Standard Register Acquires Some PlanetPrint Operations
Dayton, Ohio-based manufacturer Standard Register acquired the consulting, software services and print-on-demand operations from PlanetPrint, a business services company headquartered in Minneapolis. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Standard Register said the acquisition would bolster its consulting, software and document outsourcing services as well as add web-enabled digital, color and print- on-demand capabilities.
The acquired operations represent approximately $17 million in combined 2001 revenues and a workforce of approximately 100 people. Not associated with Standard Register's acquisition is another PlanetPrint business, Minneapolis-based Meyers Communication Services (MCS), that will continue to operate under its name.
In other news, SR announced an alliance with Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Creative Healthcare USA to apply Six Sigma methodologies to health care organizations. The effort will help hospitals, health networks and other organizations to gain efficiencies and improve service, the company said. Six Sigma is a process-improvement methodology used by companies to achieve improvements in quality, service, productivity and customer satisfaction.
Repacorp Label Products Acquires Sierra Screen Printing
Repacorp Label Products, a manufacturer in Tipp City, Ohio, acquired Sierra Screen Printing (SSP), a Phoenix-based company specializing in process screenprinting, large-format digital printing, and truck and signage vinyl cut lettering. The purchase enables Repacorp to offer a new product line to its customer base. It also provides the firm with a Western location for distribution of stock thermal, thermal transfer and laser products.
InfoSeal Signs Exclusive Sales Agreement
Roanoke, Va.-based manufacturer InfoSeal LLC entered into an exclusive partnership with Pressure Seal Systems (PSS), an equipment supplier in Hampshire, England. The agreement grants InfoSeal exclusive rights to market and sell PSS' line of pressure seal folder/sealers. The PSS machines are Xerox-certified and represent a new level in machine quality available to the forms and equipment reseller channel, according to a press release. InfoSeal intends to offer a total solution of pressure seal forms, machines and service.
MeadWestvaco to Close Envelope Plant
Stamford, Conn.-based paper supplier MeadWestvaco Corp. announced plans to close its Consumer & Office Products Group envelope plant in Worcester, Mass. The firm expects to close the facility later this month and transfer product manufacturing to other MeadWestvaco facilities. Approximately 150 employees work at the Worcester envelope facility. They'll be offered outplacement assistance, the company said.
MeadWestvaco's Consumer & Office Products Group is a producer and distributor of school supplies, time management products, home office products, envelopes and related items.
Champion Appeals Jury Verdict
Huntington, W.Va.-based manufacturer Champion Industries Inc. appealed a jury verdict rendered against the company in February. A jury in Jackson, Miss., had ruled against Champion in a civil action, asserting that the company and its Dallas Printing Co. subsidiary had engaged in unfair competition and other wrongful acts in hiring some employees. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Champion appealed against the jury award of $1.745 million in actual damages and $750,000 in punitive damages, as well as $645,119 in attorneys' fees and expenses.
Deluxe Now In the 'Money'
St. Paul, Minn.-based check supplier Deluxe Business Services announced it's the new exclusive supplier of checks and forms for Microsoft Money 2003, small-business financial software that hit the market Aug. 9. Money 2003 customers can order products through Deluxe's advanced ordering channels, including the internet and call centers. Products include software-compatible laser checks and forms as well as manual business forms, business cards, stationery and accessories.
Collapse Sparked Quad/ Graphics Blaze
Firefighters in Lomira, Wis., said an internal collapse of a 10-story-high portion of a storage facility at printing firm Quad/Graphics started the fire they battled in July. A local man was killed when the building fell on a vehicle he was a passenger in. Investigators and the Dodge County (Wis.) Sheriff's Department are still investigating the cause of the blaze.
At more than 2 million square feet, the Quad/Graphics plant in Lomira is the largest single printing facility in the Western Hemisphere, according to company officials. The company's presses have printed popular publications such as L.L. Bean Co. catalogs and Newsweek, Golf and Field & Stream magazines.
