NEWS
Tampa Companies Survive Hurricane Charley
Many printing companies in Tampa, Fla., which were prepared for the worst, escaped undamaged Aug. 13 as category 4 Hurricane Charley produced only rain and winds in the area. The hurricane, with 145 mph winds, caused devastation in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte communities as it marched across the state, from southwest to northeast, causing at least $11 billion worth of damage and killing 19 people. The hurricane crossed the prime citrus-growing territory, where about a third of Florida's $1.5 billion crop is grown.
Jim Maxwell, owner of Yankee Southern Graphics, a manufacturer in the Tampa region of Parrish, Fla., said the company had covered its equipment and turned off the power at the plant on Aug. 12. "Our main concern was losing our cement roof, but we got very lucky."
Maxwell said he wanted to help printers whose businesses were damaged, but couldn't contact them because many areas were without power and telephone service. "I would love to try and help these guys," he said. "If they need forms, then I can print them at a very low price to keep them in business." Approximately 640,000 households are still without power, which may be restored end of this week. The E-Weekly tried to contact Punta Gorda-based distributorship A TO Z Marketing Inc., but the company's telephones were out of service.
Jan Weaver, president of Tampa, Fla.-based distributorship ArtForm ink, said, "we were lucky that we were spared. The storm hit 100 miles south of us." Although the distributorship wasn't in the evacuation zone, Weaver spent Aug. 13 preparing for the hurricane. She and her husband filled up bathtubs and kept batteries ready, but didn't board up their house. There was steady rain in the area and strong winds. The company closed offices on Aug. 13, but everything is on schedule, Weaver said.
Wise Business Forms Implements Check 21 Capabilities
Wise Business Forms, Alpharetta, Ga., announced the implementation of Check 21 safety and compliance capabilities that will impact the check payment processing system in two ways:
- Fostering system innovations without requiring receipt of checks in electronic format
- Facilitating check truncation by eliminating the original paper document from the bank routing procedure and replacing it with a scanned or printed image
The Check 21 Act goes into effect Oct. 28. It requires original paper checks to meet specific scanning standards. Checks that fall short of the criteria can be assigned a processing fee and banks can refuse to process sub-standard checks. The company's Alpharetta facility has installed a state-of-the-art image qualifying system that scans checks, tests essential security areas, including backgrounds and provides a detailed report of document compliance.
MeadWestvaco Buys Brazil's Tilibra
MeadWestvaco Corp., Stamford, Conn., bought Tilibra SA Produtos de Papelaria, a family-owned producer of consumer and office products based in Brazil. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Tilibra was founded in 1928 and employs 1,000 people in the city of Bauru, Sao Paulo. The company makes school, home and office products for the retail and commercial stationery markets.
SSA Announces Tax Filing Changes
The Social Security Administration will discontinue magnetic media filing for companies with 250 or more employees after the 2004 tax season, and requires the companies to file electronically for the 2005 tax year. Jim Magdaleno of manufacturer TFP Data Systems, Oxnard, Calif., said it's an ideal time for distributors to contact customers and inform them of the change. The manufacturer has service bureaus that allow customers to file electronically and have paper copies of W-2s and 1099s printed and mailed directly to their employees or recipients. The company also prints tax forms on recycled paper.
Staples' 2Q Profit Up 39 Percent
Riding strong sales across its office products portfolio, Staples Inc., Framingham, Mass., reported a 39 percent jump in net income. It also announced its acquisition of two supply businesses in Europe--expanding its presence to 15 countries--and a joint venture investment in China that marks Staples' first foray into the nation's $25 billion-a-year office products market. For the 3-month period ending July 31, Staples reported net income of $122.5 million, or 24 cents per share, compared with a profit of nearly $88 million, or 18 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Revenue grew 9 percent to $3.09 billion from $2.83 billion a year earlier.
Weyerhaeuser Integrates Wilton Connor Packaging
Wilton Connor Packaging, Charlotte, N.C., officially became part of Federal Way, Wash.-based Weyerhaeuser's Retail Experience Network and a cornerstone for the company's two other retail centers to be opened by year-end in Chicago and Los Angeles. The network integrates retail knowledge and turnkey solutions with nationwide printing and packaging expertise to meet customers' retail-specific needs. Products and services include creative and structural design, primary packages, point-of purchase displays, contract packaging/fulfillment, logistics and project management.
Eastman Kodak Unit to Buy Buhrmann Assets
Eastman Kodak Co.'s NexPress Solutions unit agreed to purchase certain assets of Buhrmann NV's digital sales and service business for the Kodak NexPress 2100 digital production color presses and Kodak Digimaster digital production systems. Eastman Kodak, Rochester, N.Y., said the agreement covers several European countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Spain, as well as major cities in Italy.
Stamps of Individuality Push the Envelope
Stamps.com announced a service that allows people to design their own postage--from kids to cats to corporate logos--on their computers. "It makes mailing a little more exciting," says Stamps.com CEO Ken McBride. The company, which is based in Santa Monica, Calif., received exclusive permission from U.S. Postal Service to test their product, dubbed PhotoStamps. Full story.
Return Your 2005 Buyers' Guide Proof or Listing Form Now!
Manufacturers and suppliers: Print Solutions Magazine is editing its 2005 Buyers' Guide, which will be published in October. If your company was listed last year, you should have received a proof of that listing in the mail. If your firm wasn't listed last year, click here to download a blank form. Fax your completed proof or form to (703) 549-4966. (Proofs were mailed last week--you should have yours by now. Please review it now.) Email digital logos and/or product photos to Andrew Brown, assistant editor. Print Solutions' 31,000 readers include distributors of business forms, labels, commercial printing, tags, promotional products and other printing. The Buyers' Guide is your opportunity to let distributors know what you offer. For more information, call Print Solutions at (800) 336-4641.
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