Quebecor World

PAWTUCKET, RI—The new parent company may be called MATLET, but a better name may be Old School. Several companies former owner Quebecor World determined to be non-core are experiencing a bit of a renaissance under the new leadership of Gary Stiffler and MATLET. Following the buyout of five companies from Quebecor World for $70 million, four of the facilities saw their local ownership restored. The names, which predated Quebecor World ownership, are Acme Printing, Wilmington, MA; Central Florida Press, Orlando, FL; Nova Marketing Services of St. Louis; and Packaging Graphics, Pawtucket, RI. The other company is now called Premedia Services of Detroit. "We've received

MONTREAL—After months of speculation as to the fate of the Quebecor World sheetfed and specialty printing platform, two management buyouts of its non-core companies has led to the creation of Grafikom L.P. and MATLET Group. The Grafikom group, led by Aivars Beikmanis—former president of the Quebecor World Specialty Group—will pay roughly US$44.4 million, subject to certain adjustments, for the network of six sheetfed, digital and specialty printing operations. The combined sales of the six entities is more than US$83 million. Grafikom and Quebecor World will maintain a working relationship. Grafikom will supply sheetfed and specialty printing to Quebecor World customers. In return, Quebecor World will furnish

Just when you thought 2005 was going to be a relative dud in the merger and acquisition realm, along came fall. And that's when the action got hot and heavy. Four monster transactions sent 2005 out with a bang. OK, so we can't count December—after all, we're not clairvoyant. But the deals vibrated through the industry, a couple of which involved the two largest printers in North America. Hey, the late 1990s don't appear to be returning any time soon, but that doesn't mean we won't experience an M&A renaissance. * RR Donnelley broke its prolonged silence by annexing Spencer Press of Wells, ME.

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor It is virtually impossible to ignore the impact Robert (Bob) Burton had on the printing industry in 2005. Given his relentless pursuit of two companies this past year, it was almost a given that Burton would enter 2006 at the helm of some printing business. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. In the final analysis, 2005 will be viewed as a year marked by triumph, tragedy and transactions, not to mention some unexpected twists and turns. Which fits us to a T. While the news wasn't always positive, a silver lining—a moral or a lesson could usually

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor The book printing industry resembles a high-level chess match. All of the successful players are thinking three and four moves ahead, with increasing market share representing "checkmate." RR Donnelley (RRD) and Quebecor World are just two of the book heavyweights that have established offshore printing relationships, or have obtained foreign facilities outright, in order to maintain those publishing clients who gush at the opportunity to produce low-priority goods at drastically discounted prices. Although it sometimes seems China is the poster child for international outsourcing, Mexico and Latin America are the alternatives of choice for Quebecor World, promising a quicker

MONTEBELLO, CA—For the third consecutive year, Monarch Litho has topped the list with the highest dollar volume of work for the Government Printing Office (GPO). According to the annual Top 50 GPO printers list, compiled by Government Printing Sales of Chambersburg, PA, Monarch Litho registered $25.5 million in GPO work during the federal fiscal year. That gave it a slight edge over NPC, of Claysburg, PA, which came in at a little more than $24 million. Gateway Press, Louisville, KY, garnered the bronze medal with $19.4 million in GPO work. Cenveo ($17.7 million), of Englewood, CO, and St. Louis-based Von Hoffmann Graphics ($13.8 million) finished fourth

Postal Commission OKs Hike WASHINGTON, DC—A 5.4 percent increase in United States Postal Service (USPS) rates virtually across the board has been approved by the Postal Rate Commission. The rate increases were expected to take effect by the middle of January. The increase will help the USPS meet its $3.1 billion escrow payment due in 2006. Nonprofit mailings will go up by 3 percent, while the book rate will balloon 12.7 percent, in accordance with the requirement that all classes of mail cover their direct cost of service. A First Class stamp will rise by 2 cents. Quad Signs Billion Dollar Deal SUSSEX, WI—Quad/Graphics and

Milestone Printing Unit Celebrated Radebeul, Germany—KBA North America reports that the 100th Rapida printing unit of the super large-format series was put through its final print testing at the KBA plant here recently. The unit is part of the five-color Rapida 205 purchased by Integra-Color in Mesquite, TX. The 80˝ sheetfed press has been configured with a special board-handling package and is also to be equipped with UV facilities for printing on plastics. It also incorporates an ICS slitter system and non-stop pile changing for the feeder and delivery. Reseller Agreement Inked at Trade Show CHICAGO—During PRINT 05, Muller Martini and Kodak signed a reseller

Daly, Frontenac Seek Specialties CHICAGO—Private equity investment firm Frontenac and Ronald Daly, former president of RR Donnelley Print Solutions, have created a business partnership to acquire and grow specialty printers and other print solutions companies. Daly worked with Donnelley for 38 years. EPI Cos., Display Printers Merge MARIETTA, GA—The EPI Companies, based here, has acquired Display Printers, a manufacturer of printed merchandising displays. EPI specializes in marketing support for corporate clients, including creative services, traditional and digital print, logistics, premiums and online solutions. Unions Pressure Schawk CHICAGO—With its Union Network International (UNI) Congress taking place here, about 100 labor delegates, union leaders and activists decided to pay an

Direct Mailer Installs 20 Inserters SWEDESBORO, NJ—Direct Group (DG), a provider in the high-volume, time-sensitive segment of the direct mail industry, has purchased 20 new BÖWE Bell + Howell DemandWorks CMC-250S high-speed inserters. Each new machine inserts as many as six items into envelopes at speeds up to 18,000 hour. The new inserters feature interchangeable shuttle and rotary feeders to accommodate the weight and order of items that need to be inserted into a package. All will accommodate envelopes up to "stretch," or 6x11˝. Some will also accommodate up to jumbo envelopes while still reaching speeds of 16,000 per hour. These new inserters will help Direct