Marshall & Bruce Printing Rebounds After Devastating Flood

KBA North America, a global press manufacturer based in Dallas, is pleased to announce that Marshall & Bruce Printing, a specialist in general commercial printing and packaging and fulfillment services, has rebounded from the 2010 spring floods in its headquarter location of Nashville and returned to full-service printing with the aid of KBA. The historic flood, which was the worst national natural disaster in 2010, nearly destroyed the firm’s KBA Rapida 105 41˝ seven-color press with digital CIP4 signal transmission and fiber optics. More than 13 inches of rain fell in two days in Nashville and central Tennessee in early May.

“A disaster of this kind is devastating for any business,” says Chip Smith, president of Marshall & Bruce Printing. “While the clean up, our customer’s work, all of our supplies and equipment, and insurance were very important, the most pressing problem was our Rapida 105. If we couldn’t repair or recondition the press, we didn’t have a business.

“KBA came to our aid and provided an incredible team of mechanics and electricians who stayed with us for seven weeks. They came into a very difficult situation, had great attitudes throughout the process, and saw the job through to completion. I am confident that we would not be back on our feet today without the concentrated focus and support from KBA.”

The 145-year-old printing firm sits across the street from the banks of the Cumberland River, which reached nearly 12 feet above flood stage and topped out at 51.9 feet before the waters began to finally recede. Hundreds of people were rescued from their homes by boat and canoe. Thousands of residents were displaced and hundreds of businesses were flooded, along with extensive damage to the Grand Old Opry, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and the Opryland Hotel. Marshall & Bruce was the only printing firm to be affected.

It all began the first weekend of May. After 12˝ to 17˝ of rain fell in a 36-hour period, Smith felt his company was safe. The rain had ended and the river waters had not crossed the road.

“One of our employees, Casey Johnson, came to our facility in the middle of the night and cut the electric,” notes Smith. “That was a key decision and he helped to save our company.”

By daybreak, the river water began to rise slowly. As the floodwaters began to peak on Monday afternoon, Marshall & Bruce’s facility had three feet of water in the plant that remained for 36 hours.

Smith and his management team slogged through the facility and found themselves knee-deep in river water. Their KBA press had flood water up to the catwalks. Repairs had to be made to all of the pumps, motors and other systems housed below the catwalk level of the press. The electrical system on the press had to be cleaned and changed.

While Smith tried to handle the immediate overwhelming shock and pain of his flooded business, a number of decisions needed to be made quickly. His brother, vice president of sales and marketing, quickly focused on the company’s customers while Chip took over the plant, equipment, insurance and building needs. Thousands of thoughts roared through his head. Where do we begin? How do we get in touch with all the employees, customers and vendors? What equipment is functional? What equipment will be salvageable? How will we continue business while we clean and repair the building and equipment? We have flood insurance, but will it be enough?

It took two months for the company to become fully operational again. KBA sent mechanics and electricians to help Marshall & Bruce rebuild the press.

“Darwin and Sebastian were excellent,” says Smith. “I can’t say enough about their knowledge and professionalism. They worked for two to three weeks at a time and on weekends protecting the press, keeping it greased so that no moisture would get inside. They were very methodical.”

During that time, the firm shifted from being a printer to a print broker. This served two key purposes: it allowed Marshall & Bruce to service its customers and maintain good relations with them; and it provided the firm with a revenue stream in the interim. With its KBA press off-line, Marshall & Bruce helped its clients find temporary printers in Nashville, Chattanooga and Alabama. Since the firm was the only printer to be affected by the flood, the local Printing Industry of America and graphic arts community offered to help.

“We told our customers that we would understand if they temporarily needed to work with another printer. That preserved a lot of relationships and we lost no major clients in the flood’s wake,” Smith reports.

Almost as devastating as the flood was the realization that he would need to reduce his workforce to save the company. The looming layoff haunted Smith and created as much anxiety as all the other issues. By far it was his most difficult task, he says.

As the KBA press was being rebuilt and returned to working condition, other key equipment needed to be replaced. Marshall & Bruce lost its platesetters and computer systems, as well as bindery equipment. Damage to its materials and paper were significant as well as finished goods. Luckily, the firm uses a three-tier storage system and only the first tier was damaged by the flood. In all, the firm’s loss was assessed at $2 million.

“We tried to celebrate the little victories,” recalls Smith. “When the press was first able to be turned on after the flood, we celebrated. When the press printed its first sheets again, we celebrated. When the main computer began to work again, we celebrated. Our entire company revolved around our KBA Rapida 105 press and the high quality of work we produced; if it didn’t work, we didn’t have a company. It’s the linchpin to our business.”

More than seven months later, Marshall & Bruce is almost back to normal from the flood.

“We’re one shift away on the press and we’re still down a few employees,” says Smith. “We just brought back two employees in late November.” Revenue took a hit; when the company reported its fiscal year sales, which ended in August 2010, it posted $10.5 million in sales, down from $12 million a year prior.

Marshall & Bruce Printing was founded in 1865 by Andrew Marshall and James Bruce with the goal of rendering a “greater measure of service than was necessary on any given occasion to study, strive, and to advance in the interests of its clientele.” Today the family-owned firm is one of the most modern and efficient printing firms in the region. Its 55,000 sq ft facility houses its KBA Rapida 105 41-inch sheetfed press as well as the latest in prepress equipment, computer-to-plate, a complete bindery, and quality control program. www.marbruco.com

KBA North America, located in Dallas, is a member of the KBA Group. KBA is one of the largest press manufacturers worldwide, with the broadest product range in the industry, and a key supplier to the global media industry. KBA’s core competence is the development and manufacture of technologically innovative printing systems and peripherals. The parent company is Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) with facilities in Würzburg and Radebeul, Germany. www.kba.com