SUPPLIER news
Robert Prah, formerly national accounts manager for Screen (USA), has been appointed vice president of sales. Prah oversees the Screen sales force in the United States and Canada.
Boise Paper’s board of directors has approved a $72 million capital project to expand Boise’s production of pressure-sensitive paper. The project involves adding new capacity to the existing #3 paper machine at Boise’s mill in Wallula, WA, with state-of-the-art equipment that will increase the company’s pressure-sensitive capacity by 200,000 tons.
Eastman Kodak has named Jeffrey Hayzlett chief marketing officer and vice president for its Graphic Communications Group (GCG). Hayzlett has nearly 25 years of international marketing, sales and customer relations management experience in the graphic communications industry. In a related move, Hayzlett has sold the assets of media relations, business development and marketing firm Hayzlett & Associates to Mark Bonacorso, who takes over as president.
Komori America announced that Angelo Possemato has joined the company as director of national accounts. Possemato brings to Komori more than 20 years of experience in the graphic arts industry. Also, Gene French has joined Komori America as district sales manager for a Midwest territory. French is now responsible for the company’s corporate sales initiative in Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin and Southern Minnesota. The company also has hired Clark Scherer as special programs sales associate.
Marke Baker, formerly director of customer service at Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses, has been promoted to vice president of customer service. He joined the company in 1988.
Avanti Computer Systems has acquired fellow business management software provider Parsec. The companies have a combined customer base of more than 750 installations. In an effort to make this transaction as seamless as possible for Parsec customers, all current Parsec employees have become members of the Avanti team.
Heidelberg USA announced that Tim Henschel has been named manager of public relations in its marketing communications department. In his new role, Henschel is leading all media relations and external communications initiatives from Heidelberg’s U.S. headquarters in Kennesaw, GA. In other news, Stephan Plenz is the new manager of the Wiesloch, Germany, facility for Heidelberg. The former site manager, Dieter Stempnewicz, has retired. The Wiesloch factory has around 6,000 employees and covers an area of 860,000 square meters, making it the company’s largest sheetfed press production site.
ECRM has acquired the polyester CTP business of Esko Production A/S, including the manufacture and sale of the DPX platesetter family (DPX 4, DPX System and DPX Lite), WorkMates workflow solution and all associated software products, consumables, spare parts and related products.
Dutch German company Drent Goebel will demonstrate a seven-color, 33.5˝ VSOP web press during an open house at its newly acquired North American facility in Montreal from June 22-27. The variable sleeve offset press is equipped with a downstream coater and an EB curing unit. Visitors can attend workshops on quality, cost savings and environmental issues.
EFI has acquired a prepress workflow intelligence platform called OpForma. This toolset, developed by Prolatus Inc., provides detailed, Web-based analysis of prepress production activities for strategic planning, costing and real-time decision making.
Secap named Progressive Office Systems of Orlando, FL, as “U.S. Dealer of the Year” for 2005. Eugene Prestera and John Prestera are the two principals of Progressive Office Systems, which has been a Secap dealer since 1997.
Bob Barton has been named commercial operations director for Sitma U.S.A. He replaces Pete Butikis who recently resigned.
KBA Holds Open House in Germany
RADEBEUL, GERMANY—In what has become an annual rite of spring, KBA hosted more than 60 guests from North American printing firms to a tour of its manufacturing facility here as well as visits to key German customers during its open house event in May.
While touring the manufacturing facility, which produces sheetfed presses, KBA officials reported $2 billion in worldwide sales in 2005 including 817 sheetfed presses. Visitors were able to watch as 10 presses slated to be shipped to American customers were custom built, along with numerous other machines headed for international destinations.
Some of the American companies that were having KBA presses built included Ivy Hill, Jostins, Bolger Concept to Print and RR Donnelley. KBA also ran test jobs on a Rapida 105 5/5 and Rapida 142 6+L in the company’s demo center.
Just a stone’s throw from the KBA factory is Ellerhold Printing, a package and poster printer that was the inspiration for the 81˝ press model. In fact, Ellerhold installed the first-ever 81˝ Rapida 205—a four-color machine with coater—in 2005.
North American visitors watched several quick plate changes on the press as poster jobs, which make up 90 percent of the company’s work, were completed.
The following day, the group converged upon Druckhaus Mitte, a package and commercial printer located just outside Berlin. Inside, a five-color, 64˝ Rapida 162 stood ready to accept digital data for jobs sent from its facility in Berlin. Druckhaus Mitte produces point-of-purchase displays for its sister company located next door as well as books and other commercial work.
During another site visit, a Dresden-area Web-to-print firm opened its doors to the American group, allowing them access to the all-KBA plant. Jobs produced here are acquired via the Internet—the company has no sales staff—and boasts sales of US$35 million. The company runs a complete digital workflow with 180 employees working three shifts per day, producing jobs for 400 customers and shipping 1,000 packages on a daily basis.
Some other interesting facts about this Web-to-print facility: the company does its software development in-house; employees wear all white uniforms and receive a fruit basket each morning; and the company has on-site massage and physical therapy available.
Other highlights of the trip included guided tours of the historic cities of Dresden and Berlin, traditional German dining, and the event was capped off with a sunset cruise on the paddle-steamer “Stadt Wehlen” along the River Elbe.
