Smith-Edwards-Dunlap and Graphic Arts Merge

PHILADELPHIA—June 30, 2011—Two family-owned Philadelphia printing firms have merged: Smith-Edwards-Dunlap Co. (est. 1880) located in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia’s Graphic Arts Inc. (est. 1928). Combined, the two venerable firms have been serving area clients for more than 214 years.

Each company will continue to do business under its present name. However, operations will be combined into the 120,000-square-foot Smith-Edwards-Dunlap facility.

Both firms are owned and operated by third-generation family members: the Lobel family in the case of Smith-Edwards-Dunlap and the Koontz and Binder families at Graphic Arts. Longevity doesn’t end with their respective ownership; average employee tenure at each firm exceeds 20 years.

In a challenging environment for the printing industry brought on by the economic downturn, trends toward alternative communication vehicles and the general commoditization of print, the companies are bucking the business trend that has seen many firms either liquidate or get absorbed by large national consolidators. Both are committed to serving their client bases the old-fashioned way—building personal relationships and delivering personalized, dedicated service and performance at the highest level of quality. This shared culture was an important first step in their merger conversations.

Each company brings its unique qualifications to the new entity. Smith-Edwards-Dunlap, a sheetfed, web and digital printing firm, offers extensive bindery capabilities, robust mailing and packaging operations, and typesetting and proofreading services. Graphic Arts, a National Women’s Business Enterprise and FSC-certified firm, has experience meeting the demands of pharmaceutical printing, extensive HIPAA knowledge and capability, and inventory and fulfillment capacity.

Fred Binder, vice president of Graphic Arts, stated, “We’re extremely excited about our future and what this means about the collective value we can bring to our customer base.”

“The synergies of this combination of talent and equipment will result in a winning equation of 1+1=3,” added Jonathan Shapiro, president of Smith-Edwards-Dunlap.

For more information: SED.com or(215) 425-8800 and GALitho.com or (215) 382-5500.

Source: SED & GA.