, the flexibility of the two presses allows his company to provide clients with a wide range of screen printing and UV coating services.

"The versatility of these presses is incredible," he notes. "Substrate wise, we run everything from 80-lb. text stock to a 55 gauge piece of plastic. We can fine-tune the exact amount of spot UV coating that's applied to create just the right amount of gloss. In addition, we have a ton of flexibility in terms of what we can apply, such as glow-in-the-dark and scratch-off materials.

The unique blend of manufacturing processes has allowed Eckhart & Co. to extend its reach far beyond the Indianapolis city limits. Although the majority of the company's loose-leaf business is generated in the Midwest, bookbinding and turned-edge jobs come from all over the country. Many of the nation's largest web printers are also regular clients, including RR Donnelley, Quebecor World and Banta Corp.

"In addition, we receive work from several different facilities within each of those three major companies," says Brent Eckhart. "Our proximal location has a lot to do with that; shipping from Indianapolis almost always takes less time and money."

Although Eckhart & Co. works with some of the biggest printers in the industry, local clients are still treated to a highly personalized level of service. "Working with large companies has taught us how to tighten up our internal processes and communications for the most effective service experience possible," he adds. "That allows us to continue providing an intimate level of service to all of our clients, both large and small."

Chris Eckhart doesn't envision Eckhart & Co.'s continued pace of steady growth to slow any time soon. "Like everyone, we've felt the effects of this lagging economy," he admits. "But we still maintain a position of financial strength. That allows us to consider both internal growth and other opportunities that will help us serve our customers even better moving forward.

"We want to continue with our business model of operationally distinct, core competencies, internally integrated to create and provide value enhancement for our customers. That's what has allowed this company to grow to this level, and what will continue to fuel growth in the future."