Offset Printing - Web

PRINT 09 sheetfed and web offset press exhibitors were all singing the same tune that the "holy grail" to achieving profitability in these tough times lies in a print shop's 
efficiency—quick makereadies, waste reduction, higher productivity with less people, as well as value-added capabilities to diversify and differentiate one's offerings.

HOW OFTEN does a 12-year-old have a strong sense of what he/she wants to become in life? Even most 22-year-olds haven't a clue as to what their future holds. Well, Ralph Pontillo knew. Roughly 46 years ago, he stepped into a printing shop as a seventh grader and found his destiny staring right back at him. Call it focus, call it motivation, call it determination. It doesn't matter.

WHAT LESSONS can be gleaned from working at a 150-year-old business? First and foremost, where you've been is not nearly as important as where you're going. Secondly, there is no room for loyalty and tradition when it comes to products and services, which have a tendency to come and go from the business landscape.

HAUPPAUGE, NY—Muller Martini has acquired patents for the variable sleeve offset press (VSOP) technology from Drent Goebel, which declared bankruptcy in July. As a result, a new Muller Martini VSOP press series, offering flexible package and cardboard printing, will be launched by the end of 2009. By combining the new VSOP series with its existing Alprinta and Concepta product lines, Muller Martini will provide printers with a comprehensive array of web printing solutions.

Technology-driven sales wins newspaper deals for Evergreen Printing.

BOLINGBROOK, IL—After 44 years at Goss International, President Richard "Dick" Sutis will retire July 31. Sutis will retain his positions as vice chairman of the board of directors of Shanghai Goss Graphic Systems, a joint-venture of Goss International and Shanghai Electric Group in China, as well as a member of the board of directors of Goss Graphic Systems Japan. In recent years, Sutis has transitioned out of direct management control of Goss International and focused on continuing the company's Asian initiatives.

BOLINGBROOK, IL—Goss International has reduced its U.S. workforce by 170, with the cuts taking place in facilities located in New Hampshire, Texas and Illinois. The company was also considering other options including short-term furloughs during the summer for employees in the United States. The staff reduction and additional cost-saving measures are responses to economic conditions, particularly a decline in advertising expenditures, which have adversely impacted the demand for new web printing and print finishing equipment worldwide, according to Goss International CEO Jochen Meissner.

LAS VEGAS—The 2009 Offset and Beyond Conference completed its three-day run on Wednesday here at Caesars Palace. Presented by the Web Offset Association and the Printing Industries of America (PIA), the event featured a host of guest speakers who examined themes such as technology, the future of printing and adapting in troubled times.

Following is a special report from Day 2 of the 2009 Offset and Beyond Conference. Printing Industries of America's Executive Team is reporting from Caesars Palace, where the Conference continues today. What do you do? If your answer is "I am just a printer", you are not likely to be in business much longer in these turbulent times. Tuesday's general session opened with Making the Transformation from Printer to Marketing Communications Provider.

PITTSBURGH—Michael Keene, president and CEO of Minneapolis-based John Roberts, will receive the Web Offset Association's 2009 Harry V. Quadracci VISION Award. Keene, a 2008 inductee into the Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame, will be presented with the honor May 5 during the Offset & Beyond Conference at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The award recognizes a web offset printing industry executive who has "reached an unsurpassed level of excellence and achievement in the industry."