BURNABY, BC—Two major players in Western Canada have joined forces.

Westkey Graphics, a commercial sheetfed business operating throughout Alberta and the interior of British Columbia with locations in Calgary, Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Kamloops and Kelowna, has acquired Menzies Printers, which has locations in Vancouver, Kelowna, Edmonton and Calgary. The two have a combined 110 years in the industry.

"We have offices in various markets, and we competed with (Menzies) on a minor level," said Lindsay Levesque, Westkey's vice president of sales, about the rationale behind buying Menzies.

Graphic design is one offering Menzies brings to the table, noted Levesque. "They can also service the quick turnaround digital market effectively because they have manufacturing in all their locations, unlike us where we are mothership and sales offices," he added.

Menzies also has a wide format/sign shop based in Kelowna that will service all customers, said Levesque.

Westkey will keep the Menzies name, which carries more than 60 years of brand strength. "We recognize the power in a name," he said. "There's no hurry to change the name now."

Following the merger, the company as a whole has 220 employees. Grant Menzies, Menzies' chief executive officer, expressed his content about the deal. “The strength and stability that Westkey brings to our staff is a very positive move, and the additional capabilities will be a huge asset for our clients," he noted.

In last year's top printers list (by revenue) in Graphic Monthly magazine, Westkey ranked #39 at $27.9 million in 2010 sales, with Menzies at #114 with $8.2 million the same year.