Relizon Sells Epsilon toAlliance Data Systems
The Relizon Company, a manufacturer based in Dayton, Ohio, sold Epsilon, a provider of marketing, transaction, technology and analytical services, to Alliance Data Systems. Total consideration is expected to be approximately $300 million, and the transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2004. In 2001, Relizon acquired Epsilon for $189 million in cash.
Epsilon operates offices in Boston, Dallas, St. Louis and Washington. The business unit can identify patterns in customer behavior, enabling marketing departments to determine which customers are likely to buy specific products. It printed and mailed more than 230 million pieces of direct mail in 2002 and helped Relizon sign 32 marketing-solutions deals in the first quarter of 2003.
Relizon, a portfolio company of the Washington-based Carlyle Group, provides business-process solutions for document management, billing and marketing fulfillment services. Marketing services will remain a key part of Relizon's business communication solutions, particularly marketing literature fulfillment and kitting, commercial print management, personalized and customized collateral, and direct mail programs, the company said.
Former Moore Boss Aimsfor Creo
Robert Burton, the former president and CEO of Moore who improved the company's bottom line by slashing payroll and other expenses, is involved in a takeover attempt of Creo, Burnaby, B.C. The move comes amid criticism of what some call spiraling costs at Creo and the company's choppy transition from commercial printing industry technology developer to streamlined manufacturer, according to the newspaper Business in Vancouver.
Last month, Toronto's Goodwood Inc. and Burton Capital Management LLC, Greenwich, Conn., filed documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The documents say they've lost confidence in the board and CEO and want Burton to take the helm as the firm's chair and CEO. Before turning around Toronto-based Moore (now known as RR Donnelley after that firm purchased Moore Wallace Inc.), Burton ran World Color Press Inc., which merged with Quebecor Printing Inc. in 1999 to become Quebecor World Inc.
IKON Forms Partnerships
IKON Office Solutions, Valley Forge, Pa., announced a strategic relationship with Kofax, an information capture vendor. IKON will integrate Kofax's Ascent Capture technology into its end-to-end document solutions, enabling fast information collection and high-volume, complex image processing in the capture phase of the document lifecycle, the company said. Made for office and high-volume production environments, Ascent Capture transforms paper documents and data into retrievable information through an automated-capture process.
IKON Office Solutions also announced a strategic relationship with Equitrac Corporation for document accounting and cost-management solutions. Through its global services organization, IKON Enterprise Services, IKON will offer Equitrac Office to help customers monitor, measure and manage document output, lower operational costs and improve efficiency, the firm said.
FormStore® Incorporated Prepares for RFID
Manufacturer FormStore® Incorporated, St. Louis, conducted its RFID Application Survey last month during the Xplor expo in Dallas. The company plans to introduce new RFID manufacturing, technology and solutions online in the first quarter of 2005. It's developing RFID applications for security cards, membership cards, inventory control, fixed asset control, legal documents, library cards, automobile warranty, mass transit and travel passes, and luggage tags.
Sales Rise at Ennis
Ennis Inc., a manufacturer based in Midlothian, Texas, reported net sales of $73.4 million during its second quarter ended Aug. 31, an increase of 12.9 percent compared with the same period last year. Second-quarter earnings were $5.4 million, or $.32 per diluted share, an increase of 19.4 percent.
Office Depot Profit Falls on Weak Sales
Third-quarter earnings at Office Depot Inc., Delray Beach, Fla., fell nearly 2 percent as the company's back-to-school and European sales were weaker than expected. Office Depot reported net income of $89.95 million, or 28 cents a share, in the three months ended Sept. 25, compared with $91.67 million, or 29 cents a share, a year ago. The company previously had lowered its expectations for the quarter and for the year.
Mimeo.com Named to Fastest-Growing List
Mimeo.com Inc., the "online print center" for some of America's large corporations, was ranked 186 on Inc. magazine's 2004 list of the 500 fastest-growing private U.S. companies. Mimeo offers web-based document creation, storage and printing services for businesses such as jetBlue, TD Waterhouse, Siemens, Perot Systems and Pfizer.
