Ginsberg Joins Graphic Press LOS ANGELES—Graphic Press has restructured its executive group, naming Randolph Ginsberg its president and Michael Hecht to the post of executive vice president, sales. Ginsberg formerly served as vice president of sales at Hawthorne, CA-based Lithographix. Hecht also spent time at Lithographix as executive vice president of sales. Xerox to Obtain XMPie STAMFORD, CT—With an eye towards growth in personalized printing and multimedia direct marketing, Xerox Corp. has agreed to acquire XMPie for $54 million. New York-based XMPie specializes in variable information software. XMPie will maintain its brand name and function as a standalone software unit. Innovator Gegenheimer Passes SHELTON, CT—Harold Gegenheimer, 95, chairman
Quebecor World
MONTREAL—Quebecor World and Yellow Pages Group have signed a contract extension through 2020 that is worth in excess of C$1 billion. The deal also increases the volumes manufactured by Quebecor World. The contract covers more than 300 directory titles and includes value-added services including fulfillment and logistics.
TORONTO—Grafikom LLP, a spinoff of Quebecor World with eight facilities in Canada, the United States and Mexico, has acquired commercial and package printer Grenville Printing, based here.Grenville has provided sheetfed printing products for many Fortune 500 companies and has developed a niche in the music and consumer goods packaging industries. It also provides new media,…
BACK IN August, we ran a cover story on industry veterans and featured some of their memorable stories, an idea we’d like to repeat for a future issue. Or, we’ll just call Jesse Williamson and ask him to spin a few yarns. The president of Williamson Printing in Dallas is an honest and open man, one of the more colorful and charismatic figures in the printing industry. The stories other people tell about Williamson are pretty amusing, and almost as good as those he tells on himself. Too bad we can’t tell them all, but a funny one appears in his Hall of Fame
MONTREAL—Quebecor World posted a net loss of $6.5 million from continuing operations for the second quarter, compared to net income of $9.5 million for the second quarter last year, as President and CEO Wes Lucas announced a five point transformation plan to bolster its lackluster performance. The results include more than $31 million in restructuring charges for shuttering plants and reducing its workforce. The company has targeted roughly 1,700 positions to be eliminated in 2006. During the quarter, the company announced facility closures in Tennessee, Ohio and Wisconsin. “Quebecor World’s second quarter and year-to-date results are disappointing for a company of our leadership position and underlying
CONVENTIONAL INDUSTRY wisdom seemed to favor large, publicly traded commercial printing enterprises. They operated with lower cost structures than their often smaller, privately held competitors, in part due to their ability to negotiate better prices for consumables like paper and ink, along with company healthcare and operating insurance premiums. They maintained deep pockets to fund continuous capital improvement expenditures for the most automated machinery and workflow platforms available, enabling higher job productivity and better employee utilization company-wide. They leveraged their ability to cross-sell products and services to a diverse customer base within a bevy of markets. They attracted the best talent; people sought them
MONTREAL—Quebecor World posted a net loss of $6.5 million from continuing operations for the second quarter, compared to a net income of $9.5 million for the second quarter last year, as President and CEO Wes Lucas announced a five-point transformation plan to bolster its lackluster performance. The results include more than $31 million in restructuring charges for shuttering plants and reducing its workforce. The company has targeted roughly 1,700 positions to be eliminated in 2006. During the quarter, the company announced facility closures in Tennessee, Ohio and Wisconsin. Lucas’ five-point plan focuses on building customer value, further developing the company’s employee base, implementing a continuous improvement
New Press Heats Up Southern Market ATLANTA—A five-color Sakurai 575SDC sheetfed press with in-line coater is now running jobs at Canterbury Press. The machine, which is the first of its kind in the Atlanta market, was installed by dealer Paper Handling Solutions. ARIZONA TEMPE—Business Cards Tomorrow (BCT) has added a Presstek direct imaging (DI) press to its facility here and in Denver to support increased demand for short run, fast-turnaround printing. CALIFORNIA HAWTHORNE—Lithographix Inc. has installed a Sentinel ink management system from Accel Graphic Systems on its eight-color Mitsubishi D3000 press. ROCKLIN—J&M Printing, a general commercial printer, has installed a four-color Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 52 sheetfed press with in-line aqueous
Grafikom Acquires Speedfast TORONTO—Grafikom LP, a network of companies formerly under the Quebecor World umbrella, has swung its first independent deal since being established last November with the acquisition of Speedfast Color Press. Privately held Speedfast Color Press, a general commercial printer and mailer, has two facilities in Edmonton, Alberta. The deal enhances Grafikom’s holdings in Edmonton, which includes grafikom.Jasper. Mike Steiner, formerly the owner and operator of Speedfast Color Press, will serve as president for the Edmonton operations. Vertis Obtains USA Direct BALTIMORE—Vertis has struck a deal to bring USA Direct, of York, PA, into the fold. USA Direct provides design, printing, personalization and inserting
MONTREAL—Quebecor World is consolidating its Cincinnati-area magazine printing operations into one facility to “improve customer service, maximize asset utilization and increase efficiency.” Work produced at the Red Bank, OH, facility is to be transferred to the nearby Lebanon, OH, plant and other facilities in the organization’s magazine platform. Approximately 150 of the 300 employees at the Redbank facility reportedly will be offered transfers to Lebanon. Quebecor’s Lebanon operations are being expanded to accommodate the additional volume. This move will include the investment in new equipment and the decommissioning or relocation of certain existing assets, according to the company. The plan is expected to be completed by
