NEWS
Cardinal Brands to Shift Jobs to Mexico
Cardinal Brands Inc., owner of Adams Business Forms, Topeka, Kan., announced it will shift 15 to 20 jobs from Topeka to Mexico as a result of a restructuring of its manufacturing business. The company said some machines used in Topeka will be relocated to plants in Matamoros and Valle Hermoso, Mexico. The move will help Cardinal Brands compete in a competitive industry, the company said. The Lawrence-based company said the number of affected jobs hasn't been determined, but estimated that 15-20 jobs would be moving south. The shift is part of what the company calls a "manufacturing realignment project" that involves four North American facilities. The company said certain equipment previously located at its Independence, Mo., plant already has been relocated to Topeka. Full story. [To access the full story, register for free with The Topeka Capital-Journal.]
Ennis Management Change
Ennis Inc., Midlothian, Texas, announced this week that Michael Magill has been appointed executive vice president and will continue as treasurer. In conjunction with this promotion, the company said, Magill will assume operating responsibility for Ennis' three printing groups: the Forms Solutions Group, Promotional Solutions Group, and Financial Solutions Group. Magill, formerly head of the Financial Solutions Group, will continue reporting to Keith Walters, chairman, president and CEO of Ennis. Full story.
Donnelley Names New CFO
R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. has named Glenn R. Richter, currently CFO of Sears, as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective April 1. To ensure an orderly transition, Kevin J. Smith has agreed to remain with RR Donnelley as EVP and CFO until the end of the Company's first quarter on March 31.
American Solutions for Business Announces Growth
American Solutions for Business, Glenwood, Minn., announced a 19 percent increase in net income for 2004 as compared to the previous year. The company said it also experienced its largest and second largest billing months in its 24-year history during November and December last year.
Wise Business Forms Installs HP Indigo Press 3050
Wise Business Forms, Alpharetta, Ga., purchased a Hewlett-Packard Indigo Press 3050. The company's NextWave division will use the press for short runs and personalized digital printing. The Indigo 3050 offers exceptional quality at an economical price for short run, personalized printing requirements and liquid ink quality with high impact, according to the company.
Paris Business Products Releases Upgraded Software
Paris Business Products, Burlington, N.J., launched the second version of its Documents Now™ check production software, which allows distributors and check re-sellers to design, print and sell customized blank checks using a computer, laser printer and MICR toner. The new version features more tools, editing capabilities and improved performance, according to the company. Other upgrades include customer and database management tools, advanced batch print options and accounting program templates.
Staples Reports Record FY04 and Q4 Results
Staples Inc., Framingham, Mass., announced this week results for its fiscal year and fourth quarter ended January 29, 2005. For fiscal 2004, sales reached $14.4 billion, an 11 percent increase compared to 2003. The company reported 2004 net income of $708 million, an increase of 41 percent on a GAAP basis from 2003. Total company operating margins for the year rose to 7.8 percent. Full story.
IKON Implements Hospital Solution
IKON Office Solutions officials will join Hartford Hospital executives this week in Coronado, California to make a presentation on IKON's implementation of a hardware and software solution that enabled the hospital to realize savings of $400,000 in just nine months. "Document Outsourcing: Show Me The Money," will focus on Hartford Hospital's efforts to eliminate hidden costs, address inefficiencies and deliver bottom line savings through a document outsourcing strategy based on in-depth document assessments. Full story.
Former NBFA Leader Stars on Reality TV Show
In 1963, Meredith R. Smith Jr., CAE, was hired to run the National Business Forms Association (now DMIA) and moved its headquarters from Florida to an office desk in Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, March 1, Smith and his wife, Gretchen, will begin moving around the globe in the seventh season of "The Amazing Race," a 2-time Emmy-winning CBS-TV reality show that airs at 9 p.m. ET.
Many industry veterans know Smith best by one letter—"R," his middle initial, which stands for Reynolds—and as the person who launched many programs, services and publications DMIA still offers to members. In 1973, with an annual association budget of nearly $500,000 (20 times its 1963 budget), Smith led NBFA's move to the lower floor of a 2-story, 12,000-square-foot building in Alexandria, Va., where DMIA operates on both floors today. He retired on April 1, 1991, and was succeeded by Peter Colaianni, CAE, DMIA's executive vice president.
By starring on "The Amazing Race," millions of TV viewers will know Smith and his wife as "Meredith and Gretchen" from Easton, Md. They are the oldest couple on a show that features 11 2-person teams competing for $1 million. (Meredith is 69, and Gretchen is 65. Eighteen of 24 contestants are in their 20s or 30s.) The couple's competitors include brothers Brian and Greg from Santa Monica, Calif., mother-and-son team Susan and Patrick from Hamilton, Ohio, and friends Debbie and Bianca from Woodbridge, Va.
During each of the show's 12 legs, teams race toward a destination while facing "roadblocks," "detours" and "tasks." Upon completing tasks, contestants receive clues to proceed, but tasks often are grueling or include twists. During Episode Six last year in Budapest, Hungary, teams chose between tasks Catapult Crush (hurling a watermelon 150 feet at a wooden target at Eger Castle by using an ancient weapon) and Cannonball Run (pushing a cannon uphill to the castle's courtyard, then carrying 55 4-pound cannonballs up the same hill and stacking them in a pyramid). During Episode 11 in Shanghai, China, a member of each team had to race to the top of a 40-story skyscraper, then sit on a window washer's chair outside and descend to a marked window. Contestants then washed glass and discovered messages revealing their clues.
During a pre-race interview, Smith and his wife said they're ready to face such physical and mental challenges. Meredith is an avid swimmer and biker who holds seven National Masters Swimming Championship titles. Gretchen is a retired flight attendant and registered nurse. "Both found love late in their lives, and they are spending every moment making up for lost time," the show's web site says. "Their inspiration for participating in the race is strictly for the adventure and the challenge of traveling around the world." (The April issue of Print Solutions will feature the couple in its Off Hours department.)
In September, "The Amazing Race" won the 2003-04 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality/Competition Program for the second straight year, beating "Survivor" (CBS), "American Idol" (Fox), "The Apprentice" (NBC) and "Last Comic Standing" (NBC).
Last Chance! The 2004 Top 100 Manufacturers Surveys are Due Now!
Final call for manufacturers to be included in Top 100 Manufacturers feature, to be published in the April issue of Print Solutions. The story will rank manufacturers by fiscal 2004 sales through business printing and document management distributors. It will also include top sales per employee rankings, the fastest-growing manufacturers and stories about several firms. The best way to submit your Top 100 information is to complete the online form. If you'd like to fax a hard copy instead, download a PDF and fax completed pages to Darin Painter, Managing Editor, at (703) 549-4966. Only surveys returned to DMIA by 6 p.m. EST today will be included.
The Materials Sector Keeps Delivering
Amid rising commodity costs and a firming economy, the materials sector, which includes aluminum, chemicals, diversified metals and mining, forest and paper products, and steel companies, reported mixed results for the fourth quarter of 2004. Full story.
Brascan to Buy 5 Weyerhaeuser Sawmills
Brascan Corp., Toronto, is paying about $970 million plus working capital to acquire five West Coast sawmills and two finishing plants from Weyerhaeuser Co. The two companies announced the deal, ending weeks of speculation about the future of sawmill and forestry operations Weyerhaeuser acquired in 1999. Brascan is buying five sawmills, two remanufacturing operations, timber cutting rights on government land and 635,000 acres of coastal timberland.
Study Lists Printers' "Worry" List
Too many printing and publishing plants chasing too few jobs ranks at the top of the "worry" list for senior executives of printing and publishing companies, according to a study released by RSM McGladrey, Minneapolis. Gantz Wiley Research conducted the study during the last quarter of 2004. Increasingly, printers and publishers are turning to the internet to market, sell and even distribute their products, the study said. For a free copy of the executive summary, visit www.rsmmcgladrey.com/printpublishing.
Call for Entries: 2005 Print Solutions Magazine PEAK Awards
Win a Print Excellence And Knowledge (PEAK) Award and show your talent to the rest of the world! A PEAK award is a valuable marketing tool that will raise your company's profile and show clients and prospects that your work is the best in the industry. PEAK awards recognize companies that meet customers' printing needs through creativity in design, manufacturing, fulfillment, cost savings reporting or other services that solve problems or improve a client's business. Click here for complete information and entry forms. Deadline for entries is March 31.
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Sales and Marketing Tip
4 Reasons To Write
A Marketing Plan
When it comes to marketing, most small business owners want to put on their Nike's and "Just Do It." Good advice for exercise, but not always a winning strategy for building your business. Here are four reasons why making the time to plan and track your marketing efforts will pay off in the long run.
E-Commerce Spotlight
When Hackers Attack
Protecting your e-commerce site from unscrupulous hackers could mean the difference between running a thriving, trusted business or irate customers pounding on your virtual door.
Full story.
Product of the Week
Recommended Business Practices of the Business forms Industry
This concise brochure was developed by DMIA in conjunction with International Business Forms Industries Inc. (IBFI) to facilitate the dealings between business forms suppliers and customers. Code: BUSPRAC. Member Price: $4.50. To order, contact Tina Davis.
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