Crabar/GBF Sells Direct Mail Line, Facility
Crabar/GBF Inc., based in Dayton, Ohio, announced the sale of its direct mail product line and its Skokie, Ill., facility to USA Direct Inc., a direct mail production company in York, Pa. Crabar/GBF sold its direct mail line to focus on its core business: custom document solutions. Business forms equipment from the Skokie facility was relocated to other Crabar/GBF plant locations. Crabar/GBF operates seven production facilities that serve distributors nationwide. Products include continuous forms, snapouts, cut sheets and bar coded products.
USA Direct produces more than 500 million direct mail pieces annually. In 2000, the company launched its USA MailNOW division to provide customers with on-demand digital printing, and list and mailing services using proprietary, web-based software.
Ennis Reports Increased Earnings
Ennis Business Forms Inc., a manufacturer based in DeSoto, Texas, reported increased sales and operating results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended Feb. 29. Keith Walters, CEO and president of Ennis, said the most significant factor to the company's 2004 increased sales and earnings was its addition of Columbus, Kan.-based Calibrated Forms Co. Inc. in 2002.
Ennis' fourth-quarter net earnings were $4.9 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, compared with $4.5 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, for the same period last year. For its fiscal year, the company's net sales were $259.4 million, an 8 percent increase compared with last year. Net earnings for the 12 months rose 18 percent to $18 million.
Premier Awards Contracts To Majors
Premier Purchasing Partners, the contracting arm of health care group purchasing organization Premier Inc., recently awarded new forms/forms management contracts. New York-based RR Donnelley, Dayton, Ohio-based The Relizon Company and Dayton, Ohio-based The Standard Register Company each were awarded 3-year contracts effective April 1. Previously, Moore Wallace (now RR Donnelley) and Standard Register served Premier customers. Winning a piece of Premier contract is significant because the GPO expects members to buy 80 percent of the items covered by its contracts from the designated vendors and uses financial incentives to encourage compliance. (For more news about Premier and distributors selling to the medical market, visit www.printsolutionsmag.com, click on the May 2004 image and read the story beginning on page 48.)
Standard Register, Precision Dynamics Align
Manufacturer The Standard Register Company, Dayton, Ohio, and Precision Dynamics Corp., San Fernando, Calif., formed an alliance to more efficiently manage patient data. The initiative brings together Precision Dynamic's thermal bar coded wristbands with Standard Register's laser wristbands, picture-capture capability and document automation expertise. The companies jointly will market automated patient identification and workflow solutions.
Phoenix Marketing Joins Creel Printing
Phoenix Marketing Services Inc., a Claremont, Calif.-based printing firm, merged with Creel Printing of Las Vegas and Costa Mesa, a commercial printing company in Nevada. Creel generates $70 million in annual revenue between its facilities. Phoenix Marketing Services and the Creel facilities will provide clients with creative design, web and print technology, and mailing and fulfillment services. The Claremont plant will continue to produce creative design and sheet-fed printing. The Costa Mesa plant and the new 207,000-square-foot facility in Las Vegas will produce web printing.
International Paper to Buy Box USA
Supplier International Paper Co., based in Stamford, Conn., plans to acquire corrugated packaging company Box USA Holdings Inc., Northbrook, Ill., to strengthen its packaging operations. International Paper said the deal would give it improved access to markets, better integration between mills and converting plants, and other operating synergies. Box USA operates 23 industrial packaging converting facilities and serves the beverage and general industrial markets.
Georgia-Pacific Acquires Facilities
Atlanta-based supplier Georgia-Pacific Corp. completed its acquisition of Inland Paperboard and Packaging Inc.'s assets in Ontario, Calif., and Harrington, Del. Color-Box LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Georgia-Pacific, will manage the Harrington facility, which employs 120 people and produces litho-laminated, corrugated packaging for beverage, consumer goods and telecommunications customers. The Ontario facility employs 60 people and produces litho-laminated packaging and serves customers in the toy, electronics, produce and consumer-goods industries.
Avery Dennison Profit Skids
Avery Dennison Corp.'s first-quarter net income fell almost 26 percent as restructuring charges hurt the company's bottom line by approximately $15.5 million, or 16 cents a share. The Pasadena, Calif.-based maker of labels and stamps reported net income of $52.6 million, or 52 cents a share, for the quarter, compared with $70.8 million, or 71 cents a share, a year ago.
