Webcrafters Reducing Staff By 15 Percent

MADISON, WI—Facing a shrinking book printing market, Webcrafters Inc. announced it would reduce its staff by 15 percent, a move that will result in the loss of 80-plus jobs, The Capital Times reported. The cuts will be made across the company, impacting manufacturing, office and supervisory staff.

Webcrafters is offering employees voluntary separation packages—up to six months of pay depending on service—in an effort to cut down on the number of forced layoffs.

Jac Garner, president of Webcrafters, told the newspaper that reductions in state funding for schools has reduced demand for books. The printer specializes in printing textbooks and instructional materials for educational publishers including Scholastic and McGraw-Hill.

The printer currently employs 540, down from its total of 700 roughly five years ago, the newspaper reported.