October 28, 2008
Thunder Bay Fine Papers in receivership, up for sale
THUNDER BAY, ON—Thunder Bay Fine Papers has been placed in receivership and is for sale, after being slapped by lawsuits from creditors totaling more than $20 million. According to local newspaper, the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal, the troubled mill received a court order from secured creditor CIT Business Credit Canada—which is owed $14.7 million—to appoint Toronto-based Deloitte Touche as receiver. The former Cascades mill was re-started less than a year ago, but shut down in mid-July due to a lack of customers and a surplus of inventory. In September, president and CEO John Hitchman said the mill needed to come up with $10 million or it would be shuttered permanently. On Oct. 8 he announced that Thunder Bay Fine Papers had raised the cash and would re-open soon. The mill could not be reached for comment. More details to follow as they become available.
RR Donnelley inks $60 million deal
CHICAGO—RR Donnelley & Sons has been awarded a contract valued at $60 million by Harrah’s Entertainment to provide print-related services to casinos across Ontario and the U.S., the company announced Tuesday. Harrah’s Entertainment, which supplies branded casino entertainment across the globe, will also use RR Donnelley’s web-enabled Print Management system CustomPoint. RR Donnelley was founded more than 144 years ago, and specializes in commercial printing, direct mail, colour services, and print fulfillment for a variety of industries.
October 28, 2008
Two new pavilions at Print World 2008
MISSISSAUGA, ON—Print World 2008 has two new attractions, the International and UPEX pavilions. The International Pavilion is a special marketplace showcasing manufacturers and suppliers from around the world, including Chinese press manufacturer Hans-Gronhi. The UPEX Pavilion is an international marketplace for used printing equipment. It has been featured at trade shows across the globe, including IPEX in Birmingham, England, and Gulf Print in Dubai, UAE. Exhibitors include England’s Nyland Graphics, SM Graphics, and Atlas Machinery from the U.K. Print World takes place on Nov. 22-24 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto. For more information visit www.printworldshow.com
Jim Dutton passes away
TORONTO—Jim Dutton, industry veteran and member of the board of the Digital Imaging Association passed away Sunday at the age of 55 after a two-year battle with cancer. Dutton was an avid runner and talented photographer. He worked for many years at Kodak, as well as Ilford Anitec.
Canadians honoured at PIXI Awards
CHICAGO—Kempenfelt Graphics, based in Barrie, Ont., was named top environmental printer at Xerox’s Printing Innovation with Xerox Imaging (PIXI) Awards Sunday night at Graph Expo in Chicago. The shop won the inaugural PIXI Environmental Award for its Wildlife Personalized Children’s Books, a series of eco-friendly books printed on a Xerox iGen3 press. Three other Canadian printers also received PIXI awards, including Le Groupe Numérlum in St. Laurent, Que., which won second place in the Books and Manuals category. Pur Design Inc., based in Québec City, and Imprimerie L’Empreinte, in St. Laurent, Que., both took home Honourable Mentions in the categories Books and Manuals and Collateral respectively.
Earle O’Born is Ontario’s Entrepreneur of the Year
TORONTO—President and CEO of the Printing House (TPH) Earle O’Born has been named the Ernst & Young 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year for Ontario in the Business-to-Business Products and Services category. The award recognizes individuals that have achieved success in leadership and innovation, and made a significant contribution to the Canadian business industry. O’Born, who was named “Printer of the Year” in 2007 by Graphic Monthly Canada magazine, opened the first TPH shop in 1961. There are now 70 locations all over Canada.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are handed out annually in more than ten categories and were founded by Ernst & Young. Other national sponsors include the Global Television Network, the National Post, La Presse and RDI.
October 23, 2008
Smurfit-Stone to close Quebec mill
Portage-du-Fort, QB—Smurfit-Stone is shuttering its Pontiac mill October 31, the company announced yesterday. The closure will put more than 200 employees out of work, and was necessary to “avoid cash losses” Smurfit CEO and president Steve Klinger stated. The company, in business since 1967, blames the decision to close on the poor state of the pulp market. Pontiac produces high-quality bleached kraft paper-grade pulp for the printing and photo industries.
New Quebec shop goes CTP with Fujifilm
Longueuil, QB—New commercial printer Opale Impressions has added some Fujifilm gear to its shop, including a Javelin 8300E and two Epson 9880 proofers, driven by Trueflow Pro PDF workflow. Opale does high-end printing for local customers, including museums and government offices.
With the Fujifilm gear from left to right are: Julie Rhéaume, Marylène Gagnon, Josey Croze, and Pierre Lasselle; all from Opale Impressions, and Daniel Montpetit, account manager at Fujifilm.
October 21, 2008
Equipment premieres abound at Print World
TORONTO—Printers in Canada will see many devices for the first time when Print World opens its doors on November 22-24, 2008. Among the pieces enjoying their debut are the 524 press from Chinese manufacturer Hans-Gronhi; the Bizhub Pro 2500 and Bizhub Pro C6501, digital presses at Konica Minolta; new igen4 at Xerox; the C900 at Ricoh; and imagePRESS C1+ at Canon. On the inkjet side, new machinery includes the Acuity Advance UV printer and the Inca Spyder V at Fujifilm; the 8264E wide-format printer at Xerox; the Jeti 3324 Aquajet and the Jeti 3348 Jetspeed UV RTR at Gandinnovations; the Epson Stylus Pro GS6000 at Mondrian-Hall; the Designjet 65500, the Designjet Z3200 and the Scitex FB950 at HP; the Arizona 350 and ColorWave 600 at Océ. Post-press debuts include the CreaseMaster Series, and the VividCoater at Graphic Whizard; the Duplo DBM 120/120T bookletmaker and trimmer in-line with the PL 104 Square Press, the Duplo DB-280 perfect binder, the Challenge 265 XT paper cutter, and the Morgana Digifold at Sydney R. Stone; the Kuda K115CL paper cutter and Horizon Stitchliner 5500 high-speed folder at K-North/Komori.
For more information about Print World and for a link to all the exhibitors, go to www.printworldshow.com/exhibitorlist.php
Trade Watch: Printing deficit deepens
OTTAWA—Canada’s print trade deficit continues to worsen, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada. The trade deficit sits at $58.93 million for August, down from a surplus of $48.74 million in 2007. That’s a drop of 220.9%. Exports to the U.S. dropped to $89.82 million, from $105.78 million at the same time last year. Imports from the U.S. were up slightly, coming in at $84.97 million compared to $83.77 million in August 2007. Imports from China were $17.99 million, down from $21.30 million in the same period in 2007.
| EXPORTS | 2008 | 2007 | Change |
| August | $105.72 million | $125.78 million | -15.9% |
| Year to date | $806.13 million | $962.18 million | -16.2% |
| IMPORTS | 2008 | 2007 | Change |
| August | $117.64 million | $124.49 million | -5.5% |
| Year to date | $865.05 million | $913.44 million | -5.3% |
B.C. Catalyst Paper workers vote to strike
VANCOUVER—Workers at three of Catalyst Paper’s four B.C. pulp and paper mills are set to strike after talks between the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) union broke down early this month. About 1,200 Catalyst employees at the Powell River, Elk Falls, and Crofton facilities voted 95% in favour of strike action if changes put forward by Catalyst are implemented at the mills. The CEP union instead wants to establish a pattern agreement that most B.C mills have already accepted. “The companies have always been trying to divide up our industry and negotiate mill by mill,” CEP’s national representative Mike Fenton told the Vancouver Sun newspaper. “We have fought extremely hard to maintain an industry standard so that all the companies are operating on a level playing field. Otherwise we are competing with each other and it’s a race to the bottom as far as our working conditions go.”
Quebec shop installs new Xerox Nuvera
MONTREAL—Family-owned Scribec has added a Xerox Nuvera 120 EA press to its shop floor. Open since 1967, Scribec owns a slew of Xerox equipment, including a Docucolor 8000, and a Xerox 4110. It specializes in digital printing and prints everything from flyers to manuals.
With the new Xerox press is Scribec owner Pascal Lafreniére.
October 16, 2008
Legg Brothers shuttered
TORONTO—Legg Brothers has closed it doors, partner Brad Legg told PrintCAN today. The shop has been scaling back for several months, laying off employees, selling equipment, and farming out its printing. Legg said the decision to close for good was made earlier in the month. “It’s been a good run,” he said. “We’re done on a high note, instead of with our tail between our legs.” Legg also said that he expects to keep brokering print related services, and that most of the shop’s nine employees have found other work. A family owned business, Legg Brothers was one of the oldest print shops in Toronto, and had been open since 1900.
Mercury Graphics Saskatchewan plant to close
SASKATOON—Mercury Graphics Corporation is shuttering its Saskatoon facility in mid-December, it was announced this week. According to the company, the plant was crippled financially and lost a number of key clients—most notably nine NBA teams—when 85 employees went on strike last month, in the middle of its busiest time. Mercury Graphics has been operating in Saskatoon for 55 years, and specializes in printing tickets for the entertainment, sports, mass transit, and prepaid cards industries.
Quebecor World reshuffles team
MONTREAL—Regis Rehel is the new president of Quebecor World’s Canadian Division, the company announced today. Rehel joined Quebecor World in April as vice president of corporate optimization, and previously worked at Cascades Inc., for eight years. The company also announced that Karl Broderick is now senior vice president of sales in Canada, and Tim Boissinot is the new executive vice president of operations for Quebecor World Canada.
October 14, 2008
Print Software Theatre returns to Print World
MISSISSAUGA, ON—The popular Print Software Theatre is back this year as a main attraction at Print World, offering visitors free seminars on the very latest tools and software products. Adobe, the major sponsor of the theatre, will host three sessions daily, and Print World attendees are welcome to sit in on as many sessions as they would like. Sessions begin every hour, on the hour.
For a full round-up of all the seminars in the Print Software Theatre, please visit http://www.printworldshow.com/pst.php
New report shows forest industry struggling in 2008
MISSISSAUGA, ON—According to a recent report from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the forest industry in Eastern Canada lost $700 million during the first six months of 2008, and in Western Canada, the losses added up to $500 million. The Global Forest & Paper Industry Net Earnings Summary report also notes that losses from both the east and west are up substantially from the first six months of 2007, when they totaled $100 million in Eastern Canada, and $73 million in Western Canada. The report also revealed that Vancouver-based Mercer International was the only Canadian forest products company that made a profit in the first six months of this year.
October 9, 2008
Print World speaker lineup announced
MISSISSAUGA, ON—Print World has announced the speaker lineup for its seminar series. Speakers include: President of David Fellman & Associates, David Fellman, who will present Selling to the New Print Buyer. Vice president and senior consultant with NAPL, John Hyde, will focus on the question, What’s a Printing Company Worth? And Slava Apel, the CEO of Amazing Print Corp., will tell the crowd How to Make Money Selling Printing on the Internet. All seminars will run twice on Monday, November 24, at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Print World takes place on Nov. 22-24 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto. For more information, or to register for the seminars, visit www.printworldshow.com
Toronto shop wins international award from Sappi
 |
October 7, 2008
July shipments up
OTTAWA—July printing shipments were up slightly, at 1%, after stumbling in June, when they were down 7.7%, according to figures from Statistics Canada. Note that these numbers are not seasonally adjusted.
| Shipments | 2008 | 2007 | Change |
| July | $759.8 million | $752.7 million | 1% |
| Year to date | $5.60 billion | $5.52 billion | 1.4% |
Sappi buys M-real’s coated paper business
MISSISSAUGA, ON—Finland-based M-real has sold four of its coated paper mills to Sappi Ltd., the company announced last week. The deal, worth 750 million EUROS (US$ 101 billion) will see South Africa-based Sappi become one of the most dominant world players in ground wood-free coated paper. Several M-real coated mills that Sappi did not buy, such as one in Austria, and Germany, will be shuttered. The deal will “fix” Sappi’s business in Europe and bring much needed consolidation to a “fragmented market,” Ralph Boettger, CEO of Sappi, said in statement. According to Jeff Tapping of M-real Canada, paper prices worldwide are sure to rise as a result of the consolidation. More details to follow as they become available.
Todd Cober receives Young Printer Award from CPIA
OTTAWA—CPIA presented Todd Cober, vice president of sales at Kitchener-based Cober Printing, with its second annual Young Printer Award in September. Cober, who received the award at a gala in Halifax at CPIA’s Strategy 08 conference, is 26 years old, and has been working in the family business for six years. He has managed the pressroom at Cober Printing in the past, and currently manages the digital department.
At the CPIA awards gala in Halifax from left to right are: Bob Elliott, president of CPIA; Todd Cober; Michael Makin, president of PIA/GAFT; and Sean Murray, president and CEO of Advocate Printing and Publishing.
October 2, 2008
Oxford shutters Canadian dictionary department
TORONTO—The Oxford University Press has shut down its lexicography (dictionary) department and laid off four employees, president of the Canadian branch David Stover told PrintCAN today. Stover said the company is “restructuring” and moving towards broadening its portfolio, which may include more online referencing and dictionaries geared toward specific markets, such as elementary students. He stressed that there are no plans to reduce the quantity of dictionaries printed, and no plans to cease producing them. Stover did acknowledge that sales of printed dictionaries have dropped in recent years, which factored in the decision. Oxford University Press has recently hired more editorial and sales staff, Stover added, and the work formerly done in the lexicography department in Toronto will be outsourced to freelance editors.
New country manager at Punch Graphix
ITASCA, IL and ST. LAURENT, QB—Marc Raad is the new country manager of Canadian operations for Punch Graphix, the company announced today. Raad will manage the distribution channel for the basysPrint CTP systems for UV-sensitive plates, and be responsible for direct sales of Xeikon presses in Canada. He has extensive experience with digital colour printing and most recently was commercial account manager at HP.
Warren Werbitt named Printer of the Year
 |
The Printer of the Year award is handed out annually to an individual who has had a significant impact on the industry and who has made a contribution to the betterment of the industry.
Keep an eye out for your issue of Graphic Monthly with Werbitt on the cover, coming soon.
 |
|
|
|
|
