DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY—Consolidated Graphics (CGX) and HP have signed a multimillion dollar agreement for the installation of as many as 36 HP Indigo digital presses at facilities in the United States and the Czech Republic this year.The deal includes multiple HP Indigo 7000 digital presses and HP SmartStream Ultra print servers. The initial installations—presses at facilities…
THE YEAR was 1958. A 14-year-old named Bobby Fischer wins the U.S. Chess Championship. Willie O’Ree is the first African-American to play in the National Hockey League. The U.S. Air Force loses a hydrogen bomb off the coast of Savannah, GA, and it’s never found. Poet Ezra Pound is ordered to be released from an insane asylum, and “that book by Nabokov” (“Lolita”) is published in the United States. And, in Philadelphia, a 34-year-old man named Irvin Borowsky published the first issue of Printing Impressions. The industry, this magazine—indeed, our nation and world—have undergone dramatic transformations over the last 50 years. Our publication, just
THERE WILL come a day, sometime soon, when print buyers will come to respect the value that direct mail printers bring to the table in a consulting capacity. As for now, many printers have to be scratching their heads and wondering, “Where’s the love?” Or, better yet, why the lowball? This ain’t a commodity, pal. “I had a client who told me that my printing price was a little higher than the competition’s,” notes Paul Nichols, president of Tulsa, OK-based CP Solutions, a Consolidated Graphics company. So Nichols made the customer a tongue-in-cheek offer: He would print and mail the job for the price
Perfecting Press Doubles Production BRAINTREE, MA—A six-color, 40˝ Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102 perfector press with aqueous coater has been added at G.H. Dean Printing, and it has been twice as productive as the older press it replaced, reports CEO Ken Michaud. The new machine, which is the second six-color SM 102 perfector at G.H. Dean, is turning a lot more jobs in a shorter time due to the high degree of automation. Founded in 1889, the all-Heidelberg shop is a third-generation, family owned commercial printing and direct mail business that serves a regional clientele comprised of advertising agencies, marketing, financial services and healthcare companies,
HOUSTON—Consolidated Graphics (CGX) enhanced its East Coast presence and immediately became “Pikachu’s” favorite printer with the acquisition of Durham, NC-based PBM Graphics. Ranked 51st in the Printing Impressions 400 for 2007 with sales of $121.7 million, PBM specializes in producing collectible trading cards and trading card games and is the largest producer of Pokémon cards in the world. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to fiscal year 2009 earnings per share. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. PBM was founded in 1983 by Terry Pegram, who along with his management team will continue to direct the facility. In addition to card products,
HOUSTON—Consolidated Graphics (CGX) continued a recent rash of big acquisitions in the industry and enhanced its East Coast presence by obtaining Durham, NC-based PBM Graphics. Ranked 51st on the Printing Impressions 400 for 2007 with sales of $121.7 million, PBM specializes in producing collectible trading cards and trading card games and is the largest producer of Pokémon cards in the world. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to fiscal year 2009 earnings per share. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. PBM was founded in 1983 by Terry Pegram, who along with his management team will continue to direct the facility. In addition
Celebrating the New, But Treasuring the Old LOUISVILLE, KY—With the installation of its newest press, an eight-color Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105, and the historical display of its oldest, a 100-year-old Heidelberg letterpress, V.G. Reed and Sons has spanned a century of printing technologies. As a print and fulfillment solutions provider, the 140-employee company serves a wide range of customers including Fortune 500 companies, financial services firms, manufacturers, healthcare HMOs and niche publishers. ARIZONA BULLHEAD CITY—Two Quad-Stack web printing units from Web Press Corp. have been purchased by Brehm Communications, one for its News West Publishing location here and the other
INDUSTRY consolidators exist for a number of reasons, the main being an opportunity to make money by acquiring complementary (geographically or synergistically speaking) printing companies from owners who are looking for an exit to either retirement or another business opportunity. OK, so that less-than-shocking news doesn’t exactly leave you gagging on your afternoon coffee. But what does raise the eyebrows a bit is the notion that some printers would actually sell their printing business and (gulp) start another. No, not to run a custard stand, but actually embark on a second printing career. At first blush, this sounds like a questionable move, like divorcing
WIDENING OF the wage disparity between the ranks of top executives and workers has been getting some play in this presidential election season. So how does the take-home pay of the top printers stack up? Printing Impressions’ 18th annual executive compensation report highlights the earnings of principal officers at the largest publicly held printing companies. There was a significant shake-up of the list this year. Several top executives—and companies—dropped from the ranks as a result of the major merger/acquisition activity in 2007. Other companies had personnel changes at the top, and a few repeat executives saw their compensation totals dramatically impacted by the lack
Bowne Buys Alliance Affiliate NEW YORK—Bowne & Co. has pulled the trigger on a deal to acquire Alliance Data Mail Services (ADS MB), an affiliate of Alliance Data Systems. Terms of the deal were not revealed. ADS MB, which posts annual revenues of $36 million, provides personalized customer communications and intelligent inserting and commingling capabilities for the financial services, healthcare, retail, government and utilities sectors. Taylor Brands Three Entities MANKATO, MN—Taylor Corp. has merged its three independent entities—Carlson Craft Business Solutions, Regency and Label Works—under one unified brand called Navitor. Tom Ninneman, vice president of operations, said the merged entity would better serve customers
