Industry News

Apr 1, 2005 12:00 AM, AP stuff

News from: Burhs, Akiyama Intl., Victor Graphics, Stora Enso, STC Books, Ricoh Printing Systems America, PrintManage, Xerox, KBA, Sign Supply USA, Goss Intl., International Paper, HP, Fuji Photo Film, Cenveo, Colonial Print, MAN Roland, Consolidated Graphics, Canon, Printable Technologies, Quad/Graphics, Brandtjen & Kluge, Direct Mail Express, Heidelberg, Avery Dennison, Moody Graphics Printing, Kohl & Madden, Xitron, McArdle Printing Co., Niles/ArtCraft Companies, The Hennegan Co., Harris & Bruno, NAPL, MFSA, RIT, Adobe Systems, AMA, LPIA, GASC, PIA/GATF and ON DEMAND Conference and Exposition.

Hot topics, management tips and newsmakers

TIDBITS…
» Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Buhrs enters the market for FSI Collating & Wrapping systems for the newspaper industry. The Buhrs 4700 can feed, collate and wrap 30 pieces for address-specific home delivery.

» Akiyama Intl. has selected Standard Graphic Systems to exclusively represent its new product line for Georgia and Florida.

» Sun Chemical has relocated its global headquarters to 35 Waterview Blvd., Parsippany, NJ 07054-1285. Tel: (973) 404-6000; fax: (973) 404/6001.

» Stora Enso’s Web site features a Press Selection Minisite with a portfolio of papers used for magazines, catalogs and retail pieces. See www.storaenso.com and click on Products.

» STC Books’ Getting it Right in Print explains prepress processes in terms that will give graphic designers a grounding in fundamentals of the subject. Call 212-519-1203.

» Ricoh Printing Systems America has sold its North American and European compatible printing supplies divisions to Clover Technologies Group, LLC.

» After 25 years of print integration, PrintManage has expanded to include in-house digital marketing and Web-to-print capabilities. » Harris & Bruno Intl. has acquired the assets and intellectual property of Electro Spray Systems (ESS).

» Xerox introduces carbonless paper designed for both digital color and black-and-white printing in office production environments, making it possible to add colorful logos and highlights to each sheet of invoice, contract, receipt or claim forms.

KBA acquires Grafitec
Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) (Wurzburg, Germany) has agreed to purchase for an undisclosed sum Czech Republic press manufacturer Grafitec from American investment fund Charles Investment Partners and minority shareholders.

Grafitec employs 400 people and experienced more than 50 percent year-over-year sales growth in 2004. Its 29-inch Polly Prestige and 26-inch Polly Performer presses are sold in Europe and the United States. At Drupa 2004, the company launched the Polly Prestige 74DE for 2, 4, 5 or 6 colors plus optional coater, with which it is targeting midsize printers and expansion in the Latin American and Asian markets.

Grafitec’s product line complements KBA’s high-end Rapida 74, Rapida 74 G and 74 Karat sheetfed presses.

Pictured (l. to r.) are Petr Skrla, designated CFO of the new entity; Lubos Moravec, Grafitec’s operations manager; Andreas Mössner, KBA’s executive vice president of sheetfed offset sales and controlling; Jens Junker, KBA’s sales director and designated CEO of Grafitec; Dr. Hans-Bernhard Bolza-Schünemann, KBA’s deputy chairman; Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann, KBA’s president and CEO; Jan Korenc, Grafitec’s sales, marketing and service manager; and Zdenek Forejtek, Grafitec’s current CFO.

Consolidated Graphics completes Kelmscott acquisition
Consolidated Graphics, Inc. (Houston) has completed its acquisition of Kelmscott Communications LLC, a privately-held provider of commercial printing services in five Midwest and West Coast states with annual sales of $100 million.

Signmakers post merger
Consumables and digital imaging product supplier Sign Supply USA (Pompano Beach, FL) has acquired Xpert Sign Supply (Raleigh, NC). Xpert Sign Supply’s franchise location in Nashville is not included in the transaction.

Says Chris McInerney, Sign Supply USA president, "Xpert is well known in the Carolinas as the leading sign consumables distributor. Adding Xpert to Sign Supply USA increases our footprint and our market share."

Xpert has 12 employees in Summerville and 17 in Raleigh—all will become employees of Sign Supply USA.

Goss joins CIP4
With the announcement of Goss Intl.’s (Bolingbrook, IL) 2005 CIP4 membership, Volker Rendl, director of Workflow R&D says, "[This] formally acknowledges that our advanced JDF-based solutions deliver optimum versatility and compatibility."

Goss has integrated CIP4/JDF applications across its range of commercial and newspaper presses, and is now moving to place CIP4/JDF-compatible interfaces on existing double-width newspaper products that use Goss consoles and servers. This will include new presses and tower additions, as well as upgraded legacy systems including Metro/Metroliner, Headliner and Colorliner presses.

Goss Intl.’s latest CIP4/JDF development effort is the Goss Web Center technology workflow solution. It is available with an open interface to management information systems.

Stock online for just-in-time
International Paper (Memphis, TN) says its WebExpress stock program for coated and supercalendared papers addresses everyday problems, such as limited floor space and emergency jobs.

"Strategically placed distribution centers stocked with leading products offer next-day delivery to most major print markets," says Mike Weinhold, business manager of Coated and SC Papers. "With the click of a mouse, customers can log on and check stock availability for inventory products through WebExpress and request products to be held."

For more information about WebExpress, call (800) 258-8852 or visit www.ipcoated.com.

HP demos digital
HP’s recent Graphic Arts Summit marked the opening of a new, $1 million demo center in the company’s Atlanta headquarters. The HP Graphic Arts Solutions Center allows visitors to see the HP Indigo 5000 digital press and related products up close, learn about digital printing from HP experts, and talk ROI with an investment specialist and senior printing architect.

First introduced at Drupa 2004, the 4,000-sph HP Indigo 5000 is a four-color digital press with seven-color capability geared for midsize to large commercial printers.

HP Vivera Inks for wide-format inkjet printers, previously available only for HP’s consumer printers, are now available for professional printers. Using HP Vivera Inks along with select HP papers, photos printed on the HP Designjet 90 printer series can last up to 82 years, according to HP.

Additionally, HP announced increased partner support and new financing options to help customers make the transition to digital printing.

Fuji launches U.S. digital plate line
Fuji Photo Film, Inc. recently celebrated the opening of a $100 million manufacturing facility at its North American manufacturing and research complex in Greenwood, SC. The new line will produce digital computer-to-plate printing plates.

Says company president Nick Sekiguchi, "The new digital CTP production facility takes Fujifilm to the next level in providing our American customers with the newest generation of presensitized plates."

The company also donated $200,000 to nearby Lander University and $100,000 toward the construction of a new local library.

Xerox opens digital print showcase
Xerox, (Rochester, NY) recently opened the Gil Hatch Center for Customer Innovation, a multimillion-dollar, 100,000-sq.-ft. facility.

Several Xerox executives paid tribute to Hatch, the former president of Xerox’s Production Systems Group , who passed away last summer.

"Gil was a leader in every sense of the word," said Anne Mulchahy. "His optimism was our oxygen. We can’t overstate his role in getting us to where we are today."

Hatch conceived the idea to create a permanent showcase of digital products. A mechanical engineer by training, he felt it was important for customers to have easy access to Xerox’s R&D, engineering, manufacturing and marketing experts.

Xerox also announced a faster version of its Xerox iGen3 Digital Production Press as well as an enhanced Nuvera black-and-white printer line with new capabilities for check and statement printing.

The new products will be among more than 20 digital systems and software solutions featured in the Hatch Center.

‘Fear the turtle!’
When book printer Victor Graphics (Baltimore) purchased its newest web offset press—a Timson T48A designed for speedy makeready, less than 3-minute plate changes and up to 1,500 ft./min. speeds—the company asked the UK manufacturer to paint it the team colors of the University of Maryland Terrapins. Victor staff affixed the team logo to the press and invited the University’s mascot to help celebrate its recent startup. Adorning its presses with sports team colors has been a tradition at Victor Graphics since the company installed its first web offset press. Visit www.victorgraphics.com.

Cenveo sets EFI Hagen as standard
Cenveo, Inc. (Englewood, CO) has selected Electronics for Imaging (EFI)’s (Foster City, CA) Hagen OA as the standard print management system for its 38 commercial print facilities in the United States.

EFI Hagen OA integrates an accounting package with high-end applications for estimating, job management, scheduling, purchasing, inventory and fulfillment—allowing users to collect, share, analyze and respond to information in real time.

Colonial Print exec Carlos Garcia retires
Carlos Garcia, Sr., retired this January after more than three decades in the printing business. Garcia, 62, formerly the vice president of Colonial Printing International (Miami), helped the company grow from a small letterpress shop to one of the largest private and minority-owned full service printing operations in the United States.

According to his son, Carlos Jr., the elder Garcia left Cuba in the early 1960s. After serving in the U.S. Army, he worked his way up the printing ranks, first at Trade Litho and then Superior Graphics. In 1988, he purchased Colonial Press with partner Jose Gomez.

The younger Garcia attributes his father’s success to his patience, financial acumen and work ethic. "He’s a smart man—a tough warrior," says Garcia. "He’s a very good person with a good heart." At Colonial, Garcia is known as a jack of all trades, someone who can do everything from estimating to electronics.

MAN Roland streamlines sheetfed production
MAN Roland Inc. (Westmont, IL) is consolidating its sheetfed manufacturing operations to fuel its growth in the graphic arts marketplace, which saw the company register $3.9 million in operating profits last year.

The new plan calls for putting the company’s Geisenheim facility on temporary hiatus and consolidating its manufacturing at the Offenbach sheetfed facility.

MAN Roland’s Mainhausen factory is engaging in a new round of labor negotiations aimed at reducing production costs and improving productivity.

"This is an example of practicing what you preach," says Yves Rogivue, CEO of MAN Roland Inc. "We’re continually reminding the graphics arts industry about the importance of integrating and consolidating workflows to maximize productivity in a tough business environment. That’s what we’re doing here in our ongoing efforts to build more value into our presses for our customers."

Executive Outlook theme announced
The Sept. 8th Executive Outlook Conference preceding Print 05 & Converting 05, Sept. 9-15 2005 in Chicago, will present "Creating FuturePrint Through Innovation and Technology." The new conference theme reflects the innovations and the rapidly changing technological landscape the printing industry is undergoing.

Bill Lamparter, president of the PrintCom Consulting Group and chair of the conference, explains: "The printing industry is undergoing structural changes, modifying business models, establishing partnerships, implementing customer resource management, shifting processes, going digital, adding a host of related but non-print services, hiring personnel with non-traditional skills, and laying the foundation for a new look at the FuturePrint business of tomorrow."

The all-day program on September 8th will stress how printers can take advantage of the technology being shown at the seven-day Print 05 & Converting 05 exhibition.

A highlight of the Conference will be the announcement of the show’s Must See ‘Ems and Worth-A-Look products. Visit www.gasc.org.

Canon tops copiers
Gartner Dataquest (Stamford, CT) has named Canon, Inc. subsidiary Canon U.S.A., Inc. (Lake Success, NY) the number one overall brand leader in the color copier market and in every speed segment of the black-and-white copier market in the United States.

This is the 18th consecutive year Canon has been the overall market brand leader in the U.S. color laser copier market with its line of color copiers, including the imageRUNNER series. This is the third consecutive year Canon has captured the No. 1 position in every speed segment of the black-and-white copier market in the U.S.

Printable joins Canon alliance
Printable Technologies (Solana Beach, CA) has entered an agreement to market its PrintFusion3 workflow software through the Canon U.S.A. Imaging Systems Group’s Alliance and Industry Marketing program.

Quad/Graphics chooses Chuckwalla for DAM
Quad/Graphics (Sussex, WI) has selected Microsoft.NET-based digital asset management technology from Chuckwalla Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) to power its Quad/Library. Through this digital content management system, Chuckwalla v5 will provide Quad/Graphics clients with centralized storage to enable content reuse and repurposing, reduced cycle time and increased security for shared content.

Jim Mercier, director of Imaging for the Quad/Imaging division, says, "The Quad/Imaging IT group selected Chuckwalla v5 to power the Quad/Library because it offers the best business benefits to our clients. We believe that teaming with Chuckwalla will extend our leadership in the publishing industry by providing the most comprehensive digital asset management platform available."

Diecut partnership eases integration
Brandtjen & Kluge, Inc., (St. Croix Falls, WI) announces its partnership with computer integration company Cimex Corp. (Belchertown, MA). The new partnership will allow Kluge to package Cimex CimPACK Lite and Diemaker software modules with the Kawahara Automatic Blank Separator.

Cimex CimPACK software enables Kluge to import and review prospects’ present dieline files and overlay the Kawahara TXR-1100 or TXR-800 pin templates. This procedure helps Kluge determine whether the specific layout can be blanked (or separated) on the Kawahara, prior to the close of the sale. CimPACK can be utilized to modify the supplied dieline layout to make it compatible with the Kawahara templates. The altered file can then be exported back to the prospect for review.

100 WORDS OR LESS:
What do printers need to do to connect with their customers’ marketing executives?

"The only relevant ingredient is return on the invested dollar—if you cannot track results, you cannot offer accountability. ‘Trackaholism’ is a disease all printers need to catch. Everyone loves to win, no matter what the game. The business of marketing is the ultimate game, and your customers’ marketing executives and CFOs want to hire a team that will help them win the battles. Commit to a strategy that focuses on being accountable for the success of customers’ marketing programs. Then, insist on a collective execution of that strategy."
—Michael Panaggio, CEO of Direct Mail Express, www.dmenet.com

PEOPLE

Bob Boyer has been named senior vice president of sales at Heidelberg USA (Kennesaw, GA). He also has been appointed to Heidelberg’s executive management team.
Avery Dennison Graphics Div. North America (Painesville, OH) has named David R. Browske director of sales and marketing. He succeeds Michel Merkx, who has been named GM of Avery Dennison Automotive Industrial Product Div. (Strongsville, OH).
KBA North America (Williston, VT) has appointed four new district sales managers: Angel Beltran del Rio covers Southern California from San Louis Obispo to the U.S. border; Ed Hefferen covers Metropolitan New York; Gerald Whitlow covers Northern Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana; and Michael Bates covers Northern California, Northern Nevada (including Reno) and Oregon.
To reflect a new company focus, Moody Graphics/Polaris Studios (Roanoke, VA) has changed its name to Moody Graphics Printing.
Kohl & Madden (Northlake, IL) has named Steve Miller as commercial technical manager.
Xitron (Ann Arbor, MI) has appointed Larry Ferguson as its Western region dealer manager for the United States and Canada.
Lisa Arsenault is president of The McArdle Printing Co. (Upper Marlboro, MD).
Mallet Group (New York) has partnered with NAK Marketing & Communications (New York) to extend its range of customer-retention services.
Nies/ArtCraft Companies (St. Louis, MO) has promoted Tom Miller to vice president, marketing/account services.
Robert Ott, Jr. is president and CEO of The Hennegan Co. (Florence, KY) while Michael Fleury is executive vice president, national sales.

INDUSTRY EVENTS
April

18-21 The Fulfillment Conference: Agenda for Success, NAPL and the Mailing & Fulfillment Service Assn. (MFSA), Marriott Downtown at Key Center, Cleveland, OH. Contact NAPL, (800) 642-6275, napl.org.
18-21 Matching Proof and Press, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, NY. Contact RIT, (800) 724-2536, seminars.cias.rit.edu.
19-21 Fulfillment Conference: Agenda for Success, NAPL, Marriott Cleveland Downtown at Key Center, Cleveland, OH. Contact NAPL, (800) 642-6275, napl.org.
20-21 Adobe Acrobat & PDF Conference, Adobe Systems, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Orlando. Contact Adobe systems, (781) 376-6044, pdf2005.com.
20-22 Disaster Recovery Planning: Ensuring Business Continuity, American Management Assn. (AMA), New York. Contact AMA, (800) 262-9699, amanet.org.
21-22 Fundamentals of Strategic Planning, American Management Assn. (AMA), San Francisco. Contact AMA, (800) 262-9699, amanet.org.
23-26 LPIA 2005 Spring Technical Seminars, Label Printing Industries of America (LPIA), Peabody Hotel, Memphis. Contact Laurie Reynolds, (412) 259-1802, lreynolds@piagatf.org, gain.net.
24-26 Lean Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management, Label Printing Industries of America (LPIA), Peabody Hotel, Memphis. Contact LPIA, (412) 259-1802, gain.net.
25-27 Financial Forecasting for Dynamic Business Results, American Management Assn. (AMA), Chicago. Contact AMA, (800) 262-9699, amanet.org.
26-27 JDF Workflows, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, NY. Contact RIT, (800) 724-2536, seminars.cias.rit.edu.
28-30 Gutenberg Festival, GASC, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles. Contact GASC, (703) 264-7200, gasc.org.

May

1-4 53rd Annual Web Offset Assn. Conference, PIA/GATF, Gaylord Texan Resort, Grapevine, TX. Contact PIA/GATF, (412) 259-1802, gain.net.

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