CHICAGO—RR Donnelley has completed its $176 million acquisition of Perry Judd’s, formerly of Waterloo, WI. The deal, first announced December 20, comes on the heels of Donnelley completing its acquisition of Banta Corp. of Menasha, WI.Perry Judd’s ranked 32nd on the 2006 Printing Impressions 400, with sales of $261.5 million. The company was created by…
JUST WHEN you thought the landscape had stabilized following the 11th hour acquisition of Banta by RR Donnelley in October for $1.3 billion—thwarting a hostile takeover attempt by Cenveo kingpin Bob Burton to wrest control of Banta—a subsequent flurry of blockbuster M&A deals has sent shockwaves throughout the graphic arts industry. Who would have guessed that North America’s largest printer, RR Donnelley, would extend its reach even further by then swallowing up venerable entities Perry Judd’s for $176 million and Von Hoffmann for $412.5 million, both in all-cash transactions? Or that Cenveo’s Burton would remain undaunted about the big fish (Banta) that got away
CHICAGO—While it may not have Boardwalk and Park Place, RR Donnelley certainly seems to be building upon its own printing monopoly. After reaching terms last Halloween to buy Banta, the largest printer in North America resumed its holiday shopping a few days before Christmas by signing an agreement to acquire Perry Judd’s, of Waterloo, WI, for $176 million. Donnelley then rang in the new year by plunking down $412.5 million in cash to Visant Corp. for book printer Von Hoffmann. The all-cash acquisition of Von Hoffmann is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter. Von Hoffmann specializes in books for
Look at a copy of this magazine from 10, 15 or 20 years ago. Some of the printing company names ring a bell, albeit vaguely. This one merged a few years back, that one is now part of Consolidated Graphics, another one filed for bankruptcy and was liquidated. Other companies change their names. Many more just fade away. Printing establishments come and go, but the industry is laden with career lifers. Remember the journeyman printer? The craftsman? Remember a time before iMacs or desktop publishing? How about lead type? Linotype? Red opaque? Any of this stuff ring a bell? Were you at the
WATERLOO, WI—Perry Judd's Inc. has purchased its second high-speed Goss press this year, a Sunday 2000 2x6 offset press. The press will be installed at Perry Judd's Strasburg, VA, facility and is scheduled to go online next July.The company increased its manufacturing facility by 62,000 square feet to accommodate the new press and repositioned finishing…
BY MARK SMITH On paper, the interplay of supply and demand looks like a straightforward model for the forces that shape a market. When it comes to predicting the outlook for paper, though, lately it seems as if one might be better off reading tea leaves. Paper makers have gone to great lengths in a collective attempt to rationalize the supply. Unfortunately, the demand side of the equation hasn't performed in the way that was hoped. The industry also has been buffeted by developments beyond any company's control. Quarterly financial reports from major manufacturers have included a mixed bag of earning declines, losses
BY MARK SMITH There may not be a one-for-one correlation between the business outlook for publishers and the fortunes of publication printers, but the link is obvious. Also, the tough business environment has marketing gurus and industry executives evangelizing the need for printers of all types to "really get to know their customers" in order to succeed. On the whole, it has been a mixed year for the magazine publishing segment. According to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB) data through September, advertising revenues in 2002 have been running 1.5 percent above 2001 totals. Unfortunately, especially for publication printers, the year-to-date ad pages total was
BY MARK SMITH Judging the strength of the printed catalog market segment used to be a straight-forward proposition. Catalogers merely had to compare the total dollar value of orders placed with the cost of producing and distributing their print programs in order to determine the financial return. The rise of online shopping is beginning to skew this traditional benchmark. If a shopper initially selects items by perusing a printed catalog, but actually executes the order via a Website and online catalog, which medium gets credit for the sale? Should each get partial credit? Top 10 -- Catalog Printers CompanySegmentSales(millions)TotalSales (millions) 1Quebecor WorldMontreal$1,071$6,300
BY MARK SMITH The computer has been an amazing enabling tool for the printing industry. The problem is, it has put capabilities in the hands of anyone with a computer and some software, but not the expertise that goes with the craft. Creative types have been lured into attempting more production-oriented tasks by the potential to gain greater control over their work and save money. In bridging the boundaries between creative and production functions, digital technology also has blurred lines of responsibility. Too often, the outcome has been disappointing printed results and/or frustration with the process, now broadly called "workflow." But wait, here
BY MARK SMITH It has been the best of times and the worst of times for the publication industry, with all do apologies to Charles Dickens ("Tale of Two Cities"). Top 10 -- Publication Printers Company SegmentSales(millions) TotalSales (millions) 1 Quebecor WorldMontreal $1,885 $6,500 2 R.R. Donnelley & SonsChicago $1,208 $5,254 3 Quad/GraphicsPewaukee, WI $684 $1,800 4 Cadmus CommunicationsRichmond, VA $416 $526 5 Brown PrintingWaseca, MN $304 $376 6 Perry Judd's Inc.Waterloo, WI $206 $343 7 Banta Corp.Menasha, WI $200 $1,538 8 Vertis Inc.Baltimore $199 $1,986 9 Publishers Printing/Publishers PressShepherdsville, KY $186 $186 10 IKON Office SolutionsMalvern, PA $135 $900 Sales figures
