While it is still too early to understand what kind of long-term impact the coronavirus outbreak will have on the U.S. printing industry, Los Angeles-based Sinclair Printing appears to be an early casualty. Effective March 20, the high-end commercial, book, and catalog printing facility — which once employed 120 workers — was reduced to a skeleton crew.
"Without a clear understanding of what the condition of the business, our customers, and the printing industry will be when the COVID-19 pandemic is over, it was decided that the best course of action was to make the necessary reduction immediately," Susan Wiercinski, VP of marketing at CJK Group, told Printing Impressions in a statement.
"A small team has been retained to complete work-in-process and to assist customers as we facilitate the transfer of compatible work to other CJK Group printing facilities," she added. "Once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, CJK Group leadership will re-evaluate the business conditions and determine when, or if, it is beneficial to continue the Sinclair Printing operation."
The 100,000-sq.-ft. Sinclair Printing plant had housed sheetfed offset, heatset web with in-line sheeting, and coldset web offset printing presses; digital printing; and a complete in-house bindery. Sinclar Printing had been acquired by Brainerd, Minn.-based Bang Printing in 2015.
CJK Group, as a corporate entity, was established by CEO Chris Kurtzman, in 2017. Privately-held CJK Group — one of the largest book manufacturing conglomerates in the country— does not disclose its financial information, so it is not ranked on the Printing Impressions 400 list of the largest printers in the U.S. and Canada as ranked by annual sales.
SInclair Printing's sister operation in Palmdale, Calif., was consolidated into the East Los Angeles plant in 2019, resulting in the loss of 114 positions at that time. Then-Bang Printing reportedly acquired the 130,000-sq.-ft. Antelope Valley facility in 2015 when printing operations from San Clarita, Calif., were relocated to there. The Palmdale plant was sold by the CJK Group for $15 million to Greenlaw Partners in early March for use by Amazon as one of its warehouses.
Partially a Victim of COVID-19, Sinclair Printing in Los Angeles Winds Down Operations
"Without a clear understanding of what the condition of the business, our customers, and the printing industry will be when the COVID-19 pandemic is over, it was decided that the best course of action was to make the necessary reduction immediately," Susan Wiercinski, VP of marketing at CJK Group, told Printing Impressions in a statement.
"A small team has been retained to complete work-in-process and to assist customers as we facilitate the transfer of compatible work to other CJK Group printing facilities," she added. "Once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, CJK Group leadership will re-evaluate the business conditions and determine when, or if, it is beneficial to continue the Sinclair Printing operation."
The 100,000-sq.-ft. Sinclair Printing plant had housed sheetfed offset, heatset web with in-line sheeting, and coldset web offset printing presses; digital printing; and a complete in-house bindery. Sinclar Printing had been acquired by Brainerd, Minn.-based Bang Printing in 2015.
CJK Group, as a corporate entity, was established by CEO Chris Kurtzman, in 2017. Privately-held CJK Group — one of the largest book manufacturing conglomerates in the country— does not disclose its financial information, so it is not ranked on the Printing Impressions 400 list of the largest printers in the U.S. and Canada as ranked by annual sales.
SInclair Printing's sister operation in Palmdale, Calif., was consolidated into the East Los Angeles plant in 2019, resulting in the loss of 114 positions at that time. Then-Bang Printing reportedly acquired the 130,000-sq.-ft. Antelope Valley facility in 2015 when printing operations from San Clarita, Calif., were relocated to there. The Palmdale plant was sold by the CJK Group for $15 million to Greenlaw Partners in early March for use by Amazon as one of its warehouses.
Mark Michelson now serves as Editor Emeritus of Printing Impressions. Named Editor-in-Chief in 1985, he is an award-winning journalist and member of several industry honor societies. Reader feedback is always encouraged. Email mmichelson@napco.com