Opportunities abound for printers to leverage electronic alternatives, particularly for clients who want to have multi-channel connectivity with consumers, be it in books, magazines, advertisements, direct mail, etc. In order to appease the masses across numerous platforms, printers need to become adept at as many technologies as possible.
Quad/Graphics’ new Goss Sunday 2000 web press will provide marketers with new inline direct-mail solutions that will condense cycle times and improve one-to-one targeting. This investment represents the latest phase of the printer’s $40 million capital spending plan for QuadDirect.
Quad’s as-reported net sales were $1.102 billion for the quarter, compared to pro forma net sales of $1.096 billion in the same period in 2010. “We are pleased to declare a cash dividend sooner than we originally planned based on the company’s confidence in the progress of the Worldcolor integration, our ability to generate strong, sustainable cash flows, and our ability to continue paying down debt,” said Joel Quadracci, chairman, president and CEO.
As affairs go, one would be hard-pressed to top the $1 billion deal in 2010 that enabled Quad/Graphics to acquire Worldcolor. At face value, the transaction takes on the appearance of a snake swallowing a much bigger prey.
The following is a look at each of the Quad/Graphics divisions that were most impacted by the acquisition of Worldcolor—Commercial and Specialty; Retail Inserts, Books, Directories and Canada; and Magazines and Catalogs—along with market assessments from the division presidents.
Quad/Graphics has announced an investment and restructuring initiative for its book manufacturing platform to create production and distribution efficiencies. The company plans to invest more than $15 million during the next several months to strengthen its book manufacturing platform in Martinsburg, WV.
NEW YORK—The enterprising man who managed to lure Condé Nast into depositing nearly $8 million into his bank account under the guise that he represented printer Quad/Graphics, has relinquished his claim to the money, Forbes reported.
Mark Angelson has resigned from the Quad/Graphics’ Board of Directors to focus on his future new roles as Chicago’s deputy mayor and chairman of the Mayor’s Economic, Budgetary and Business Development Council. The company does not intend to fill the vacancy and has reduced the size of its board from eight to seven members.
The Depew (NY) printing plant now run by Quad/Graphics has been a survivor over the decades. It endured ownership changes, bankruptcy by a parent company, and serious blows like the loss of Reader's Digest production in the 1990s. Its work force shrank. But the George Urban Boulevard plant persevered, aiming to produce millions of mass market paperback books at a low cost.
Quad/Graphics said neither the workers, represented by several unions, nor the quality of their work led to the shutdown. Rather, the company wanted to consolidate operations and said the Depew plant’s age, condition and capacity utilization
Quad plans to invest more than $15 million over the next several months to strengthen its book manufacturing platform in Martinsburg, WV, but will close its book facility in Buffalo, NY, in the fourth quarter of 2011.
