UPFRONT

Xerox Mourns Loss of Hatch

ROCHESTER, NY—Gilbert J. Hatch, president of the Production Systems Group at Xerox Corp., died Aug. 26 after a long battle with cancer. During his 35-year career with Xerox, Hatch held a number of senior technical and general management positions in the United States and Great Britain.

Allied Buys First "Drupa" Press

MANCHESTER, CT—Allied Printing Services earned the distinction of purchasing the first Drupa-version large-format sheetfed press from KBA North America. The six-color, 56˝ KBA Rapida 142 press with aqueous coating is slated to be installed and running at Allied by the end of this month.

Freedom Acquires MetroWebb

MILTON, WI—Direct mail specialist Freedom Graphic Systems has acquired Dallas-based MetroWebb, formerly a division of The Mail Box printing and mailing franchise. Freedom Graphic Systems plans to expand MetroWebb, upgrading existing equipment and adding new technologies, and intends to relocate MetroWebb to larger facilities in Dallas.

Quad Buys Stitcher, Wrappers

SUSSEX, WI—In an effort to expand its production capacity and capabilities, Quad/Graphics has purchased a Muller Martini Supra saddlestitcher and five Sitma Variawrap polywrappers. The combined price tag for the new finishing equipment is more than $8 million and comes on the heels of a $50 million layout for nine Heidelberg finishing systems. Quad reportedly becomes the second printer worldwide to install the Supra and the first in the United States.

Benton Bindery Adds Equipment

CARLSTADT, NJ—Benton Bindery bolstered its finishing capabilities with the acquisition of Heidelberg hardware—two ST 270 saddlestitchers and a Stahlfolder Ti 55 folder. The purchases allowed Benton to hire four new employees and expand its facility by more than 15,000 square feet.

JohnsByrne Acquires Assets

NILES, IL—JohnsByrne has acquired most of the assets of Broadview, IL-based Chicago Printing, a full-service sheetfed printer. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. JohnsByrne specializes in offerings such as Web-enabled prepress, UV printing and online fulfillment.

Transcontinental Closing Plant

MONTREAL—Transcontinental announced it will close its Winnipeg, Manitoba, printing plant next March, costing the jobs of more than 150 employees. Production of flyers, catalogs and inserts for retail chains will be transferred to facilities in Calgary, Alberta, and Brampton, Ontario. A number of employees will be offered jobs at other Transcontinental locations while others will receive severance payments and outplacement counseling. The closing represents another blow to commercial printing in the Canadian city. The Winnipeg Sun noted that a former Moore Corp. plant in Winnipeg closed in December of 2003.

Walsworth Acquires Webco

MARCELINE, MO—Walsworth Publishing has obtained the assets of Webco Printing, of Omaha, NE, for an undisclosed amount of money. A select group of former Webco employees have been hired by Walsworth, which intends to maintain the Omaha facility. The plant was expected to be fully operational by this month.

Chicagoland Printers Merge

BROADVIEW, IL—Chicago-area printers Rapid Impressions and Commercial Lithographers have agreed to merge. The combination creates well-rounded manufacturing capabilities, with Rapid Impressions' sheetfed capabilities complementing Commercial Lithographers' niche offerings, including digital printing. Ray Kosowski, president of Commercial Lithographers, is the uncle of Jim Kosowski, vice president of Rapid Impressions.

Rotoman Bound for Lane Press

BURLINGTON, VT—Publication printer Lane Press has placed an order for a four-unit MAN Roland Rotoman web press to be installed next April. The 16-page press features a new single-chopper combination folder rated at 65,000 iph. Lane Press services the association, business-to-business, consumer, regional and scholastic publications markets.

JM&M Services Adds Binder

BENSENVILLE, IL—Binding and specialty packaging provider JM&M Services has installed a Muller Martini AmigoPlus perfect binder. The AmigoPlus can be run by a single operator and can produce at the adjustable rate of 300 to 1,500 cycles per hour.

Arandell Corp. Receives Award

MENOMONEE FALLS, WI—Direct mail catalog and marketing materials specialist Arandell Corp. has received Orion's Environmental Stewardship Award for the energy-efficient lighting project in its 425,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. The company expects to save 1.78 million kilowatt hours annually and 35.7 million over the sustainable life of the lighting fixtures. The project is being managed and supplied by Orion Energy Systems of Plymouth, WI.

Brown to Offer Co-palletization

WASECA, MN—Brown Logistics Services (BLS), a division of Brown Printing, revealed plans to provide co-palletization services to its customers. The move will help offset rising paper, transportation and postal costs for Brown's customers. Reported benefits will include postage and drop ship workshare discounts.

Ron Daly Steps Down at Océ

VENLO, THE NETHERLANDS—Ronald Daly resigned his position as CEO with Océ-U.S.A. Holding, as well as his board of executive directors post with Océ N.V. The move was effective Sept. 1. Jan Dix has assumed the CEO role with Océ-U.S.A. Holding effective Sept. 15. He is a board member with Océ N.V. and senior executive vice president of the Strategic Business Unit Digital Document Systems.