UPFRONT
Goss, manroland Resolve Case
BOLINGBROOK, IL--Goss International and manroland have resolved their U.S. patent infringement litigation involving web offset press sleeve blanket technology. The terms of the agreement are confidential. Both parties acknowledged that the resolution was in the best interest of their companies and customers, allowing them to offer their full press portfolios to the worldwide marketplace. VistaPrint Expands Facility
HAMILTON, BERMUDA--Online printing specialist VistaPrint is expanding its production facility in Windsor, Ontario, for the second time since 2005. The expansion plans include nearly 140,000 square feet of additional space for both manufacturing and office use. The growth includes 39,000 square feet of office space and more than 80,000 square feet of manufacturing space, bringing the facility's total area to just under 300,000 square feet. VistaPrint's Windsor plant is responsible for the printing and distribution of orders throughout North America, and manufactures customer orders on-site.
Quebecor World Extends Pact
MONTREAL--Quebecor World has reached a contract extension with PARADE Publications to print 100 percent of PARADE magazine in the United States. PARADE is distributed weekly in more than 400 Sunday newspapers. It boasts more than 71 million weekly readers.
Merger Forms ArborOakland
ROYAL OAK, MI--Think Arbor, a marketing communications provider based here, and Oakland: A Communications Partner, based in Troy, MI, have merged to form ArborOakland Group. The newly formed company will be based in the current Think Arbor facility. Its services include web and sheetfed printing, variable data printing, direct mail services, database management and acquisition, warehousing and fulfillment, and Web-based storefront ordering systems.
RPI Doubles Production Space
SEATTLE--RPI, which specializes in automated, mass-customized manufacturing and fulfillment for the consumer print-on-emand market, has doubled its manufacturing floor space to meet increased demand for personalized products, such as greeting cards, photo books and calendars. By adding 30,000 square feet and reconfiguring the physical workflow in the factory to incorporate lean manufacturing principles, RPI has increased its ability for quick turnaround and to meet deadlines, yet can also reportedly achieve a 99 percent accuracy rate.
New CTP Systems for Paper
CHICAGO--The Chicago Sun-Times has obtained nine Agfa Advantage CLS digital platemaking systems, as well as Arkitex workflow components that include Autoplan and Afirma for increased monitoring and automation. The Advantage CLS is a cassette-loading system with a throughput of up to 220 plates per hour.
Brodock Completes Expansion
UTICA, NY--Brodock Press recently completed a $5.5 million expansion that it expects will drum up $10 million more in annual revenues and pave the way for the addition of new jobs, according to the Utica Observer-Dispatch. The major acquisition for Brodock is an eight-color Komori Lithrone S40 sheetfed press, along with a Xerox iGen3 digital production press.
Dow Jones Buys Platesetters
NEW YORK--Dow Jones & Co. purchased 14 Kodak Trendsetter News 150 thermal CTP platesetters and 17 Kodak Prinergy Evo workflow systems as part of a modernization effort at six of its printing plants. Dow Jones produces The Wall Street Journal, the second largest newspaper in the country by circulation. The agreement with Kodak will bring digital platemaking technology to the company's facilities in Chicopee, MA; Bowling Green, OH; LaGrange, GA; Dallas; Palo Alto, CA; and South Brunswick, NJ. Prinergy Evo workflow systems will be installed in Orlando, FL.
Workflow, Enterprise Merge
NEW YORK--WF Capital Holdings, the parent company of Workflow Management, has signed a definitive merger agreement with Enterprise Acquisition for $669 million. Workflow has also signed agreements to acquire additional businesses in the marketing services and promotional products industry, which may be completed prior to the merger with Enterprise.
Printing Partners Buys Unit
INDIANAPOLIS--Direct marketing firm Marketing Informatics has sold its printing unit to Printing Partners. About 12 of Marketing Informatics' 75 employees will move to Printing Partners. Marketing Informatics bought the former RPS Printing three years ago.
Verso Adds Specialty Papers
MEMPHIS, TN--Verso Paper has begun transitioning the No. 1 paper machine at its Bucksport Mill in Maine to manufacture specialty papers. With this move, Verso will supply value-added specialty papers to customers that leverage Verso's core coating and lightweight paper production techniques. This change will reduce Verso's coated groundwood production capacity by 84,000 tons per year.
Newspaper Print Shop Closing
BOSTON--The Boston Globe will close it suburban Billerica printing plant by 2010 in order to cut operating expenses in light of declining circulation and advertising revenues. Although about 200 people work at the facility, it was not known how many will lose their jobs. Billerica produces about half of the paper's 350,000 weekday press run.
Correction
Joni Schiell was listed as joining Pictorial Offset in the September Printer News department. Schiell actually joined Padgett Printing. PI regrets the error.