UPFRONT
Newspaper Expands Capacity
CHEYENNE, WY—The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle shelled out $14 million for the expansion of the company’s headquarters and production center here. The improvements are scheduled around the installation of a MAN Roland Uniset 75 web press, which is slated to be delivered next January. The Tribune-Eagle is Wyoming’s second-largest daily newspaper.
Press Worker Suffers Injury
PITTSBURGH—A man had to be rescued from the printing press at Liberty Pittsburgh Systems on Neville Island March 12 after catching his hand between the machine’s rollers. The unidentified man, in his early 50s, got his hand caught around 6:30 that morning. Ohio Township firefighters and rescue workers needed about 90 minutes to liberate the man, according to the Beaver County Times. Three Liberty Pittsburgh Systems employees also assisted in the rescue. The man was taken to a nearby hospital.
PackPrint Show Put on Hold
RESTON, VA—The Graphic Arts Show Co. (GASC) announced that package printing show PackPrint will not be held concurrently with Graph Expo 2007 from September 9-12 in Chicago, as planned. In the end, it was a matter of insufficient vendor support. According to Ralph Nappi, president of GASC, the goal was to sell 50,000 square feet for the inaugural PackPrint. GASC pulled the plug with 40 vendors having accounted for 26,000 square feet.
Major Deals Are Completed
STAMFORD, CT—Cenveo Inc., located here, has completed its acquisition of Richmond, VA-based Cadmus Communications. Cenveo paid $430 million, or $24.75 per share. The Valassis acquisition of ADVO Inc. for $1.2 billion, or $33.02 per share, has also been completed. Domtar Inc., meanwhile, closed its deal for Weyerhaeuser Co.’s fine paper business. The combination created Domtar Corp., which will be traded on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol UFS.
Engdahl Retiring from Brown
WASECA, MN—Tom Engdahl, a 2005 inductee into the PRINTING IMPRESSIONS/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame, is stepping down from his role as president and CEO of Brown Printing. Volker Peterson, vice president of strategy and chief integration officer, will replace Engdahl effective July 1. Engdahl, who retires January 1, 2008, will stay on to ensure a smooth transition process.
Charges Against Dunn Dropped
SANTA CLARA, CA—Former Hewlett-Packard board Chair Patricia Dunn will avoid jail time and community service after a judge dropped fraud charges that had been leveled in the company’s boardroom spying scandal, the Associated Press reported. Dunn and three other defendants pled no contest to misdemeanor charges of fraudulent wire communications. Community service was waived because Dunn has cancer.
Jacobson Leaving Kodak
ROCHESTER, NY—Jeff Jacobson, a vice president for Eastman Kodak and the COO for its Graphic Communications Group, announced he will step down from his post at the end of April. Jacobson announced his intention to leave under the terms of a two-year agreement that took effect upon the acquisition of Kodak Polychrome Graphics.
MO Moves Against Ad Inserts
JEFFERSON CITY, MO—The inclusion of advertising inserts with license plate renewal notices in the state of Missouri may stop after the state Senate voted for an amendment that would disallow the practice. The Missouri Department of Revenue started including ad inserts with the plate renewal notices in 2006, according to the Jefferson City News Tribune. In allowing the ads to be sold and inserted into the mailings in exchange for free printing, the state saved $750,000 a year.
Neenah Closes Fox Facility
ALPHARETTA, GA—Neenah Paper has decided to permanently close one of the fine paper plants it acquired in the purchase of Fox River Paper. Operations will cease at the Housatonic mill in Great Barrington, MA, at the end of the second quarter. Annual savings of about $5 million are expected from the elimination of fixed costs and increased manufacturing facilities.
Quebecor Nets Book Pact
MONTREAL—Quebecor World has reached terms on a multi-year contract extension with Harlequin Enterprises for the printing of mass-market paperback books. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Quebecor World produces approximately 145 million paperback books (roughly 44 billion pages) annually for Harlequin and its imprints, Mira and Silhouette.
CCL Label Opening Facility
FRAMINGHAM, MA—Label and packaging specialist CCL Label is slated to move its Memphis, TN, plant into a 120,000-square-foot facility in Collierville, TN, sometime this summer. The $18 million project is designed to provide more space for the company, according to the Memphis Business Journal.
Donnelley Rebrands Astron
CHICAGO—RR Donnelley has rebranded its British-based Astron as RR Donnelley Global Document Solutions to reflect the expansion of its end-to-end document management and business process outsourcing (BPO) capabilities and integration with Donnelley’s global resources.
PGSF Gets Large Endowment
SEWICKLEY, PA—A gift of $650,000 has been given to the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF) by the Employing Printers Education Trust (EPET). The trustees have directed PGSF to establish educational scholarships; the monies will help build the number of ‘Gutenberg level’ $5,000 annual scholarships.
