April 2013
Across the Nation
Commercial printer equipment installations and other news from Printing Impressions’ April 2013 edition, featuring Suttle-Straus Inc. and Ross Printing.
ACUP is Almost Here
The Association of College and University Printers will make its first venture into the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” next month when its 48th annual conference takes place in Minneapolis, May 19-23. Hosted by Minnesota State University, Mankato and Gustavus Adolphus College, ACUP will feature a full agenda of educational sessions, as well as a vendor exhibit area and plenty of time to network with fellow higher-ed in-plant managers. The group will also tour the Print & Mail Operations of Minnesota State University, Mankato. Two keynote speakers will offer some interesting perspectives:
Earth-Moving Plans for Creps
Retail insert printing specialist Creps United in Indiana, PA, suffered a devastating fire last October. Executives from the company and local officials broke ground in early March for a 100,000-square-foot facility that will house three new Goss Sunday web presses.
Erik Cagle Bits and Pieces: Printer Hosts Stanley Cup
The employees of Chromatic Inc. of Glendale, CA, were pleased to spend an hour with the Stanley Cup. The printer has a working relationship with the Los Angeles Kings, producing game programs, media guides. Chromatic's account executive, Nick Salata, actually worked as the director of public relations withe the Kings back in the 1990s, when the fabled Great One, Wayne Gretzky, was with the team.
Farquharson/Tedesco on Business Development: Don't Give Up on 'Lost Causes'
The "lost causes" file. You know you have one. It's filled with the customers you just know will never do business with you again. You're so sure, you haven't even bothered contacting them in over a year. Each one represents a dark moment for your company: a blown deadline on a critical print job, an incorrect billing you didn't own up to, a rude delivery person...you name it. Regardless of the reasons, the result is the same: You aren't getting their business.
From the Editor: Justifying Your Value
Last month I had an opportunity to moderate a webinar on the topic "Justifying Your In-plant's Value in Tough Times." It's obviously an important subject for in-plants, as evidenced by the 250+ people who signed up for the live event. I was glad to see so many familiar managers on the attendee list from all over the U.S. and Canada.
GLS Cos. Adds Marcom Firm Next Communications to Fold
GLS Cos. has acquired marketing communications firm Next Communications as part of a strategic offering to advance integrated, multi-channel marketing capabilities to select customers. Next Communications will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of GLS Cos. and will continue to operate in its Minnetonka, MN, location. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Inkjet Summit a Huge Success
The key message at the recent Inkjet Summit, seemed to be that inkjet technology is fully developed and ready to use, so start planning for it. "This market's moving faster than even I anticipated it would," remarked conference chair Charlie Corr, during the landmark event's wrap-up session.
IPMA to Meet in California
It’s been many years since the In-Plant Printing & Mailing Association (IPMA) held its conference in California, but on June 2 that’s exactly where the world’s largest in-plant association will be. More than 100 managers from in-plants all over the country are expected to convene in San Mateo, near San Francisco, for the three-day event.
Less Speed, More Capabilities in Arkansas
The end of a lease is always a good time for reassessment. So when it came time to replace the Xerox DocuTech 6180 at University of Arkansas PMC Solutions, the 45-employee print and mail operation also turned its eyes on its six-year-old iGen3.
M&A Activity: The Invisible 'Tuck-in' Deals
It would be presumptuous to say that M&A activity, across the board, has taken a hit. There has been a fair amount of activity near the $5 million to $15 million range, situations where unions have taken place due to the complementary nature of their products and services, while others have forged working relationships in order to cross-sell off each other's platform. But what isn't receiving much attention—or ink—is the phantom tuck-in, simply because many companies just aren't trumpeting asset purchases.
Meeks Group: Casting a 'Wide' Swath
Meeks Litho, based in Tulsa, OK, recently embarked on its 51st year in business. The company has flourished tremendously over the years growing to become one of the three biggest printing concerns in Tulsa. Meeks boasts 45 employees and a 65,000-square-foot facility, not to mention a fascinating combination of printing formats and capabilities that truly highlights the beauty, bold range and fun aspects of printing.
Overcoming Outsourcing Threats
Things were going well for Larry Mills. Volumes were way up at his in-plant at Regional Health, in Rapid City, S.D.; company executives had toured his shop and were very impressed; and Printing Services was scheduled to move into a nice new facility—once all the paperwork was signed.
Preparing for a New Press
A sheetfed offset press is a big purchase for any in-plant. We talked with four managers who purchased presses in the past couple years to find out how they evaluated equipment, what they learned from the buying process and whether their press is working out as planned.
Printer News
Commercial printer company and personnel news from Printing Impressions’ April 2013 edition, featuring Alcom Printing Group, H.O.T. Printing & Graphics, Trend Offset Printing, Vistaprint, Diversified Printers, Proforma and McClung Companies.
RR Donnelley Will Close Two Plants in Ohio; 200+ Jobless
RR Donnelley is closing Ohio plants in Greenfield and Sycamore Township, which will impact the jobs of nearly 225 employees in all. The Highland County Press reported that the Windy City-based printer filed a WARN notice for the Greenfield plant, which will begin layoffs of its staff of 166 on May 6.
Social Media Strategies: Don't Remain 'Anti-Social'
There are dozens of platforms available to help businesses create actual storefronts, complete with checkout options directly on Facebook (including 3dCart, Avenue Social, Moontoast, Payvment and Shopify, to name just a few.) When it comes to print commerce, or Web-to-print vendors, however, there's a complete dearth of social storefront options.
Southeastern Shines In Uncertain Times –Michelson
At just 42 years old, Southeastern CEO Don Mader possesses a vision, charisma and M&A deal-making intuition far beyond his age. With 230 employees working out of five locations, Southeastern is on track to achieve $60 million in sales this year, up from $47 million in 2012.
Southeastern: A World of Change, Growth
Life is good for Southeastern in Stuart, FL; so good, in fact, that in mid-January, Don Mader, Southeastern's president and CEO, broke out the cake and champagne a year early to celebrate. The actual occasion was the rebranding of the company, from Southeastern Printing to Southeastern, with the tag line "Complexity Made Simple." According to Mike McGuire, account executive, the move was a by-product of a cultural revolution that had been developing for the past couple of years.
Supplier News
Commercial printing industry supplier company and personnel news from Printing Impressions’ April 2013 edition, featuring Diversified Graphic Machinery (DGM), KBA North America, Mohawk, Prime UV Systems, Vecoplan LLC, ILFORD and CMA Graphix Group, Sakurai and Scodix Ltd.
The Job He Was Waiting For
After 17 years as director of Printing Services at Berea College, Melvin Cooper has no regrets. "It's been a great choice for me," says Cooper. "I've thoroughly enjoyed it."
Trade Printer Zoo Printing Expands East With NJ Facility
Zoo Printing has un-veiled a new location in West Deptford, NJ. This new production facility shortens shipping times to the East Coast without requiring rush shipping or additional production costs. Combined with its locations in Southern California and Kentucky, Zoo says it can now deliver almost anywhere in the U.S. within one to two days using standard ground shipping.
University of Oklahoma Upgrades to NexPress SX3300
Four years after installing a Kodak NexPress 2500 digital color press, University of Oklahoma Printing & Mailing Services has just upgraded to a NexPress SX3300. The new digital press brings a 31 percent boost in speed, improved quality output and a new set of ink solutions that will allow the 94-employee in-plant to produce scores of specialty applications.
Upfront
Commercial Printing Industry News Briefs from Printing Impressions’ April 2013 edition, Brown Printing, Fetter Printing, EP Graphics, 4over Inc., RR Donnelley, Xerox, Smith's Printing and North Jersey Media Group.
Vanderbilt University: Traditional, with Additional
Vanderbilt University Printing Services continues to thrive by combining a well-established, bustling offset operation with burgeoning business opportunities and digital solutions to meet and exceed customer demand.
