OKLAHOMA CITY—Quad/Graphics recently inaugurated operations at its newest plant with a grand opening celebration headlined by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, Newsweek magazine executives and Quad/Graphics President and CEO Tom Quadracci. The event—which featured a plant dedication and ribbon cutting, equipment startup, lunch and tours—drew approximately 500 guests, including Oklahoma state, county and city officials, as well as Quad/Graphics employees and family members. The new Oklahoma City plant, located off I-240, is Quad/Graphics' ninth domestic printing plant and the company's first printing facility west of the Mississippi River. The company is also constructing another 385,000 square feet of manufacturing space to accommodate the startup of gravure
Quad/Graphics
Tom Quadracci, president and CEO of Quad/Graphics, preferred to address the publication and catalog markets together. He provided a combined outlook for the industry segments in a brief Q&A exchange. PI: What is your outlook for the publishing and catalog industries in 2004? Quadracci: I am confident that the economy will gain momentum in 2004, which will strengthen sales of magazine ad pages, as well as the size (i.e., page counts) and frequency of catalog and retail insert events. In fact, I am so confident in an economic rebound that I am having Quad/Graphics prepare for an increase in business now. We are rapidly expanding
BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor Looking back, 2003 has shaped up much the same as 2002 for magazine publishers and publication printers. Both are still holding out hope for a rebound in advertising spending but, at the same time, are wary of to what extent the competitive standing of magazines has permanently changed. Consider one measure of industry activity: the Publishers Information Bureau (PIB) index of consumer magazine ad pages. Through October, advertising revenue was up 8.7 percent, but ad pages were down 0.2 percent compared to the same period in 2002. The comprehensive numbers only tell part of the story, since the
(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
Banta Senior Executive Departs MENASHA, WI—Larry Panozzo, president of Banta's $1 billion print sector, has resigned to pursue other interests. "Although I am personally disappointed, I respect and accept Larry's decision. We will miss his deep knowledge, passion and leadership," states Stephanie Streeter, Banta's president and CEO. Panozzo had been with Banta since 1988. A spokesperson for Banta says the company's "succession process" has already begun to fill the position. Courier Corp. Buys Web Press KENDALLVILLE, IN—Courier Corp. has purchased a new four-unit MAN Roland LITHOMAN IV web offset press that is scheduled for installation and startup by next spring. The 48-page LITHOMAN will feature a
Pressing Ahead By Mark Michelson Editor-in-Chief It's no secret that the stagnant U.S. economy has wrecked havoc on graphic arts industry suppliers the past three years. And, with many printers hesitant to make major capital equipment expenditures, sheetfed, and especially web, offset press manufacturers may have suffered the most of any industry segment. But—partly based on exhibitor reports from the recently completed GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO exhibition—interest in upgrading pressrooms and in the computer-integrated manufacturing concept (CIM) seem to be building. New press sales levels are still a far cry from the go-go '90s, but press suppliers at the show generally reported
ROCHESTER, NY—Following the conclusion of an extensive testing process, NexPress Solutions and Pantone Inc. jointly announced that the NexPress 2100 digital production color press has become the first digital press in its class to be Pantone licensed. The licensing process involved mapping out the correct values for colors, measuring printed targets and testing to create the best representations of PANTONE colors. (www.nexpress.com/www.pantone.com) BOSTON—Copy Cop, a printing and imaging services company, has purchased a Xerox DocuColor iGen3 digital production press. It expects the new press to help increase overall revenues by at least 15 percent. (www.copycop.com/www.xerox.com) IRVINE, CA—Orange County Printing
SUSSEX, WI—A 16-foot, abstract sculpture has been erected in the memory of Quad/Graphics' founder, the late Harry V. Quadracci. Recently, family and friends of Quadracci joined together at the main entrance of the company's plant here to take part in the dedication of the sculpture. Perched atop a four-foot Lannon stone pedestal and surrounded by plantings of euonomous and boxwood bushes, the sculpture is the creation of Richard Taylor, one of Harry Quadracci's favorite artists who served as the company's resident artist from 1987 to 1999. Taylor has earned renown for his works on display in Chicago-area banks and businesses, as well as Chicago's
News Fit for Printing Extra! Extra! Read all about it. The graphic arts industry is launching a new campaign to promote the use of print as a replacement for, and complement to, other media. I know, grizzled industry veterans might point out, other efforts have been tried in the past—typically losing steam over time. But this effort has some of the biggest industry guns behind it as founding members, including vendors such as Agfa, EFI, Heidelberg, IBM, MAN Roland, Scitex Digital and Xerox, as well as prominent printers like Mail-Well, RR Donnelley, Quad/Graphics, Sandy Alexander and Franchise Services (the parent company of PIP
By Erik Cagle Remember 1958? A good many whippersnappers don't recall that year. Eisenhower was in the White House. The price of first class postage was about to balloon to four cents after a quarter century of three-cent stamps. Elvis joined the army. Liz Taylor was working on just her third divorce (victim: Mike Todd). Arnold Palmer won his first golf major by capturing the Masters. And Alaska was about to become the 49th state. Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson were all born. As was yours truly, Printing Impressions. Sure, all the aforementioned may have enjoyed a better year than PI on occasion,
