UPFRONT
Workflow Management Gets CEO
PALM BEACH, FL—Gary W. Ampulski has been appointed president and CEO of Workflow Management. Ampulski brings to the position strong financial performance and hands-on experience in printing systems and services. Most recently he served as president and CEO of TAB Products, Vernon Hills, IL, a publicly held company. There he reportedly improved operating results, enhanced the management team, reduced costs and increased shareholder value by more than 175 percent in less than two years.
California Printers Merge
WATSONVILLE, CA—ColorAd Printers and Watsonville Press have joined forces to form PRINTWORX, which offers digital prepress, proofing and printing options. The new company has installed an HP-Indigo 3000 digital press, notes Kevin Cardona, director of operations. "This enables us to provide short-run color digital printing, on-demand services and personalization." PRINTWORX has also doubled its printing equipment capacity, strengthened its staff and expanded its outside sales force to encompass the central coast of California.
WI Printer Gets ISO Certification
STEVENS POINT, WI—Worzalla, an employee-owned book manufacturer, has received ISO 9002 certification at its Jefferson Street manufacturing plant and its West Pearl Street fulfillment facility. The company also plans to upgrade to the ISO 9001:2000 standard by the end of 2003.
PBM Graphics Refinances
DURHAM, NC—Fleet Capital, one of the nation's largest asset-based lenders, will provide a $20 million revolving credit facility to PBM Graphics. With facilities in North Carolina and South Dakota, PBM is a full-service printing firm offering color printed products, as well as multimedia, ad specialty and design services. The asset-based credit facility will be used to refinance existing debt. The company will also use Fleet's cash management services and its lockbox network.
First Heatset DICOweb User
BERN, SWITZERLAND—Stämpfli has become the first printing facility to commercially run the heatset version of MAN Roland's plate-free DICOweb press. The 16-page press enables the shop to produce runs as short as 500 to 3,000 copies. Among the applications being targeted by the printer are segmented press runs to better reach targeted groups and to allow late closings (up to one hour before run time) of advertising or editorial pages in publications.
K/P Corp. Relocates Operations
SAN RAMON, CA—K/P Corp. is planning to relocate its employees and print manufacturing equipment from its Milpitas, CA, operation to its facilities in San Leandro and Sacramento, CA. The Milpitas location will be used as a dedicated warehouse to provide much-needed storage space for K/P's customer base.
Vertis Consolidates Wide Format
BALTIMORE—Vertis has integrated its West Coast large format and East Coast outdoor advertising production capabilities to increase responsiveness to client needs. MasterVu, a provider of billboards and outdoor advertising products in New York, will combine its capabilities with Vertis' Irvine, CA, facility, which delivers high quality large and grand format products such as trade show graphics. The consolidated production capabilities will allow Vertis to provide large and grand format services coast-to-coast.
Lehigh Renames Digital Arm
CHICAGO—Lehigh Press has introduced Lehigh Digital, the new identity for Lehigh Press Colortronics, its digital production and data management facility servicing the educational marketplace. "We're very excited to announce our new name, and to demonstrate our continued commitment to the future." comments Fred Tochterman, vice president and general manager of Lehigh Digital. "Forthcoming services such as CD and DVD production, as well as variable data printing, have innumerable benefits for our clients."
Quad Is Printer of the Year
HARTFORD, WI—Quad/Graphics' plant, located here, has been named Newsweek's Printer of the Year for 2002. The coveted achievement marks the 18th consecutive year a Quad/Graphics facility has earned the distinction. Newsweek judges its printers on nine key criteria: quality, paper waste on covers, paper waste on current forms, turnaround time from the last file to the first book, time needed to produce the first 100,000 books, bindery speeds, press speeds, bindery books per hour, and service and support.
Call for Dillard Nominations
WEST CHESTER, PA—The Graphic Arts Sales Foundation is currently accepting letters of nomination for the annual John Dillard Sales Manager of the Year Award. The award was initiated in 1993 to recognize a sales manager in the graphic arts industry who demonstrates outstanding success in the development of sales representatives and customers. The award is named after the late John Dillard, a life-long supporter of graphic arts education and the former chairman of Dillard Paper Co. The award is available to printing and non-printing companies operating in the graphic arts industry. For more information, call (610) 431-9780.
Donnelley Streamlines Workflow
CHICAGO—RR Donnelley is now offering a fully integrated, platform-wide digital workflow and standardized file format (PDF/X-1a) to magazine publishers and catalogers that utilize the offset process. The solution provides offset customers with an opportunity to create a complete print production and advertising management workflow based on industry standard technology. Customers are able to transmit files for print to a central site, then view, proof and approve print-ready files online. In addition, Donnelley has integrated an ad management tool for publishers called AdSpring.
