Lehigh Press

Commercial printing industry news briefs, including items on Quad/Graphic, Cenveo, Alonzo Printing, Berryville Graphics, Keller-Crescent and more.

Adam Garwolinski has been promoted to pressroom foreman with the recent installation of a fourth Komori press at Elk Grove Village, IL-based Quality Color Graphics. Dalim Software Users Organization—which offers an unbiased collaborative channel of communications between Dalim Software users, staff and resellers—has elected new officers at the 2008 North American Dalim Software Users Organization (DUO) Annual Meeting at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Brent Kantola, prepress manager at Rogers Printing, and Stephen White, specialist, Integrated Manufacturing, at Vertis Communications, were elected president and vice president, respectively. Thomas Kern, former director of operations for Transcontinental Direct’s facility in

LAgraphico Hosts ‘Thinking Green’ Event BURBANK, CA—LAgraphico, an imaging solutions provider to the entertainment industry, recently hosted an open house to explain its ongoing “green” initiatives and generate enthusiasm and support from its environmentally conscious clients—the likes of which include Paramount, NBC/Universal, Warner Brothers, The Walt Disney Co., Microsoft/XBOX 360, Nokia and Activision. Four separate tours of the facility were given throughout the day to accommodate the busy schedules of the Hollywood clientele. Company executives Brandon Gabriel and Dan Stillwell played tour guides and began with a brief introduction, then led each tour group to four main stations. The first station, Premedia, was manned

IT’S SAFE to say that George Tedeschi won’t be winning any popularity contests within the commercial printing industry. Among the rank and file of unionized companies, Tedeschi is the prince of printing. In management circles, “prince” is substituted for less than endearing terms. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, a brief introduction is in order. Tedeschi is president of the Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (GCC/Teamsters). The organization, formerly the Graphic Communications International Union (GCIU), merged with the Teamsters on January 1, 2005. It has been an eventful two years since the merger. With consolidations and plant closings taking

Neenah to Obtain Fox River ALPHARETTA, GA—Neenah Paper has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Fox Valley, which owns Fox River Paper. Terms of the deal, which had been expected to close in the first quarter, were not revealed. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and is pending approval by Fox River shareholders. Neenah Paper will bolster its fine papers offering with Fox River brands that include Starwhite, Sundance, Esse and Oxford. Cadmus Nabs LN Printing RICHMOND, VA—On the heels of its acquisition by Cenveo Inc., Cadmus Communications has entered into an agreement to obtain LexisNexis’ conventional printing operations in Charlottesville, VA, and its digital

GCIU to Merge with Teamsters WASHINGTON, DC—A majority of the Graphic Communications International Union (GCIU) voted to merge with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT). The GCIU became an autonomous conference of the IBT effective January 1. The Teamsters has 1.4 million members, according to GCIU President George Tedeschi, who believes the merger will "breathe new life" into the printing workers union. New Headquarters for RRD CHICAGO—RR Donnelley is preparing to relocate to its new worldwide corporate headquarters in an office tower at 111 South Wacker Drive in the heart of the Windy City. The company will occupy 110,000 square feet. Donnelley, which is currently located at

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor The book printing industry in America cannot live on Harry Potter's whimsy and Oprah Winfrey's blessings to survive in an environment that's losing share to overseas competition. Hit titles such as the J.K. Rowling line of Potter tomes, and the popularity heft that the afternoon talk show queen can put behind a new or backlisted work, can create a stir in both the publishing and printing industries. What the leading book manufacturers from our Printing Impressions 400 are looking for is consistency from the educational market. Top 10 Book Printers  CompanySegmentSales(millions)TotalSales(millions) 1Quebecor WorldMontreal$704$6,400 2RR DonnelleyChicago$656$8,204 3Banta

By Noelle Skodzinski It's not likely a big surprise that Quebecor World held fast to its No. 1 spot among the Top Book Manufacturers—ranked by book manufacturing revenues—in the United States and Canada. With a $36 million lead over RR Donnelley, and a $273 million lead over third-ranked Von Hoffmann Corp., Quebecor World isn't likely to lose its position anytime soon. Both top seeds, however, saw book sales drop in 2003. In fact, revenues for three of the top five sank by a total of nearly $130 million. Arvato Print USA (a division of Bertelsmann) and Von Hoffmann were the only two in

NEW YORK—Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) and DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, an affiliate of Credit Suisse First Boston's Alternative Capital Division (DLJMBP), announced a series of transactions with an aggregate value of approximately $2.2 billion that will create a unique specialty printing and marketing services enterprise under the leadership of Marc Reisch. The transactions encompass the recapitalization of Jostens and the acquisitions of Von Hoffmann Corp. and Arcade Marketing, all three companies currently owned by DLJMBP. Reisch is currently a senior advisor of KKR and chairman of Yellow Pages Group, Canada's largest telephone directories publisher. He formerly served as the chairman and CEO 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