Print
Solutions February 2006
INDUSTRY
NEWS
MATLET
Group Acquires 5 Quebecor World
Facilities
Quebecor
World Inc., Montreal, and the
MATLET Group LLC, a newly formed
entity, said that the MATLET Group
acquired five Quebecor World's
U.S. facilities in a management
buy-out. The facilities specialize
in commercial printing, packaging,
fulfillment and pre-media services.
The purchase price for the transaction
is $70 million, subject to certain
adjustments. With annual revenues
of more than $135 million, the
MATLET Group's operations include
the Acme Printing Company, Wilmington,
Mass., Central Florida Press,
Orlando, Fla., Packaging Graphics,
Pawtucket, R.I., Nova Marketing
Services, St. Louis, and Premedia
Services, Detroit. With more than
600 employees, the company produces
catalogs, magazines, inserts,
blister card and folding carton
packaging, casual dining menus,
annual reports and other collateral
materials.
MeadWestvaco
Acquires Design Firm, Opens Packaging
Center
MeadWestvaco
Corp., Stamford, Conn., acquired
DZN, The Design Group, a full-service
design and marketing company.
The move enhances MeadWestvaco's
package design capabilities, which
will now offer a complete range
of design, printing, prepress
and manufacturing capabilities.
Additionally, the company launched
the Packaging Innovation Center
at its Richmond, Va., office.
It features demonstrations of
packaging technologies and capabilities.
Customers experience the possibilities
of package design through hands-on
exposure to multiple materials
and finishing options. The facility
showcases the latest features
and applications in packaging
solutions, including RFID technology,
anti-counterfeiting technologies,
and interactive "smart packaging"
concepts.
Ennis
to Acquire Tennessee Business
Forms
Ennis
Inc., Midlothian, Texas, entered
into an agreement to acquire Tennessee
Business Forms/ Avant-garde (TBF),
a privately held company headquartered
in Tullahoma, Tenn. Ennis will
purchase TBF's outstanding stock,
and the associated land and buildings
from a partnership which leases
the facility to TBF. The move
is part of Ennis' growth strategy
through acquisition of complimentary
manufactured products. Ennis now
will offer additional short run
print products and solutions,
and integrated labels and form/label
combinations. TBF reported sales
of $2.2 million for the year ended
Dec. 31, 2004. Robert Boldig,
president and CEO of TBF and a
member of the Board of Trustees
of the Print Education &
Research Foundation (PERF), will
stay on as general manager and
assist the company in developing
other product lines. Additionally,
Ennis reported financial results
for the quarter and the period
ended Nov. 30, 2005. Net sales
increased $39.9 million over the
same quarter last year and $198
million over the comparative 9-month
period last year. Profits increased
65.6 percent for the quarter,
and 93.8 percent for the 9-month
period ended Nov. 30.
NewPage
May Sell 2 Chillicothe Mills
Union
leaders said that NewPage Corp.,
Dayton, Ohio, held talks with
a potential buyer for its two
Chillicothe, Ohio, mills, according
to the Dayton Business Journal.
"The Dayton-based company
and a committee of employees had
been exploring the feasibility
of an employee buyout of the mills
for the past several months, but
NewPage halted those discussions
two weeks ago to pursue talks
with an interested buyer, said
John Allen, international representative
for United Steelworkers of America,
whose assignment includes Locals
731 and 988, which represents
the 1,400 hourly workers at the
mills," the story said.
Gartner:
RFID Spending to Surpass $3B in
2010
Worldwide
RFID spending is expected to total
$504 million in 2005, up 39 percent
from 2004, according to research
firm Gartner Inc., Stamford, Conn.
RFID will gain broader industry
adoption with business value-focused
implementations toward the end
of 2006 when new license revenue
totals $751 million. By 2010,
Gartner forecasts worldwide RFID
spending to surpass $3 billion.
Analysts said companies shouldn't
think of RFID tags as a replacement
for bar codes. Instead, the two
technologies will coexist with
users applying the right data
collection technology for the
right process.
American
Wins Health Care Contract
American
Solutions for Business (ASB),
Glenwood, Minn., signed a 3-year
agreement with El Centro Regional
Medical Center (ECRMC), El Centro,
Calif., to provide forms, labels,
printing, envelopes, marketing
pieces and promotional products.
In 2005, ASB signed a purchasing
agreement with Novation, the largest
medical group purchasing organization
(GPO).
Boise
to Restart Shift at Oregon Mill
Boise
Cascade, Boise, Idaho, restarted
the second shift at its La Grande,
Ore., sawmill. It curtailed the
shift on Oct. 31, a move that
impacted approximately 70 employees.
The company is recalling the employees
and will hire new ones to fill
positions vacated by those who
relocated to other Boise facilities.
