Komori America

"I learned how to run the Ludlows and then offset," says Rodney Brown, referring to a stint working on a Ludlow hot metal typesetting system at Kent County Publishing back in May 1965. "It was rigorous to do. I just liked it. Even back then, there was always something new."

Jimmy Friend didn't want a new offset press. "We thought that we would not invest in offset in the future," reveals Friend, director of University of North Texas Printing Services. His 40-employee in-plant had two HP Indigo digital presses, and was getting good prices for long-run offset jobs from outside printers. Why rock the boat?

The University of Arkansas recently added a Kodak Magnus 800 CTP system, Heidelberg’s Prinect workflow and an HP Designjet Z2100 inkjet proofer, which was color profiled to the in-plant’s five-color, 20x28˝ Komori.

Any in-plant manager lucky enough to be in Chicago last month for Graph Expo got to witness some significant developments in the world of graphic arts. Dubbed “The Inkjet Graph Expo” by some, the show featured more inkjet technology than most in-plant managers had ever seen in one place.

50 YEARS ago, when the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate sought to raise funds to build a shrine, the beneficent Catholic organization relied on a priest to hand-write and mail letters soliciting donations. A one-man in-house printing and direct-mail operation, Father Edwin Guild was instrumental in the creation of Our Lady of the Snows, among North America's largest outdoor shrines—while incidentally founding what would become a fully staffed, full-service in-plant facility.

New York was decked out for Christmas when IPG Editor Bob Neubauer went there to visit four in-plants: NBC, Metropolitan Museum of Art, AXA Equitable and the NY Presbyterian Hospital.

WHEN ZENYATTA shot from the back of the pack to the lead in the final stretch to claim her 13th straight win in last month's Lady's Secret Stakes, the thousands of fans in the stands at Santa Anita Park, in Arcadia, Calif., weren't the only ones cheering. Underneath the grandstand, with the sound of a Goss Community web press churning away behind them, the crew of Santa Anita's in-plant was crowded around a TV monitor, watching the $300,000, nail-biter of a race unfold.

Two years ago, University of Iowa Printing and Mailing Services jumped into short-run digital color with a new HP Indigo 5000. Now the 44-employee in-plant is moving into four-color offset as well.  The Iowa City-based shop just installed a four-color Komori Spica 29P perfector press. Since it went in, the press has been busy printing brochures, posters, newsletters and lots of perfecting work, says Steve Wilson, printing manager.

Despite bleak worldwide economic news that had dominated the media in the preceding weeks, GRAPH EXPO® 2008 exceeded expectations and enjoyed brisk business. While overall attendance was down 12.5 percent over the record-setting GRAPH EXPO 2007 show, interested qualified buyers from 8,800 individual companies—marking a slight increase in the number of unique companies over last year's show.

ROLLING MEADOWS, IL—November 4, 2008—Komori Corp. announced that Stephan Carter, president and COO of Komori America Corp., will be leaving Komori America effective November 30, 2008. “While I will miss my association with Komori, I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead,” says Carter. During his seven year tenure at Komori America, Carter effectively launched the Komori Lithrone S series and drove significant growth of market share across all product lines. Effective December 1, 2008, Carter is appointed the president and CEO of Hudson North America. Hudson is a leading provider of permanent recruitment, contract professionals and talent management services worldwide. In his