Home | Subscribe | Contact Us | Advertise

FedEx Ground to Increase 2008 Rates by 4.9 Percent
FedEx Corp. will increase the standard list rates for FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery by an average of 4.9 percent. The new rates will be effective Jan. 7, 2008. The company will also make additional changes to other FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery surcharges, effective Jan. 7.

Netflix Mailers Jam USPS Equipment
A recent audit by the USPS Office of Inspector General says that the adhesive flap that seals Netflix mailers often jams machinery and requires sorting by hand, adding $21 million a year to the postal service’s labor costs, according to a Dec. 6 New York Times story. The Office of the Inspector General has recommended a 17-cent surcharge on every package that requires hand sorting (not just Netflix discs).

Kodak, Indros Bring pURLs To Direct Mail
Kodak and EasyPurl from Indros Group announced an arrangement that allows users of the Kodak Darwin VI Authoring Tool to add personalized URLs (pURLS) to direct mail campaigns using EasyPurl. The Darwin tool converts documents from QuarkXpress and Adobe InDesign into variable data documents in which all elements—text, graphics, colors, layout, charts, backgrounds, personalized images and even entire pages—can be dynamic. By adding pURLs, users see increased response rates, reduced response times and effective tracking of campaign results.

R.R. Donnelley Opens Facility In India
R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company opened a 55,000-square foot global outsourcing facility in Chennai, India. The company already has offices in three other locations in Chennai. It employs approximately 65,000 people worldwide.

Muller Martini Files Two Suits Against Goss
Muller Martini Corp. filed two patent suits against Goss International Corp. and Goss International Americas Inc. to protect its patent portfolio. It filed suit against both Goss companies in Minneapolis on a patent directed to its saddle stitcher technology. Muller Martini and its sister company, Muller Martini Mailroom Systems Inc., also filed suit against both Goss companies for infringement of a control system patent in Delaware.

RiteMade Headquarters to Be Relocated
RiteMade Paper, a converter of small rolls for business, is building a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and national headquarters in Kansas City, Kan. The new location will be ready for employees to occupy by July 2008.

New Brand: Navitor
Carlson Craft Business Solutions merged with Regency and Label Works, all part of Taylor Corp., Mankato, Minn., to form a new brand, Navitor. The new company will begin officially on Jan. 1, 2008 with 30,000 customers, the company said. Corporate offices will remain in Mankato, and the company will operate production facilities in California, Georgia, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Taylor Corp., which has an estimated $1.7 billion in annual sales, does not plan to combine any more of its B2B or B2C print businesses, including direct mail or marketing divisions, a Navitor representative said.

PRINTSouth Achieves ISO 9001: 2000 Certification
PRINTSouth Corp. said that its Richmond, Va., manufacturing facility has become ISO 9001:2000 certified. The certification standardizes internal operations across the plant to provide customers with a high level of quality, said Rick Martin, vice president.

Source4 Wins Award
Source4 Chicago once again has received the “Best Workplace in America” award from the Printing Institute of America (PIA). The company has received the award in each of the last eight years. To receive the award, companies must submit extensive data and undergo an audit from PIA. The award recognizes companies that commit to investing in their workforce by creating an environment in which employees thrive professionally through sound human relations practices.

Laucks Helps Library
Marc Laucks, owner of distributor Marc Laucks and Company, York, Pa., helped his local library publicize its events by developing a mailing piece featuring a pop-up house. The mailing expresses the library’s fall theme, ‘Come Home to Your Library.’ Laucks volunteers his time as part of the library’s GO! committee, which plans exhibits, programs and entertainment.

The Latest News
What’s happening at your company? Email your industry news and tips to abrown@psda.org.