Consolidated Graphics

By Mark Michelson Editor-in-Chief The rain may have made it a bit more difficult for visitors to maneuver between the 17 halls during the first week of the 14-day Drupa 2004 trade exhibition in Düsseldorf, Germany, last month, but that surely didn't dampen the spirits of the reported 394,000-plus attendees. Nor did it keep the 1,862 equipment, software and consumables exhibitors representing 52 nations from showcasing their latest R&D and product development efforts. And while there may not have been any one "blockbuster" piece of equipment or technology that everyone at the show was buzzing about, there surely was an assortment of new product

HOUSTON—M&A leader Consolidated Graphics (CGX) moved to strengthen its market share in the region with the acquisition of Denver-based Eastwood Printing, a full-service web and sheetfed printer. Joe R. Davis, chairman and CEO of CGX, was happy to expand in the Denver area with a company that boasts a long-standing reputation for quality. "This acquisition is an excellent example of a key element of our growth strategy—expanding our geographic footprint and market leadership position through strategic acquisitions of high-quality, well-managed companies," Davis says. "We have created a very powerful model for long-term growth in sales and profits by combining the operating strengths of

By Harris DeWese Another wave of merger and acquisition activity is mounting in the printing industry. Soon it will sweep across the industry as never before. It began mid-year 2003 and is likely to continue for several years. This new era of consolidation will be of greater magnitude than previous periods. It will have a different impetus and many new characteristics. This surge is enabled by an improving economy, continuing low interest rates, buyers' pent-up demand for external growth, the difficulty associated with organic growth in printing and the catalytic effect of a handful of recent mega-deals. This new period of consolidation will

In my December 2003 column, I offered to send you readers "400 Sales Tips for Printing Sales Professionals." I concocted this offer at 3 a.m. on the morning of Attila the Editor's stupid deadline whilst I was stoned on a caffeine high. Coffee is about all I have left now that I'm on this stupid South Beach diet and working out with a personal trainer. So far, my 61-year-old biceps are up to 18˝, I'm begging my neighbors to let me redecorate their homes and I can bench press about twice my IQ. The 400 tips idea was a gratuitous, self-serving act. I

HOUSTON—Consolidated Graphics (CGX) has kicked off the merger and acquisition season with its first deal of 2004. CGX has acquired Champagne Lafayette Communications, of Natick, MA, and has merged it with Pride Printers, Woburn, MA. The combined operations will be housed in Pride's Woburn, MA, facility.The previous owners were semi-retired and not involved in day-to-day…

(Editor's Note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2003. Therefore, companies that revised their 2002 revenues may have changed their 2002 ranking as compared with the ranking that appeared in last year's Printing Impressions 400. Similarly, the percentage change in sales is calculated on the most recent information provided.) 1 ('02: 1) Quebecor World, Montréal, Canada Total Sales (Millions): $6,242.00 Previous Year's Sales (Millions): $6,300.00 Change (%): -1 Principal Officer: Jean Neveu Employees: 38,000 Primary Specialties: PUB 26%; ADV 23%; CAT 16%; BKS 12% Web Offset Press Units: 3,156 Sheetfed Press Units: 985 Other Press

BY chris Bauer Managing Editor The year 2003 can be summed up as a period that had its ups and downs as far as the commercial printing industry is concerned. For every plant closing, there seemed to be a plant expansion project. For every poor financial report, there was a major capital equipment expenditure. Some big names left the industry, making way for a new generation of leaders. And the industry's biggest annual trade show left attendees and exhibitors with a feeling of hope. Let's take a look back. The beginning of the year brought with it changes to the top spots at several

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor Issues abound for the direct marketing printer, and some of the high impact ones involve the federal government. Given this, there is but one absolute: don't expect hard and fast resolutions anytime soon. One topic centers on postal reform for the United States Postal Service (USPS); another deals with the possible redirection of marketing efforts from customers who may no longer believe that telemarketing is a viable answer in light of the federal Do-Not-Call (DNC) Registry. Top 10 Direct Mail Printers*  CompanySegmentSales(millions)TotalSales(millions) 1Quebecor WorldMontreal$624$6,242 2Vertis Inc.Baltimore$335$1,675 3Banta Corp.Menasha, WI$191$1,366 4RR DonnelleyChicago$142$4,754 5The Instant Web Cos.Chanhassen, MN$93$98 6Von Hoffmann(Lehigh Direct)St.

Now in its 20th year, the Printing Impressions 400 (in this special pull-out section) provides the industry's most comprehensive ranking of the leading printing companies in the United States and Canada. The listings include company name and headquarters location; parent company, if applicable; current and previous year's rankings; most recent and previous year's fiscal sales; percentage change; primary specialties; principal officer(s); and number of employees, manufacturing plants and total press units. In a few instances, those firms on the list that are heavily involved in activities other than printing were instructed to indicate sales derived only from printing. If printing revenues comprised

PIA/GATF Chooses New Home SAN ANTONIO, TX—After an 18 month review, the boards of directors of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) and Printing Industries of America (PIA) have selected Sewickley, PA, (over Waukesha, WI) as the new site for its consolidated headquarters. While GATF/PIA will maintain a small office in Washington, DC, for public policy purposes, the majority of PIA operations will move to the current headquarters of GATF, located just outside of Pittsburgh.The timing for the move is the fall of 2004. Mail-Well Creates New Group ENGLEWOOD, CO—Mail-Well has formed its new 360° Enterprise Solutions Group for the direct marketing industry. The 360° Enterprise Solutions