WEST ORANGE, NJ—Applied Printing Technologies (APT), an $45 million printer based in Moonachie, NJ, has been acquired by EarthColor, based here. Terms of the deal were not revealed. APT also has a facility in Elmira, NY.The deal adds digital printing to EarthColor's arsenal and bolsters its full-web, in-line finishing and sheetfed printing capacity. It also…
Just when you thought 2005 was going to be a relative dud in the merger and acquisition realm, along came fall. And that's when the action got hot and heavy. Four monster transactions sent 2005 out with a bang. OK, so we can't count December—after all, we're not clairvoyant. But the deals vibrated through the industry, a couple of which involved the two largest printers in North America. Hey, the late 1990s don't appear to be returning any time soon, but that doesn't mean we won't experience an M&A renaissance. * RR Donnelley broke its prolonged silence by annexing Spencer Press of Wells, ME.
By Erik Cagle Senior Editor It is virtually impossible to ignore the impact Robert (Bob) Burton had on the printing industry in 2005. Given his relentless pursuit of two companies this past year, it was almost a given that Burton would enter 2006 at the helm of some printing business. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. In the final analysis, 2005 will be viewed as a year marked by triumph, tragedy and transactions, not to mention some unexpected twists and turns. Which fits us to a T. While the news wasn't always positive, a silver lining—a moral or a lesson could usually
2005 PI 400 Ranking: Industry in Transition Welcome to our 22nd annual "Printing Impressions 400 & Who's Who in Printing" issue. Aside from ranking the 400 largest printers in the U.S. and Canada based on sales, this special year-end edition also forecasts major print segments for the coming year. Providing an industry snapshot of which companies are soaring, which ones are just treading water and those that are sinking, the PI 400 is increasingly conspicuous by the venerable establishments that no longer appear on our list—usually the result of having been acquired by another company. And some privately held shops won't divulge their sales. This
(Editor's Note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2004. Therefore, companies that revised their 2003 revenues may have changed their 2003 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 ('03: 2) RR Donnelley, Chicago, IL Total Sales (Millions): $8,204.50 Previous Year's Sales (Millions): $4,754.94 Change (%): +73 Principal Officer: Mark A. Angelson Employees: 44,000 Primary Specialties: SPEC 26%; CAT/PUB 23%; BF 10%; COM 9%; BKS 8% Web Offset Press Units: N/A Sheetfed Press
(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
New Press Heats Up Southwestern Printer PHOENIX—Cereus Graphics has installed a new Komori Lithrone S40 sheetfed offset press. Cereus reportedly is the second printing company in the nation to begin operating the newly designed, 40˝ press after its Graph Expo introduction last fall. Alabama ADAMSVILLE—Precision Graphics has installed a five-color Komori Lithrone 40. arizona PHOENIX—A two-color, 17x22˝ Sakurai 258EPII perfector has been installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation. arkansas LITTLE ROCK—Magna IV has purchased two Model 3F sheetfed presses from Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses. The new 40˝ presses—a six-color with coater and extended delivery and a two-color—joined an existing six-color Model 3F.
NEW YORK—Integrated Graphics (IGI) and Earth Color Group have agreed to merge the two companies, creating what officials say will be the leading provider of prepress and printing services in the New York metropolitan area. The combined company, to be named IGI/Earth Color Inc., will offer digital prepress; full-color sheetfed, half- and full-web printing; finishing; and digital archiving from facilities in Manhattan, Long Island, northern New Jersey and Pompano, FL. IGI/Earth Color's operations will also include a prepress facility in Phoenix and a sheetfed printing business in Houston. The firm will be headquartered in New York and have combined revenues of more than
Two printers share their thoughts on how computer-to-plate technology has changed, and simplified, the production of plates. BY ERIK CAGLE To hear the newest members of the thermal computer-to-plate club tell it, the filmless process outranks even the television remote control in terms of convenience. While few 20-somethings can remember TV life without the armchair quarterback, many of today's commercial printers can scarcely believe how they made do without the convenience of digital platesetters. The difference between digital and conventional workflows, it seems, represents a chasm as expansive (not to mention palatable) as pâté and liverwurst. Bruce Wexler is a believer. The executive vice
