Ward/Kraft Buys MaverickLabel.Com License
Ward/Kraft Inc. purchased a license from MaverickLabel.Com, allowing Ward/Kraft to market and manufacture MaverickLabel.Com's print-on-demand (POD) label products. Ward/ Kraft will handle all marketing, sales and manufacturing for MaverickLabel.Com's customers. "We made this commitment to Ward/Kraft because we believe they can help you grow your business," said Mark Trumper, CEO of MaverickLabel.Com, Edmonds, Wash., in a letter to customers. Trumper was DMIA's 2001-02 president. Ward/Kraft, based in Fort Scott, Kan., will assist MaverickLabel.Com with educating distributors about POD labels and related products and services, joint call sales support, enhanced e-commerce solutions and more.
International Paper Plans 3,000 Job Cuts
International Paper Co., a supplier based in Stamford, Conn., plans to cut 3,000 jobs, or about 3.5 percent of its work force, during 2004 to help improve profits. The company employs 86,500 people, and the reductions will impact salaried personnel throughout the company, including cuts at the Stamford headquarters and 450 positions in Memphis. The company plans to boost profits by $1.5 billion by 2005.
Mailers Can Apply Repositionable Notes
Americans soon will notice Post-it® Notes on some of their mail. The U.S. Postal Service has announced that direct mailers can enhance mail pieces with repositionable notes, which are expected to add value to mail by catching recipients' attention and increasing read and response rates. The pieces will require no additional postage. Direct mailers can use this new feature for teaser copy, coupons, and telephone or internet address reminders. The new regulations will allow repositionable notes to be applied to First Class and Standard Mail letter-sized, automation-compatible mail pieces that meet certain qualifying requirements.
Avery Dennison Receives Subpoena
Pasadena, Calif.-based Avery Dennison Corp. received a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with a criminal investigation into competitive practices in the label stock industry. Avery Dennison said in a Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it will cooperate with the investigation. The company is a leading maker of self-adhesive labels and stamps. In April, the Justice Department announced it was investigating possible anti-competitive behavior among companies that make the material used in adhesive labels.
Manufacturing Makes Gains, But Employment Doesn't
Manufacturing activity picked up strongly in August for a second straight month, but the employment picture remained grim. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported that its manufacturing index rose to 54.7 last month from 51.8 in July. A reading above 50 indicates expansion; one below 50 indicates that manufacturing activity is slowing. Still, employment continued to deteriorate. The manufacturing sector has lost 2.7 million jobs since June 2000, and the ISM index for employment fell to 45.9 in August from 46.1 in July. Of the 20 industries covered in the report, 13 reported growth, including printing.
Weyerhaeuser to Close 2 Oregon Mills
Federal Way, Wash.-based paper supplier Weyerhaeuser Co. will shut down two mills in Oregon and lay off nearly 200 people as a result of poor market conditions and continuing efforts to cut costs. The company will close a containerboard mill in North Bend, Ore., that closed temporarily in early July as the firm waited for the market to recover. The mill's 158 employees will stay on the payroll until Oct. 13. By the end of the year, the company also will close a plant in Junction City, Ore., that produced laminated veneer lumber and employed 128 people. Some jobs will be transferred to other plants, the company said, with a net layoff of 38 people.
