UPFRONT

Canterbury Closes Its Doors

ROME, NY—Employee-owned Canterbury Press closed its doors in July, leaving 42 employees without jobs, according to the Utica Observer-Dispatch. The company produced sheetfed commercial work, as well as periodicals.

$10M Investment for Royle

SUN PRAIRIE, WI—Royle Printing is investing more than $10 million to bolster its operations, including a new 57˝ Goss Sunday 2000 gapless web press. Royle, which serves the publishing and catalog markets, also added a fourth selective binding and mailing system, and is in the process of constructing a 40,000-square-foot addition to its facility here.

Quad Invests in Polish Firm

SUSSEX, WI—Quad/Graphics and its Warsaw-based holding Winkowski are investing $35 million into the latter’s operations to obtain, among other things, press conveying, stacking and palletizing systems, multiple press cover production systems and several polywrapping machines. The company, which has operated under Quad’s majority ownership since last December, will be called QuadWinkowski. Tom Frankowski, a 29-year veteran of Quad, has been named president of QuadWinkowski.

New Pacts for Quebecor World

MONTREAL—Quebecor World has signed a multi-year printing agreement with Local Insight Media Holdings, expanding its volume of printing for the company. Under the deal, Quebecor World will print more than 450 directories for Local Insight Media, whose operating subsidiaries and affiliates provide Yellow Pages directories and local search solutions for 370,000 businesses in 42 states and the Caribbean. The printer also reached a new seven-year, $45 million agreement with Canada Wide Media to print magazines and periodicals for the Vancouver-based publisher.

Expansion for VistaPrint

LEXINGTON, MA—VistaPrint posted its financial results for the fourth quarter and 2008 fiscal year (FY). Quarterly revenue grew 52 percent and FY sales shot up 57 percent. Its 2008 sales grew to $400.7 million. The company has a pair of capital investments in process, with its Montego Bay, Jamaica, service center operations being expanded (to be completed in 18 months). Its Windsor, Ontario, production facility is also being expanded. That project should be completed by third quarter FY 2009.

Metzgers Grows Facility, Staff

TOLEDO, OH—Metzgers Printing and Mailing, born as a “type house” in the ’70s, is building a 29,000-square-foot addition to its facility here that is expected to be completed in November, the Toledo Free Press reported. The move is expected to help create 12 permanent positions within the company. Metzgers, which expects to post sales of $13 million in fiscal 2008, will have nearly 100,000 square feet of operating space, the paper stated.

Welch Ponders Facility Boost

LOUISVILLE, KY—Welch Printing has filed plans with the State of Kentucky that may see the company expand its building by 15,000 square feet, a $2.4 million initiative that would create 15 jobs, Business First of Louisville reported. Welch received preliminary approval for $200,000 in state incentives from the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority.

K/P Combines Operations

RENTON, WA—K/P Corp. recently completed a 125,000-square-foot printing, fulfillment and direct mail facility here. The move allows K/P to combine operations from plants in Seattle and Kent into this single, larger facility. The new facility will provide increased efficiency and eliminate redundant processes.

Anderberg-Lund Makes Deal

ST. LOUIS PARK, MN—Anderberg-Lund has purchased Color Printing of Edina, MN. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Some equipment, including two presses, and a number of Color Printing employees will join Anderberg-Lund.

Macomb Adds Canadian Printer

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI—In an effort to enter the heatset web market, Macomb Printing has acquired North American Printing of Windsor, Ontario, one of the Think North American companies. The deal will also allow Macomb Printing to significantly expand its full-color printing capabilities.

Keystone Swings Deal for Ott

OLD FORGE, PA—Keystone has acquired Ott Packagings of Selinsgrove, PA, which manufactures rigid and thermoformed packaging, folding cartons with windows, foil stamping and thermoformed plastic inserts. Keystone provides customized point-of-purchase displays, offset banners, flexo labeling and packaging, among others.

USPS Suffers $1.1B Loss in Q3

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Postal Service registered a net loss of $1.1 billion for the third quarter, reflecting reduced mail volume and increasing transportation costs. Operating revenue fell $437 million to $17.9 billion for the quarter compared to the same period last year. Volume declined 5.5 percent to 48.5 billion pieces.

AMS Relocates Operations

ARVADA, CO—Air Motion Systems (AMS), a manufacturer of UV curing systems, IR/thermal air drying systems and related accessories, has relocated to an expanded facility in River Falls, WI, centrally located just east of Minneapolis/St. Paul and a few hours north of Chicago. The 36,000-square-foot facility doubles the size of the company’s existing operation and triples production capacity.

Correction

The full-page Ricoh advertorial on page 57 in our August issue should have been labeled as an advertisement. PRINTING IMPRESSIONS regrets the error.