Industry News

Jul 7, 2006 12:00 AM, AP staff

News from: Signs by Tomorrow, Patented Printing, Lentix, John Roberts Co., Rock-Tenn, Shapco Printing, RIMA-SYSTEM, National Envelope, Bennet Group, Sonoran Equipment Solutions, MAN Roland, PowerPrinters, Harland Simon, ECRM, Aquaflex, Jetrion, IP, Rexson, Eagle Press, Standard Finishing Systems, Interquest, xpedx and NAPL, as well as peolple on the move in the printing industry.

Hot Topics, Management Tips, Newsmakers

TIDBITS…
» Signs by Tomorrow is 20 years old.

» Patented Printing has been sold to a new investor group that includes several long-term employees. The change in ownership means additional new capabilities to serve the full range of customer needs, as well as a new corporate identity: Think Patented. See www.patentedprinting.com.

» Lentix has completed the production and installation of the first ever large-format lenticular mural that features a combination of 3D and flip imagery, creating a seamless effect. The 8 x 21-ft. mural features collectible cars displayed at 57 Heave and the Dick Clark American Bandstand Theater in Branson, MO.

» The John Roberts Co. has gone green, having been certified as a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of-custody company by SmartWood, a forestry certifier.

» Rock-Tenn’s Kimball, TN, facility has surpassed 300 million impressions on a single Mitsubishi sheetfed press. Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses presented a special “300 Million Impressions Club” engraved statuette to commemorate the production milestone.

» Happy Anniversary to Shapco Printing, which turns 30 this year.

» RIMA-SYSTEM has sold its 4,500th bookbindery stacker.

» National Envelope now stocks Mohawk Fine Papers’ Options 100 percent PCW windpower-manufactured envelopes, the first 100 percent postconsumer recycled paper to receive certification by the Forest Stewardship Council.

» Bennet Group has opened a Mailing Training Institute in Rochester, NY.

» Sonoran Equipment Solutions (SES) now is the exclusive distributor for two Japanese printing press manufacturers, Sakurai Graphic Systems and Akiyama Intl., in Arizona, New Mexico and Southern Nevada.

MAN Roland revs up PowerPrinters
MAN Roland (Westmont, IL) recently turned some of its most skilled customers into Formula One racers for a day, sponsoring an outing at a local Grand Prix facility that combined on-track competition with some high-powered discussions on printing advancements.

PowerPrinters is a group of press operators and pressroom supervisors who have completed MAN Roland’s PowerPrinters Certification Course or have otherwise exhibited superior on-press expertise. Their mission is to ensure their pressroom skills keep pace with ongoing equipment enhancements and breakthroughs.

The Western Grand Prix event updated many of the region’s PowerPrinters on technology MAN Roland introduced at recent trade shows. In a special forum, the PowerPrinters swapped ideas and tips, and provided recommendations for future technology development.

The Western Grand Prix was the first of a series of outings that will be held regionally for PowerPrinters throughout the United States and Canada.

Harland Simon enters commercial print
Harland Simon (Oak Brook, IL), a global leader in control systems for the newspaper industry with installations at New York Times and Dow Jones, has announced its launch into the commercial printing market.

The company’s range of products, including PRIMA MS, newsprint allocation, totalizing, job ticketing, estimating, invoicing and department analysis, reportedly are used to improve efficiency, reduce waste and improve profits. See www.harlandsimon.com.

ECRM acquires Esko poly CTP line
ECRM Inc. (Tewksbury, MA) has appointed Torben Rysgaard as vice president of its new Polyester CTP division.

The announcement follows ECRM’s acquisition of the polyester CTP product line from Esko Production A/S on April 28, 2006. Under the terms of that agreement, ECRM acquired the assets, including intangible assets and intellectual property, of Esko’s polyester plate equipment business. This included the manufacture and sale of DPX 4, DPX System, DPX Lite, WorkMates and all associated software products, consumables, spare parts and related products.

Rysgaard, a 23-year veteran of the graphic arts industry, will head up ECRM’s Copenhagen, Denmark, offices, including its R&D operations for the polyester product line. Mitsubishi Imaging (MPM) Inc. and ECRM have announced MPM will continue to be the master distributor in the Americas for the DPX line of platesetters.

Aquaflex, Jetrion team on flexo
Flexo press maker Aquaflex (Duncansville, PA) has formed a partnership with industrial inkjet provider Jetrion (Ypsilanti, MI). Under the agreement, the two companies will codesign mounts and other critical components to optimize Jetrion’s 3025 printing system for use on Aquaflex’s line of flexo presses, including the new ELS Servo press. The companies plan to deliver inline inkjet solutions to the narrow-web label marketplace.

Says Aquaflex vice president Mac Rosenbaum, “We’re committed to bringing leading-edge technology to our customers—not to reinventing the wheel. With Jetrion’s experience and installed base on digital, there was no reason for us to design another digital print station. This partnership will allow us to better focus our strengths as a manufacturer. Everybody—Aquaflex, Jetrion and the customer—will be stronger for it.”

IP to sell coated, SC papers business
International Paper (Stamford, CT) has signed a definitive agreement to sell its coated and supercalendered papers business to CMP Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Apollo Management L.P., for approximately $1.4 billion, subject to post-closing adjustments. The transaction, expected to close in mid-summer 2006, is part of IP’s previously announced transformation plan to focus on uncoated papers and industrial and consumer packaging globally.

“The coated papers sale agreement is another important step in transforming International Paper to narrow our focus, strengthen our returns and improve value for our shareowners,” says IP chairman and CEO John Faraci. “Our coated papers unit is a good business with talented leadership, excellent employees, quality brands and an outstanding customer base. This business has been an important contributor to International Paper, and we expect it will continue to thrive under new ownership.”

The coated and supercalendered papers business generated $1.6 billion in 2005 sales. It includes four paper mills located in Jay, ME; Bucksport, ME; Quinnesec, MI; and Sartell, MN. The mills produce approximately two million tons of coated freesheet and coated groundwood papers annually for the magazine, catalog and retail insert markets. Its brands include Advocate, Influence, Liberty, Savvy, Trilogy and Velocity. Based in Memphis, TN, the business employs approximately 3,000 people.

Rexson acquires food processing leader
Ink blending and dispensing equipment supplier Rexson (Hickory, NC) has a new sister company in the food processing industry. The company’s owners have acquired APV Baker Ltd. from Invensys. Britain-based APV Baker will revert to its former name—Baker Perkins Ltd., an international forerunner in the field of food industry capital goods.

Rexson’s current managing director, Jim Noakes, will serve as director of international operations at Baker Perkins. The current Rexson management team will report to John Cowx, who continues as chairman of Rexson Systems Ltd. See www.rexsonusa.com.

Eagle Press goes west
Rocky Mount, NC-based Eagle Press, Inc., has acquired the assets of the former Fine Arts Graphics and ImageX printing company located in Tualatin, OR.

The combined operation gives the corporate identity stationery printer more than 100,000 sq. ft. of full-service printing facilities on both coasts, boosts its annual sales to more than $8 million and doubles its production capacity. Dion Bonnell, previous director of plant operations for the Oregon facility, has joined Eagle as its new vice president of Western operations.

Horizon celebrates factory expansion in Japan
Standard Finishing Systems (Andover, MA) recently joined Horizon Intl. (Kyoto, Japan) for the ceremonial grand opening of Horizon’s newly expanded postpress equipment factory. Located 45 miles northeast of Kyoto in Biwako, Siga, Japan, the state-of-the-art facility is now 25 percent larger and has been modernized with more than $20 million (U.S.) in new machine tool, injection molding, parts logistics and assembly technology that will permit faster and more flexible production. Its manufacturing capacity is expected to increase by nearly 30 percent when the Biwako factory reaches full-scale operation.

The expansion includes a new technical center devoted to hands-on operator and service training for Horizon customers and dealers worldwide. This facility is the centerpiece of a company initiative to establish a world-class training and skill development program. A new customer showroom, where Horizon’s complete portfolio of postpress products will be available for demonstrations and application testing, also is located nearby.

Color transactional printing ramps up
Interquest (Charlottesville, VA), a research and consulting firm serving the digital print and publishing industry, has released a study of the current and future adoption of full-color digital printing by third-party transactional providers. The 140-page report, titled, “Color Production Printing in Transactional Environments,” costs $1,095 and can be licensed for electronic distribution.

Collectively, the providers interviewed for the study produce more than half of all the full-color transactional printing in Europe and North America.

“A mere two years ago, full-color digital printing accounted for only about one percent of the volume produced by the major North American transactional operations we surveyed,” Davis notes. “This has increased appreciably over a relatively short timeframe. Kodak Versamark, Xerox and other full-color equipment vendors are really beginning to make progress with applications such as bill and statement printing and financial reports.” The study provides market size forecasts for North America and Europe. See www.inter-quest.com/color-production-transactional.htm.

A new home for xpedx
One of North America’s largest graphic arts supply and equipment distributors, xpedx (Loveland, Ohio), will more than double its presence in Connecticut with the construction of a full-service distribution/logistics center and new company offices in Middletown, CT. Occupancy is set for late fall 2006. The 85,000-sq.-ft., Class A facility will house new sales, customer service and warehouse employees in addition to the company’s existing Connecticut workforce. “This is another important step in our customer and corporate strategy for the greater New England region,” says Michael Feenan, New England Group vice president for xpedx.

The new distribution center will be located at 20 Timber Ridge Rd., Middletown, CT. The planned facility is more than double the company’s current 35,000-sq.-ft. warehouse in West Haven, CT, which will be sold after the move. Middletown is in the geographic center of Connecticut, enabling quick distribution to all points statewide. Greg Bowen, GM of the xpedx West Haven division, will run the new Middletown operations.

xpedx last year relocated and expanded its distribution center in Portland, ME, to better serve customers in that state. Feenan says the xpedx supply chain to customers across New England will continue to be strengthened.

NAPL updates web press BHC data
The 2006 edition of NAPL’s (Paramus, NJ) “Budgeted Hourly Cost Studies for Web Press Operations” has just hit the shelves. An invaluable costing tool, it provides the latest rate data on 167 presses from 29 manufacturers. The updated “Web Blue Book,” widely regarded as the industry standard for costing information, is available in print, as interactive software or as downloadable PDF files. The CS InterACT version is now free to NAPL corporate members, in addition to the book and PDF versions.

The book shows readers exactly how hourly cost rates are constructed, examining more than 15 cost factors and how they differ for various equipment configurations, one- to three-shift operations, and three different productivity levels. Step-by-step instructions explain how printers can adjust the rates for their actual investment costs and actual employee wages.

Containing all the information found in the printed and PDF versions, the CS InterACT version (for Windows and Mac systems) gives users the ability to develop hourly rates instantly by plugging their own cost factors into the more than 50 data fields.

For nonmembers, the cost is $199.95 for the printed version (Product Code NB 104); $219.00 for the CS InterACT software (Product Code ND 104). For more information, call NAPL at (800) 642-6275 or visit www.napl.org/store.

100 WORDS OR LESS:
How do you motivate your employees?
“With a letter titled, ‘Thank you for going the extra mile,’ and a small cash stipend when appropriate. We also raffle off tickets to sporting events. We bring in food for everyone four times per year and enjoy a holiday party. Annual flu shots are provided for free. We pay 100 percent of the cost of disability insurance, which pays 60 percent of their salary until age 65. We pay our employees five percent commission for client referrals, 50 percent of class costs for continuing education, plus up to $1,000 to employees who find new people to work here.”
—Joel Shapiro, co-founder, Shapco Printing, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN)

PEOPLE
Peter Camps has been appointed non-executive director of Global Graphics (Cambridge, England).

Steve White, Allegra Network’s (Northville, MI) executive vice president, has been named president of Signs Now, the company’s signs division.

Harold (Toby) Potter has joined Printegra (Peachtree City, GA) as Southeastern regional sales manager.

Patrick H. Avery has joined QuadTech (Sussex, WI) as director of sales and marketing.

Ennis (Midlothian, TX) has named Todd Scarborough to the company’s executive team as corporate vice president of its Apparel Division.

Angelo Possemato has joined Komori (Rolling Meadows, IL) as director of national accounts.

Aquaflex (Duncansville, PA) has hired Walter Mesik as print manager at the company’s Duncansville headquarters.

Roland DGA Corp. (Irvine, CA) has formed a new Industrial Products Team under the supervision of Joe Dawson to support distribution and marketing for the company’s 104-inch-wide AdvancedJET AJ-1000 industrial grand format printer.

Sir Speedy (Mission Viejo, CA) has appointed Richard Lowe as president.

Ruben Silva has joined Agfa (Ridgefield Park, NJ) as regional sales manager for Eastern Canada.

KBA North America (Williston, VT) has appointed Carl Ferolie sales manager for the Western mountain state region.

Kohler Print Group (St. Louis, MO) has named Carla Melton as account executive.