Quad/Graphics Breaks Ground On New Plant

PEWAUKEE, WI—Quad/Graphics, based here, has begun construction on a new printing facility in Oklahoma City.

Initially, Quad/Graphics will install two web offset presses—an eight-unit Heidelberg and an eight-unit MAN Roland—as well as saddle stitching equipment.

When gravure operations begin in 2005, Quad's Oklahoma City plant will feature Italian-made Cerutti gravure presses. The presses will be equipped with full automation, from cylinder loading through signature delivery, including computerized process-control systems by QTI, Quad/Graphics' R&D subsidiary.

"Quad/Oklahoma will feature a manufacturing platform engineered for nimbleness," reports Thomas Quadracci, president and CEO. "We're constructing and equipping the plant to rapidly adapt to changing client needs in terms of geo-demographics, targeted delivery and shortened concept to consumer cycles," he adds.

Situated on 168 acres of land just 12 miles southeast of downtown Oklahoma City, the facility will measure 92,000 square feet to start.

The site is capable of eventually supporting more than one million square feet of printing plant space. Employment will grow from nearly 100 during the first year of operation to several hundred in two years' time, with expectations that rapid work force growth will continue in subsequent years.

Despite the fragile economy, Quad/Graphics is pursuing the expansion, estimated at $30 million, in anticipation of an influx of new business as market conditions stabilize. "We're preparing now for future business opportunities," Quadracci says. "The demand for print is certain to rebound with the economy."

Quad/Graphics announced its intent to expand to Oklahoma City in December of 2000, following an exhaustive site search that included several cities. Among the city's advantages is its central location within the United States, which is ideal for expedited distribution of product. The site, located off I-240, provides instant accessibility to I-40, the primary east-west interstate corridor that bisects the country.

In addition, Oklahoma City is within one day's drive of Quad/Graphics' existing production plants in Georgia and Wisconsin, which will facilitate interplant shipments.

Quad/Oklahoma will commence operations in the summer of 2003 as a web offset facility, with gravure press equipment being added in 2005. Quad/Graphics is the nation's largest privately held printer of magazines, catalogs and other commercial products.