Branch Smith Printing

by chris bauer Some might not give a printing company launched in 1910 by a man with no arms much of a chance to succeed. Yet that is just how Fort Worth, TX-based Branch-Smith Printing got its start—and the company continues to keep a strong hold on its loyal customers and its own rigorous standards of performance and quality. Branch-Smith founder Aaron Smith managed to do what some would call impossible—including writing and typing with his toes and starting a successful printing business.David BranchAlthough company founder Aaron Smith was born with no arms, he learned to write and type with his toes and worked

Printer Wins Baldrige Award FORT WORTH, TX—Branch-Smith Printing has received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in the small business category. It is the nation's premier award for performance excellence and quality achievement. The Baldrige Award is managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in conjunction with the private sector. The winners were announced by President Bush and Commerce Secretary Don Evans in November. Ennis Acquires Calibrated Forms DESOTO, TX—Ennis Business Forms has completed its acquisition of the outstanding stock of Columbus, KS-based Calibrated Forms Co. Calibrated designs, manufactures and markets printed business forms within the wholesale business forms marketplace. Calibrated becomes

FORT WORTH, TX—Branch-Smith Inc. recently completed a expansion, adding more than $2 million in equipment. The move is expected to double sales in its Printing Division by the end of the year 2000. During the first half of 1999, Branch-Smith has reconfigured its printing plant and created what officials say are more efficient work processes. Newly installed equipment includes an eight-color Heidelberg press and new CTP prepress equipment. David Branch, Branch-Smith's chairman and CEO, notes, "We are excited that our Printing Division's market focus on bound products has created such success and demand. These enhancements will enable us to improve our response to current

Implementing computer management systems arm commercial printers with a key to unlocking print production bottlenecks—on and off the Internet. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO Any printer will report that a breakdown in the communication process in any phase of the print production cycle can be debilitating. Printers, quite simply, do not have the luxury of easily absorbing workflow bottlenecks—from the moment a purchase order comes in, through the prepress and printing processes, to the second the product is lifted off the finishing room floor for shipment and the customer, promptly, is billed for services rendered. Good news: There are a host of fine technology

BY JERRY JANDA Phil Ruggles, a Cal Poly State University professor and consultant specializing in management information systems, estimates that this year there are approximately 70 vendors selling computer management systems to the graphic arts industry. As of yet, no vendors sell software that makes selecting, and integrating, a computer management system any easier. Ruggles notes that there is no easy way to determine which computer management system is best for a given company—there are simply too many variables to allow for a quick choice. Research and study by the printer are essential. And at the end of the research process, it is unlikely