NORCROSS, GA—August 27, 2008—Unisource Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading distributors of paper, packaging and facility supplies in North America, has announced that it will institute a fuel surcharge. In a letter to customers, Ken Winterhalter, President, Sales, for Unisource, said, “As all of us are painfully aware, fuel costs have escalated at a rapid rate in 2007 and 2008. Up until this point, Unisource Worldwide, Inc. has been able to offset these costs by maximizing our delivery routing and truck fleet utilization. Today though, diesel fuel costs have reached a level for which Unisource can no longer compensate internally.” As a result, effective
Unisource Worldwide
Arandell Corp. Honored by DNR MADISON, WI—Arandell Corp., of Menomonee Falls, WI, was welcomed September 27 into the state’s Green Tier program, which provides regulatory and publicity incentives to organizations that voluntarily achieve superior environmental performance. Representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other state officials honored Arandell Corp. at a ceremony here. Prior to joining Green Tier, the high-end catalog printer recycled more than 43 million pounds of paper, aluminum, plastic film and inks. By switching to a new lighting system, Arandell saves 1.8 million kilowatt-hours annually. Arandell also reduced its VOC emissions by 20 tons after installing new press wash systems.
Heidelberg Opens VLF Assembly Hall WIESLOCH-WALLDORF, GERMANY—Bernhard Schreier, CEO of press manufacturer Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, officially opened assembly Hall 11 here on September 15. The hall measures 375,000 square feet (equivalent to almost five soccer fields) and will be used to assemble a new generation of large-format presses, the Speedmaster XL 145 and Speedmaster XL 162. Heidelberg invested around 45 million Euro in the building, making it the largest input of funds into the Wiesloch-Walldorf site in the last 10 years. The building’s foundation stone was laid May 15, 2006, and construction was completed in about 14 months. Assembly of the new large-format presses, which
Is it recycled? Is it recyclable? Does the mill use energy efficiently? What about clean air and water? What about sustainable forestry? Should I buy from a printer who uses soy inks? Should I buy from a printer who’s close by so that there is less energy used in delivering my print job? What about global warming? These are excellent questions, and clearly it’s not just about recycling. Fortunately, help is on the way. Three years ago, I conducted market research on environmentally preferred papers (EPP). I went to Seattle because I expected the Pacific Northwest to be especially sensitive to environmental issues but,
SEWICKLEY, PA—February 16, 2007— Excitement builds for the 2007 Presidents Conference scheduled for March 4–8 in Arizona. The great program and winter chill have heated up registrations as the deadline nears. In addition to the quality speaker line-up including Michael Brandwein (Leadership in the Crossroads) and Marcus Nicolls (Creating Accountability in Organizations), PIA/GATF announced additional value-added elements. With 21 sessions and 8 roundtables planned, the attendees can customize their educational experience to their company needs. With mergers and acquisitions in the headline each week, attendees can catch a rare first-hand account of the issues playing out with private equity partners in the printing industry. Also,
Buhrs, a producer of mailing and fulfillment solutions, has announced its intention to enter the market for FSI collating and wrapping systems for the newspaper industry. Buhrs has appointed Don Piontek, of Finishing Resources, to develop its presence in the market. John Kia has been named manager, production product marketing, for IBM Printing Systems. Also, Chris Reid has been named commercial print solutions manager. In this capacity, he is responsible for worldwide output solutions customized for commercial printers, including service bureaus, direct mailers and book printers. FileAmerica, a custom file folder manufacturer, is celebrating its 30th year serving the trade in the printing industry. Formerly known
Printcafe Stockholders File Suit PITTSBURGH—Printcafe Software shareholders have filed a class action lawsuit against the company alleging, among other things, that Printcafe made false and misleading statements in connection with its initial public offering and subsequent press releases through October 22, 2002. Marc Olin, chairman of the board and CEO, and Joseph Whang, CFO and COO, are also named as defendants in the complaint. The lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Hi-Liter Graphics Sold BURLINGTON, WI—Craig Faust, former president of The Printery in New Berlin, WI, has purchased Hi-Liter Graphics, according to The Business
NEW YORK—Georgia-Pacific announced that it is selling a controlling, 60 percent stake in its Unisource Worldwide paper distribution subsidiary to Bain Capital, a global private investment firm. Georgia-Pacific expects the transaction to result in roughly $850 million after-tax proceeds. Georgia-Pacific will retain 40 percent ownership of Unisource and will provide $170 million in seller financing. Net proceeds of the transaction will be used by Georgia-Pacific to reduce debt. As part of the transaction, which is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2002, Georgia-Pacific will enter into a sale-leaseback agreement with third parties for certain real estate assets now owned by Unisource. These