By: Toni McQuilken
The Miami Herald is making news instead of covering it. In May 2011, the Herald purchased 14 acres of land and structures in the Westpoint Business Park in Doral, Fla., to construct a brand-new production facility, consolidating its operations into one streamlined location. The company had occupied its previous space in downtown Miami since 1963.
The original home of the production department was 70,000 square feet, according to marketing manager Marie Zeno-Garcia. The new facility has 120,000 square feet of office space and another 119,000 square feet of production.
“We had the opportunity to build a very efficient printing and distribution facility and did just that,” Zeno-Garcia said. “The press layout allows us to maximize our printing and page count opportunities. The office building was designed for a state-of-the-art media company. The layout allows us to effectively leverage our news-gathering skills for the many ways that people consume their news. In addition, our advertising/marketing, interactive, and magazine divisions are all in close proximity and combine selling efforts.”
Three of the five presses are being moved to the new facility, with staff remaining the same. All three are Goss Newsliner presses; two were up and running by the end of April, with the final press expected to be fully online by the end of this month. The company prints not only the Herald, but 18 other newspapers on contract, for runs of up to 65,000 copies per hour.
The new facility has a mix of current material-handling equipment plus some new pieces, such as a gripper conveyor for moving copies from the press to the bundle stacker; new ink tanks and pipes; and new roll handling equipment for moving the 1-ton rolls of paper. Prepress and CTP will both be moved to the new site, but inserting, which was split among several sites in the past, will move entirely to Goodwill Inserting, one of the Herald’s partners.
“The short time frame of less than two years was the biggest challenge,” Zeno-Garcia said. “We assembled a strong team of Miami Herald leaders, best-in-class consultants and professionals, industry specific vendors, and an outstanding general contractor to overcome the many challenges that we have faced while bringing the project in on time.”
The Miami Herald is proving not only the saying “print is dead” is definitively untrue, but also that printed news remains a force to be reckoned with. The new facility allows the paper to be more efficient and produce more materials with faster turnaround times and higher quality. It is a powerful statement about the longevity and relevance of print, even in the digital age.
Goss Intl. Plans to Transform the Company
Rick Nichols, president and chief executive officer of Goss Intl., announced a transformation of Goss’ business and a reorganization of the company. Goss will focus on continuing to serve existing customers and growing market share in the company’s core markets, while expanding into new, neighboring product markets in which it has a technological competitive advantage.
“The needs of our customers have shifted over recent years as our industry environment as a whole has changed,” Nichols said. “Today, customers tell us they need a focus on simple, easy-to-use and cost-effective technology supported by world-class aftermarket services. Goss continues to manufacture the highest quality print machinery, but I believe that where and how quickly customers can access service and support is now more important than where products are manufactured.
“We also recognize that our environment for doing business has fundamentally changed,” Nichols continued. “The markets to drive our future growth and profitability are shifting. We have decades of offset printing expertise. That gives us a significant advantage not just in our core newspaper and commercial printing sectors, but in other industries like packaging and emerging printing industries as well. Together, these are the reasons why we are transforming as a company.”
Goss is making three key changes to the way it does business. First, the company’s organizational structure will be simplified. Goss will be organized around regional parts, service, and support centers for customers.
Second, as part of the change in the organizational structure, Goss will bring its existing European operations in line with this new structure to become one unified, pan-continental sales and service organization. Despite Goss’ significant historical support and investment in its French subsidiary, Goss Intl. France, that business has entered insolvency proceedings via a judicial reorganization process.
Finally, Goss will continue to diversify its product portfolio. Goss has already made significant inroads into the multibillion-dollar packaging market and will continue to target growth in this industry. The company will also examine other industries where it has technological expertise.
Heidelberg Hosts Georgia SkillsUSA Competition
Earlier this year, Heidelberg USA hosted the annual Georgia SkillsUSA competition in advertising design and graphic communications at its North American print and packaging technology center in Kennesaw, Ga.
SkillsUSA is the national organization for high school students in trade, industrial, technical, and health occupation education. The annual SkillsUSA Championships recognize the achievements of vocational students and encourage them to excel.
“For the sixth year in a row, Heidelberg USA was privileged to host the Georgia SkillsUSA graphic communications and advertising design competitions,” said Susan Nofi, senior vice president of Heidelberg USA. “It’s inspiring to see high school students demonstrate their remarkable talent, and to see such strong interest in a graphic arts career.”
Winners of the 2013 graphic communications competition are:
Winners of the advertising design competition are:
Through a grant from the Printing Industries Association of Georgia’s educational foundation, first-place winners and their advisers advance to the national SkillsUSA Championship competition in Kansas City, Mo., this month. Heidelberg gives scholarships to the first-, second-, and third-place winners of the national competition. Championship winners go on to the WorldSkills International competition, held each fall in different locations around the globe.
“A shortage of knowledgeable operators with appropriate technical skills, a dearth of industry support for graphic arts programs, combined with a lack of funding and career guidance for students, has created a looming crisis in the printing industry,” said Paul Cavanaugh, service skill development manager of Heidelberg USA. “Events like SkillsUSA are invaluable in helping to raise the profile of the printing professions and prepare our next-generation workforce.”
Kodak Promotes SONORA XP Plates, Makes Plans to Sell Document Imaging Business
Months after becoming commercially available, Kodak SONORA XP Process Free Plates are yielding environmental and economic benefits for customers without sacrificing quality and output. SONORA XP Plates remove the need for the plate processor, which requires chemicals, water, and energy, while generating waste. Over the course of a year, a print operation that has removed its plate processor could save an estimated 4,418 kWh of power and 204,816 liters of water under typical operating conditions.
Until now, process free plate technology did not offer the same level of output productivity and quality as traditional plate printing technology. SONORA XP Plates provide the environmental and cost benefits of no processing, while delivering quality, productivity, and print capabilities comparable to mainstream processed plates. Customers around the world, such as commercial printers Chevillon Imprimeur in France and W.O. Jones Printers in the U.K., are seeing demonstrative environmental gains while meeting their stringent output and quality demands.
Selling the Document Imaging Business
In addition, Kodak reached agreement with Brother Industries Ltd. for the proposed sale of certain assets of its Document Imaging business for a cash purchase price of approximately $210 million, subject to certain price adjustments at closing. In addition, Brother will assume deferred service revenue liability of the business, which totaled approximately $67 million as of Dec.31, 2012.
Kodak’s Document Imaging business provides a comprehensive portfolio of scanners, capture software, and services to enterprise customers. Brother is a manufacturer of laser, label, and multifunction printers, as well as fax machines and sewing machines. Consummation of the transaction is subject to court approval and a marketing period in which Kodak may seek to obtain a higher or better offer for the business, alone or in combination with other businesses, including through a court-approved auction. Kodak’s ability to continue to explore alternatives during the marketing period will ensure that Kodak obtains the maximum value for the business. Under the terms of the agreement, Kodak sought U.S. Bankruptcy Court approval of the bidding procedures at a hearing in late April and is targeting final court approval of a transaction this month.
manroland Premieres FoldLine Finishing System
As part of the 2013 Océ International Inkjet Days in Poing near Munich, Germany, manroland web systems demonstrated its latest digital production systems to around 100 trade visitors.
Alwin Stadler, manroland vice president of digital printing, explained the company’s innovations. “We are establishing finishing as a central system component in digital printing systems and ensuring integration into the customer’s workflow,” he said.
The event also marked the premiere of manroland’s FoldLine finishing system for industrial digital printing. The system is able to produce newspapers in any format (tabloid, broadsheet, Berlin) in both in-line and off-line operations. Also included in the FoldLine portfolio are brochures, magazines, and individual book signatures. It is designed to produce up to 96 pages (48 broadsheet pages) with a web speed of up to 300 m/min and a web width of up to 1,060 mm. The system can put out up to 2,700 broadsheet newspaper copies with 32 pages, 9,100 bound brochures, or 14,000 16-page signatures per hour.
Web Express Printing of Canada Joins Agfa Graphics’ GreenWorks Recognition Program
Web Express Printing of Coquitlam, B.C., is the latest printer in North America to be recognized by the Agfa Graphics environmental program, GreenWorks. The program celebrates customers who demonstrate a commitment to the environment while promoting environmentally responsible technology, products, and practices within the graphic communications industry.
Web Express Printing was established in 1997 with eight staff members, a single “starter” press, and a five-pocket saddle-stitcher. To meet the growing needs of its clients, Web Express has several lines in its shop — including three web press lines and two Heidelberg sheet-fed presses — a dedicated bindery, a mailing department, and more. The company was among the Top 100 Fastest Growing Businesses in British Columbia in 2011.
Web Express Printing was the first printer in North America to import paper made from wheat. Efforts are made to recycle not just paper and cardboard, but ink, plastics, and wood. Web Express Printing also uses the :Energy Elite plate from Agfa Graphics in its prepress production.
:Energy Elite is a long-run, no-bake thermal plate, offering considerable space and energy usage savings.
“It is obvious to us that a sustainable future in life and in business is absolutely critical. Environmental soundness must be in the foreground of our decisions,” said Byron Sheardown, owner of Web Express Printing. “Our customers are happy and encourage our efforts to be green as long as it doesn’t cost more. With :Energy Elite, we got a superior plate that delivers higher quality printing to our customers.”
Print 13 Must See ’Ems Program Now Open for Exhibitor Submissions
Which exhibits, technologies, and products will be “must sees” for visitors to PRINT 13 and the co-located CPP EXPO in Chicago Sept.8-12?
The MUST SEE ’EMS program, presented by Graphic Arts Show Co., is designed to align with the interests of potential equipment buyers. The program recruits a panel of industry experts to review hundreds of submissions to identify the products and exhibits that show-goers simply must see.
PRINT 13 exhibitors are now invited to enter submissions for consideration by this year’s expert panel, with all entries due by Friday, June 14. Complete online submission procedures and details are available at mustseeems.com.
“MUST SEE ’EMS offer exhibitors a highly effective tool for calling attention to their most exciting new products on-site at the show,” said GASC president Ralph Nappi. “This year’s show will certainly have its share of new product, software, and equipment introductions, and it will be difficult for the average visitor to see everything. The MUST SEE ’EMS program provides companies with really compelling offerings and the opportunity to position themselves even more brightly on visitors’ radars.”
The MUST SEE ’EMS technology and product recognition program, conducted independently for the Graphic Arts Show Co. and administered by Hal Hinderliter, principal of Hal Hinderliter Consulting Services, is a part of the EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK Conference to be held Saturday, Sept. 7, the day before the exhibition opens. While all MUST SEE ’EMS winners will be announced in advance of the show, those to be revealed on-site include the Best of Category Awards and the second annual Legacy Award to salute a past MUST SEE ’EMS winner whose technology or product has made a lasting impact on the industry.
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