xpedx

Kevin Joyce—Eastman Kodak’s managing director of the Graphic Communications Group (GCG) for the United States and Canada (US&C)—has been named a company vice president and chief marketing officer of the GCG. David Wigfield, who was the managing director of GCG’s business in the United Kingdom, has been tapped to fill Joyce’s former position. Elinor Midlik, president of Prime UV Systems, received the 2007 Harold W. Gegenheimer Award for industry service by an individual. Midlik was honored because of her active involvement on the association’s Show Policy, Strategic Planning, and Programs and Meetings committees. The new vice president and general manager of xpedx Printing

Penn Graphics’ Owners Donate Pennsylvania Farmland for Preservation HAMBURG, PA—By adding more than 100 acres to the total, the enrollment of Benjamin and Patricia Scheffler’s farm into Berks County’s Agricultural Conservation Easement program enabled it to surpass the 50,000 acres preserved milestone. The property is also home to Penn Graphics Equipment, which is owned by the Scheffler family. (Ben is retired from the firm.) State and local government officials, county farmers, agricultural business owners, local media and dozens of invited guests were on hand at a recent event marking the Schefflers’ commitment. Currently, Pennsylvania leads the nation in farmland preservation with more

LENEXA, KS—xpedx Printing Technologies opened its new 20,000-square-foot Ryobi press demonstration and learning center here in suburban Kansas City on October 22. The facility is designed to provide high-level education and demonstrations of Ryobi sheetfed press capabilities, as well as detailed information on the latest printing technologies such as UV, chemical embossing, spot metallic color and lenticular printing. Presses shown at the new center will rotate, enabling printers to see demonstrations and gain technical and business knowledge about specific Ryobi presses. At the grand opening, models on display included a five-color, 23x29˝ Ryobi 755 with coater; a five-color, 14x20˝ Ryobi 525GX with coater; a four-color,

BUZZ WORDS come and go, especially at Graph Expo, where they’re here one year and gone the next. “Sustainability” is not a buzz word. It’s a commitment—and it’s here to stay. While printers and vendors alike were talking all things “green” at the show, much of the excitement was coming from paper and ink manufacturers, who have been at the head of the eco movement, having spent the past several years investing heavily in R&D on new lines of environmentally friendly products. Now, many of these suppliers have become pioneers and leaders in the ever-growing sustainability campaign. The following is a sampling of some

WILLISTON, VT—September 11, 2007—KBA North America, a leading manufacturer of printing presses, and xpedx, the world’s largest distributor of printing papers and graphics supplies and equipment, said today they have formed a joint marketing agreement under which KBA will use printing papers from xpedx and include xpedx products in its press demonstrations, education and training seminars, and print tests. “This alliance will benefit printers because they can see how specific papers perform on KBA presses,” says Eric Frank, vice president of marketing for Williston, VT-based KBA. “Printers will also get up-to-date information on technical and environmental issues surrounding paper and learn about new

LOVELAND, OH—Sept. 6—xpedx Printing Technologies and Ryobi showcase the U.S. debut of the new full-format, RYOBI 920 Series of four-and five-color presses at Graph Expo 2007 in Chicago, September 9-12. The 8-up press is the largest ever introduced by Ryobi in the U.S. and underscores the commitment of xpedx and Ryobi to provide a full-line offering of highly advanced multi-color offset presses to U.S. printers. xpedx is North America’s largest distributor of printing papers and graphics supplies and equipment. xpedx Printing Technologies, the exclusive U.S. marketer and distributor of Ryobi-branded presses, will be demonstrating the RYOBI 924, a 24” x 36” four-color press at

Quebecor World Endures Loss MONTREAL—Embattled printing giant Quebecor World was socked with a loss of $21.1 million for the second quarter, or 20 cents a share. That is more than three times the $6.5 million (11 cents) net loss from the same period in 2006. Even so, Wes Lucas, Quebecor World president and CEO, reported that the North American operations produced significantly improved earnings, especially in the book and magazine divisions, where the firm’s retooling and restructuring program has been completed. Fire Strikes NJ Newspaper TRENTON, NJ—Contractors dismantling a printing press at The Times of Trenton accidentally ignited a fire, that newspaper reported. There were no injuries

LOVELAND, OH—Paper and graphics supplies distributor xpedx will acquire the Central Lewmar companies based in Newark, NJ, from Philadelphia-based private equity firm Chrysalis Capital Partners for roughly $185 million. Central Lewmar, which distributes printing and publishing papers, recorded more than $900 million in revenues for 2006.

LOVELAND, OH—August 13, 2007—xpedx parent International Paper Co. today announced that xpedx will acquire Central Lewmar, Strategic Paper Co., and all other Central Lewmar companies. Privately held Central Lewmar is a large Newark, NJ-based distributor of printing and publishing papers with more than $900 million in 2006 revenues. It will become a division of xpedx. xpedx said that North America printers and publishers would not see any immediate changes following the close of the acquisition in about 30 days. The company said the planned acquisition would enable both Central Lewmar and xpedx customers to continue to access a wide choice in supplies

Here’s an exclusive, PRE-SHOW PREVIEW showcasing new products submitted by many of the exhibitors that will be displaying their wares next month in Chicago. Colter & Peterson will showcase the BASA 3, which features an automatic jogging system that can automatically form layers of printed sheets, align them accurately and transport them to the subsequent cutting process. The BASA 3 is appropriate for paper from 16-lb. bond to 125-lb. tag, and is effective when combined with a modern, rear-table-feeding system. Existing gripper transport systems can be retrofitted. Visit www.piworld.com/infocenter: enter #377 MBO America will introduce the Super KTZ, featuring a knife-folding unit that