-
06.07.2012
MeadWestvaco Corporation, a global leader in packaging and packaging solutions, announced today that it is expanding its leading position in adherence packaging with the acquisition of AARDEX Group SA. AARDEX Group is the leader and pioneer in the design and use of electronic medication event monitoring systems and applications designed to measure, analyze, and manage patient adherence in clinical drug trials.
“This acquisition builds on MWV’s long-standing commitment and scientific approach to showing medication packaging’s impact as an important adherence intervention,” said Bruce Thomas, president, MWV Healthcare and Senior Vice President, Global Innovation. “We recognize the critical global need to create packaging solutions that address the issue of medication non-adherence. With the acquisition of AARDEX Group, MWV will now be able to provide customers with a complete range of packaging, data analysis and service solutions that address non-adherence to medications, from phase II clinical trials all the way through commercialization.”
click here
-
06.07.2012
QuadDirect, a division of Quad/Graphics, Inc., is setting new records in direct mail production and distribution savings at its Effingham, Ill., facility following a multimillion-dollar investment in new commingling mailing and inline manufacturing equipment and systems. A year-long expansion project – including two additional high-speed letter sorters for commingling operations – has helped make the 579,000-square-foot facility a direct mail powerhouse in Quad’s expanding direct mail platform.
“Effingham is one of the largest printing facilities in Illinois with a long history of direct mail and related commercial printing leadership,” said Joel Quadracci, Quad/Graphics Chairman, President & CEO. “Our latest investment in the plant has focused on state-of-the-art inline press personalization, selective inserting and on-site commingling capabilities. The result is a truly 21st-century facility with more of the technology direct marketers need to drive greater response while better managing production and distribution costs.”
The Effingham improvements build on Quad’s strengths like inline direct mail production and personalization. The additional commingling lines allow multiple direct mail projects to be combined into a single mailstream to drive greater postal savings and efficiencies. In particular, direct mailers executing versioned and personalized direct mail projects can now take advantage of Quad’s enhanced commingling and personalization capabilities while utilizing high-density mailing solutions and retaining discounts. Inline direct mail production drives further cost savings by producing an entire mailpiece in a single operation, from paper on one end to a finished mailpiece on the other, bypassing costly and time-consuming offline steps.
An additional project benefit is complete system redundancy for Quad’s direct mail platform to ensure backup flexibility, according to Steve Jaeger, President of QuadDirect. He said the Effingham plant’s capabilities mirror the company’s Pewaukee, Wis., facility for most direct mail applications.
click here
-
06.07.2012
The opportunities and mysteries of digital were at the center of the discussion of the panel, “Secrets from the Other Side: Lessons Learned from People Who Have Worked for Both Print and Digital Companies,” held June 5 at BookExpo America.
The panel, moderated by JVNLA, Inc. v-p Jennifer Weltz, covered a multitude of areas affected by digital, from distribution to data to pricing—not to mention the companies born from digital’s new opportunities.“We are all about marketing,” said Tina Pohlman, publisher of Open Road, a company that builds its marketing strategy around milestones like holidays and anniversaries, which in turn dictate what content is fed to which audience at what time. Byliner, another digital publisher represented at the panel by its editor-in-chief and co-founder Mark Bryant, has a strategy designed “to eliminate as many layers [between the author and reader] as possible.” Digital, among many other facets, has affected timing, and Bryant said that they were making last minute changes to their first release, “Three Cups of Deceit” by Jon Krakauer, about six hours before its release.
Digital has also changed selection. Whereas retailers once distinguished themselves by their different selections, now they want everything—not only every title, but every title in every possible format. And the retailers’ expectations for more have only increased because of the increased expectations on the part of consumers. “You have to give the customer the choice,” said Steve Kasdin, Curtis Brown’s director of digital strategy. Kasdin stated that we need to stop thinking in “versus,” i.e. “print vs. digital vs. audio,” and instead need to look at the different formats as different forms of a common product, because different consumers have different preferences and expect to have the choice.
Data has also become essential because of today’s digital influence, with metadata as the gateways for a publisher to unlock streamlined information. Larry Norton, senior v-p of business for Inscribe, said that while data isn’t new, the various types and the speed of data are. “The sources are beginning to explode,” he said, pointing to social media data and hourly updated Amazon rankings. And getting at the speed of today’s digital publishing world, Kasdin added that data from six months ago is “Jurassic.”
click here
-
06.07.2012
There's a separation of perception and reality in our industry that needs to be cleared up. Most ad agencies and clients are unfairly bundling magazines with newspapers in the print category, and as a result, magazines are having a difficult time selling advertising. This, at a time when their readership is actually increasing among younger adults.
I look around my agency and see young professionals reading both printed magazines and the digital versions on iPads. I see the same thing in my home with my teenage kids. When I travel, people of all ages are reading magazines. According to a MRI Data Report in 2011, magazine readership has increased in every age and gender category, compared to newspapers, in the last year, with the biggest gains in the 18-34 age bracket.
Yet my agency is creating fewer and fewer magazine ads for clients. That's a shame, because ads in magazines are a great way to target an engaged audience and build a brand in four color. I practice what I preach: Brownstein Group consistently advertises in local and regional magazines. That's in addition to a media plan for our agency that includes SEO, banner ads and e-mail marketing.
Magazines are considered "print," and many media planners/buyers want nothing to do with analog media. Many clients feel the same way. I often hear, "I want my target consumers to start a dialogue with my brand." That's fine, but the best way to achieve this is to create a compelling idea and reach customers on multiple platforms -- magazines, tablets, TV, social media, mobile, PC, events, etc. As I wrote in an Ad Age post, there's an irrational move away from any form of traditional media. Big mistake in my opinion. With 82% of the U.S. population reading one or more magazines a month, can we afford to ignore that loyal readership?
click here
-
06.07.2012
For the past three years, Courier Corp. has been producing digitally printed softcover books at its plant in North Chelmsford, MA. At drupa, the printer decided in favor of a new Diamant MC Digital bookline from Muller Martini and can now produce hardcover books in short print runs.
“Our digital printing business continues to grow,” says Joseph L. Brennan, vice president of engineering at Courier. “The new Diamant MC Digital will enable us to offer our customers digitally printed hardcover books.”
In North Chelmsford, the company prints only digital products under the brand name Courier Digital Solutions (CDS) which predominately manufactures textbooks for schools and universities, as well as specialty trade books. In addition to the Diamant MC Digital, CDS also utilizes Muller’s SigmaBinder/Tower/Trimmer, an Acoro A7 perfect binder and three SigmaFolder/Collators with SigmaControl.
click here
-
06.07.2012
The average person will spend $117.14 on dad’s gifts this year, up 10% from $106.49 last year, closing the gap between its biggest competitor: Mother’s Day (consumers planned to spend an average of $152 on the holiday), according to the National Retail Federation’s 2012 Father’s Day spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight. Total spending for Father’s Day is expected to reach $12.7 billion.
According to the survey, more people this year will treat dad to a special outing, such as golfing, eating out or heading to a sporting event ($2.3 billion versus $2.0 billion in 2011). They will also invest in electronic gift items ($1.7 billion versus $1.3 billion last year) and apparel ($1.7 billion versus $1.4 billion in 2011). Others will splurge on gift cards ($1.7 billion), sporting goods ($641 million) and books or music ($645 million).
Department stores will be the location of choice for shoppers this Father’s Day – four in 10 (41.6%) say they will look for dad’s gift there. Others will shop at discount stores (34.0%), specialty stores including greeting card/gift and electronics stores (28.6%), and specialty clothing stores (10.7%). Online retailers will see their fair share of “traffic” this year as well – nearly three in 10 (28.4%) will shop online, up from 22.1% who said so last year.
More than one-quarter of those who own a tablet (25.2%) say they will use their tablet to make a Father’s Day purchase. Overall, more than half (54.6%) of tablet owners will use their device to research products and compare prices, redeem coupons and look up retailers’ information such as store hours and location.
click here
-
06.07.2012
Greif, Inc., a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, today announced results for its second quarter, which ended April 30, 2012. The company reported second quarter net sales of $1,095.3 million, operating profit of $74.3 million and net income attributable to Greif, Inc. of $36.8 million, or $0.63 per diluted Class A share. EBITDA was $111.3 million. Operating profit before special items was $85.6 million and net income attributable to Greif, Inc. before special items was $44.9 million, or $0.77 per diluted Class A share.
Net sales were $1,095.3 million for the second quarter 2012 compared with $1,050.7 million for the same period in 2011. The 4 percent increase was due to higher sales volumes (5 percent), increased selling prices (2 percent) primarily resulting from the pass-through of higher raw material costs offset in part by the negative impact of foreign currency translation (3 percent). The 5 percent increase in sales volumes included an 8 percent increase from acquisitions partially offset by a 3 percent decrease in sales volumes on a same-structure basis. This decrease was principally due to weak market conditions in the Rigid Industrial Packaging & Services and Flexible Products & Services segments, primarily in Europe, compared with a year ago. Sales volumes in the Paper Packaging segment increased by 6 percent during second quarter 2012 compared with the same period last year.
Gross profit decreased to $203.1 million for the second quarter 2012 from $207.3 million for the same period in 2011. Gross profit margin was 18.5 percent for the second quarter 2012 versus 19.7 percent a year ago. The decline in gross profit margin was principally due to lower volumes and market pressure in Europe in the Rigid Industrial Packaging & Services and Flexible Products & Services segments, which was partially offset by higher volumes and lower input costs in the Paper Packaging segment compared with a year ago. There was also a charge of $2.8 million in the second quarter 2012 for a correcting adjustment related to third-party containerboard trades in a prior period in the Paper Packaging segment.
click here
-
06.07.2012
Cascades Tissue Group is proud to announce that its cascades® ultra soft bathroom tissue, the only one on the market to combine ultra softness and recycled fibers, was voted Product of the Year 2012 by Canadian consumers. This honor was given by the Product of the Year Awards, based on the votes of more than 5,300 Canadians under the supervision of Rogers Connect Market Research. This internationally recognized award highlights the innovative nature of consumer products chosen by the public.
The cascades® ultra soft tissue paper was honored in the Personal Care category of the contest. The product differed from the competition because of its popularity amongst consumers and because of its innovative nature, since it is soft to the touch and soft on nature. Almost half of the surveyed people said they were seriously considering buying the product. Established in France 25 years ago, the Product of the Year contest is now operating in 32 countries. In Canada, it accepts entries from consumer products companies of all sizes that demonstrate innovation in design, function or packaging. Smirnoff Premium Vodka and Cadbury, among others, are part of the 2012 winners.
click here
-
06.07.2012
Oil traded near the highest price in four days in New York as policy makers in the U.S. and Europe indicated they may take steps to boost their economies and Iran signaled it will take a hard line in nuclear talks.
Futures were little changed after rising as much as 0.9 percent. Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Janet Yellen said the U.S. remains vulnerable to setbacks that may warrant additional monetary stimulus, while European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said officials are ready to act as the euro area’s outlook worsens. Oil may rebound on policy measures, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Iran pulled back from an agreement on nuclear inspections before talks this month.
“The market is hoping for a new money bazooka from the central banks and rescue funds,” said Michael Poulsen, an analyst at Global Risk Management in Middelfart, Denmark, who predicts oil prices will remain near current levels. “In recent days we’ve seen some decent volume during every upward move, and that indicates some clear buying interest.”
Oil for July delivery was at $84.90 a barrel, down 12 cents, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 10:34 a.m. London time.
click here
-
06.07.2012
Berry Plastics Corporation is proud to introduce Polyken® 36H, the latest addition to its premium aerospace tape line-up, offered through the Company's Polyken Tape Products brand.
Polyken 36H meets Boeing BMS5-173 Type 1, Class 1, Grade A specifications for mounting decorative plastic and metal trim pieces, decals, placards, and more to the interior of aircrafts. In addition, Polyken 36H's high-performance adhesive makes the tape ideal for similar applications on boats, recreational vehicles, and the like.
"Our goal was to develop a product that could be used for a broad range of applications and to meet the requirements of the Boeing specification," explained Mark Britton, Aerospace Sales Manager for Berry Plastics. "The development process of Polyken 36H yielded a product with amazing versatility, making it an ideal choice for a wide variety of OEM and MRO interior applications in both business and commercial aviation."
Polyken 36H is constructed on a 48 gauge polyester film and coated with an aggressive acrylic adhesive on both sides which delivers excellent shear strength, superior peel adhesion and good performance over a wide temperature range. The 36H features a 60lb bleached kraft liner for easy release and application. The specialty adhesive used for 36H provides high-performance anchorage to various substrates including plastics such as polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, TPO, and ABS as well as EPDM, ether, esther, and polyurethane foams. Additionally, the tape is flexible and conformable and resists humidity and plasticizer migration.
click here
-
06.07.2012
Global mobile ad spending totaled $5.3 billion last year, according to a report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau's Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence in the U.S., IAB Europe and IHS Screen Digest, a London-based research firm. The report is the first initiative by the IAB to determine the size of the global mobile ad market.
The largest mobile ad market last year was the Asia-Pacific region ($1.9 billion), followed by North America ($1.7 billion) and Europe ($1.4 billion). Latin America and the Middle East and Africa each generated less than $200,000 in mobile ad revenue.
The report included mobile ad spending on digital, search and text messaging formats.
click here
-
06.07.2012
(Industry Intelligence) - Twin Rivers Paper Company of South Portland, Maine, is to increase prices of freesheet grades next month.
In a June 1 letter circulated to the industry, Director of Sales Jason Courter informed customers that prices of the following grades would increase by $40.00/ton or $2.00/cwt: Pharmopaque®; Snowbrite Pharm; Pharm Brite 92; Custom Brite®; Custom Plus®; Snowbrite Opaque®.
The increases are effective with shipments on or after July 1, the letter stated.
click here
-
06.06.2012
Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) has today published its Sustainability Roadmap for 2020 and beyond, a period in which it aims to put conserving Indonesia’s natural resources at the heart of its business strategy.
The publication of APP’s Roadmap follows just two weeks after the Group committed itself to the internationally-accepted principles of High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF), and suspending natural forest clearance on its own plantations. Current independent suppliers will have until the end of 2014 to comply with APP’s new HCVF rules.
The Sustainability Roadmap and milestones extend APP’s commitments to improving environmental performance, biodiversity conservation and protection of community rights.
Highlights of the Roadmap are:
• By 2015, APP will have the capacity to be wholly reliant on raw materials from plantations.
• By 2015, all current APP suppliers will operate by the standards of High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF), providing the most robust protection for biodiversity, rare ecosystems and local community rights.
• By 2020, all current APP suppliers will have credible certification for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) – matching global best practice in this field.
• As part of its SFM commitments, APP will also introduce carbon measurement and evaluation for its plantations – above and below ground. It will put the company at the forefront of the global pulp & paper industry’s contribution to tackling climate change, in support of the President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s pledge to reduce Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 26 per cent by the end this decade.
click here
-
06.06.2012
Consumer confidence in the economy remained flat in May, while lower gas prices gave a slight boost to spending intentions, in particular for summer vacation plans. The Discover U.S. Spending Monitor, a nearly five-year-old daily poll tracking economic confidence and spending intentions of nearly 8,200 consumers throughout the month, declined 1.2 points to 95.5 in May.
The percentage of respondents who said the U.S. economy was improving held steady at 33 percent in May, even though slightly fewer respondents said their personal finances were improving. Overall, 37 percent said their personal finances were good or excellent, a 2-point decline from the month earlier.
click here
-
06.06.2012
Walgreens had May sales of $5.98 billion, a decrease of 1.6 percent from $6.08 billion for the same month in fiscal 2011.
Total front-end sales increased 0.3 percent compared with the same month in 2011, while comparable store front-end sales decreased 1.0 percent. Customer traffic in comparable stores decreased 2.3 percent while basket size increased 1.3 percent.
click here
-
06.06.2012
Transcontinental Inc. today announced that since January it has renewed and expanded six multi-year agreements valued at over $1.5 billion in revenues with major Canadian retail customers in the food, hardware, consumer goods and pharmaceutical verticals. These customers are both from its newly acquired customer base, from its Quad/Graphics Canada, Inc. acquisition closed on March 1st, as well as its long standing customer base. These agreements have been extended for periods varying from three to six years and besides printing, include flyer distribution through its renowned Publisac in Quebec and often include many other products and services from the Corporation’s new marketing and media services, such as e-flyers, email marketing, mobile solutions, database analytics, premedia and custom communications.
“These renewals were accelerated by the closing of our Quad/Graphics Canada, Inc. transaction. They are a testament to the strength of our customer relationships and the confidence they have in our ability to execute their integrated marketing communication programs, the quality of our state-of-the-art national printing platform and of our flyer distribution network, the reach of our national media properties and the success of our strategy to expand our product and service offering into new marketing and communication services. In fact, our customers are convinced, as are we, that we can help attract, reach and retain their customers by ramping up the use of our new marketing services over time, in response to consumers’ changing needs. We are delighted to have extended and expanded our partnerships with them as they provide a winning combination: higher marketing ROI for our customers and more revenue streams in our new marketing products and services offering, in line with the pursuit of our transformation,” said François Olivier, President and Chief Executive Officer.
click here
-
06.06.2012
The number of traditionally published print books rose 6% in 2011, to 347,178, according to preliminary figures released Tuesday morning by Bowker. For the first time, this year Bowker combined self-published titles with books from mainstream houses in the traditional column and the increase in output was led by self-published books, Bowker said. The number of print books published by traditional houses was about flat in the year. (The number of all self-published titles released by Bowker Sunday, 211,269 includes print and e-books).
Total book output from traditional and nontraditional companies fell 63% in 2011, to 1,532,623, due to the steep decline in books from reprint/POD houses that specialize in public domain titles sold mainly on the Web. The number of nontraditional titles fell 69%, to 1,185,445. The growth in that field had been unsustainable, noted Kelly Gallagher, v-p Bowker Market Research; even with the decline in 2011, the output from nontraditional companies rose 3,532% between 2002 and 2011.
click here
-
06.06.2012
Colorfx announced the acquisition of Acme Printing. The long-time printing company, also based in Des Moines, provides digital and sheetfed printing, along with complete finishing services.
With a long history of outstanding customer service and customer loyalty, Acme Printing will join with Colorfx to offer its customers enhanced marketing solutions and access to a more robust printing platform, as well as digital and social media services, graphic design, professional photography and video services.
“We are excited to be partnering with Acme Printing to bring new value to their customer base. Bringing together two of Des Moines’ longest standing printing companies will allow us to pass efficiencies along to our customers while giving them access to a more complete set of marketing services such as design, photography, and social and digital media marketing,” said Jon Troen, president of Rock Communications and Colorfx (#68, with $74.8 million in sales, on the Printing Impressions 2011 Top 400 ranking).
click here
-
06.06.2012
Lecta, the second largest coated fine paper manufacturer in Europe, confirms downtimes at several paper machines during next months.
In the face of current market conditions Lecta is committed to adjusting its production to current and expected order entry levels.
The global downtimes of all Lecta's CWF paper machines will represent a reduction of around 10% of quarterly production capacity.
click here
-
06.06.2012
The number of retailers that fell victim to organized retail crime groups increased in the past, according to the National Retail Federation’s Organized Retail Crime Survey.
Of the 125 retail companies surveyed for NRF’s eighth annual survey, a record-setting (96%) said their company has been the victim of organized retail crime in the past year, up from 94.5% last year. Another 87.7% said ORC activity in the United States has grown over the past three years.
"What this tells us is that as retailers and law enforcement become more aware of and more proactive in pursuing organized retail crime gangs, criminals have become more desperate and brazen in their efforts, stopping at nothing to get their hands on large quantities of merchandise,” said NRF VP loss prevention Rich Mellor.
On a more positive note, the survey found that more retailers believe law enforcement is aware of and understands the severity and complexity of the issue (40% this year versus 32.3% in 2011). More than half (54.4%) said top management at their company is aware of the problems associated with organized retail crime.
click here
-
06.06.2012
Finch Paper is one of the first uncoated paper mills to recognize and respond to the extended size breakthroughs made by the fastest, leading electrophotographic production presses on the market today. New 14×20 and 14×26 sizes have been added to the Finch digital portfolio to meet the demands of OEM partner solutions such as the Xerox iGen4 and Kodak NexPress.
NEW! Finch Fine Color Copy now available in 14×20 and 14×26 sizes
Optimized for dry-toner print production, Finch Fine Color Copy – the best value for digital printing – is one of the smoothest and brightest papers for full-process color printing and copying.
Now available in 14×20 and 14×26 sizes to meet the demands of newer digital solutions available from OEMs, this high-quality sheet is ideal for both office and digital production printing, features FSC® and SFI certification, and 10% post-consumer recycled fiber.
The Finch Fine Color Copy line serves a variety of leading print engines, including:
Canon imagePRESS and Canon CLC® series; Kodak NexPress; Konica Minolta bizhub® PRESS C6000, C7000, C8000, and Konica Minolta bizhub PRO series; Ricoh Pro C751/C751EX/C651EX and Ricoh Pro C901 (using the coated matte setting); Xerox iGen3™ and iGen4™ series, and the Xerox Docucolor® series.
click here
-
06.06.2012
Facebook will allow marketers to choose whether Sponsored Stories will appear on fans' desktop News Feeds, mobile News Feeds, within the sidebar, or in any combination of the three, said a Facebook spokesperson.
“The basic key takeaway from today's news is that now Facebook is making it easier for people to buy the ads they want and giving more delivery choices,” the spokesperson said. “Previously, mobile ads were purchased as part of Sponsored Stories, with the advertiser not being able to say where they wanted their Sponsored Stories to run – now they can choose desktop, mobile or both.”
Sponsored Stories are updates from Promoted Posts, a product released by Facebook last week that increases the number of fans that see a given post. Facebook charges a fee for Promoted Posts based on the number of fans the company distributing the Promoted Post has. When fans interact with these Promoted Posts, it creates Sponsored Stories, which are viewable by friends of those fans.
click here
-
06.06.2012
Deluxe Corporation today announced it has acquired OrangeSoda, Inc., a leading internet marketing services company specializing in search, mobile, and social media campaign strategies for small businesses. OrangeSoda provides services directly to small businesses as well as through a growing number of strategic partners in media, telecommunications, home services, and other industries. The company employs approximately 175 people and will continue to be headquartered in American Fork, Utah.
“Deluxe will accelerate revenue growth in marketing solutions and other services by combining our organic capabilities with OrangeSoda’s innovative solutions, scalable provisioning platform and tools, and established market presence,” said Malcolm McRoberts, senior vice president small business services at Deluxe. “Orange Soda has built compelling services offers and channels targeted at key small business marketing pain points. As a result of this acquisition, Deluxe adds differentiated solutions and capability that help support growth for our small business customers.”
Deluxe purchased OrangeSoda for $27.7 million in cash. The acquisition is expected to generate approximately $15 million in incremental revenue and be slightly dilutive to EPS for the remainder of 2012, after including transaction costs and acquisition-related amortization expense.
click here
-
06.06.2012
Saddleback Publishing, the leader in high-interest, low-reading ability (known as hi-lo) curriculum solutions and quality fiction, is proud to become the first educational publisher to partner with On Demand Books to provide instant access to their extensive catalog of young adult literature, workbooks and guides dedicated to helping struggling and at-risk learners in grades 5-12. This partnership will for the first time allow parents, teachers and students the ability to print materials specific to a child or classroom’s particular needs in just minutes at their local book retailer or library using On Demand Books Espresso Book Machine®.
“We are so excited to be partnering with On Demand Books for their entry into the educational publishing market,” says Arianne McHugh , President of Saddleback Publishing. “This innovative technology allows our consumers access to an incredible resource of literature and tools that can be used to fit the needs of each specific student.”
“Offering parents and teachers the ability to print Saddleback Publishing’s fiction and workbooks instead of having to wait for them to be printed and shipped is a wonderful use of our technology and something bookstores and universities can now offer their communities. We are thrilled that our partnership with Saddleback Educational will allow all this, “ says Dane Neller , CEO of On Demand Books.
The Espresso Book Machine, the only digital-to-print at-retail solution on the market today, will carry over 500 titles available from Saddleback Publishing, including frontlist books (titles that are active and have been released recently within the last 12 months) such as their award-winning urban fiction titles for struggling readers, as well as the latest teacher guides and workbooks, active backlist books (older than 12 months but are still actively selling and being stocked and printed by the publisher) and non-active backlist titles, which will only be available via the Espresso Book Machine.
click here
-
06.06.2012
Oil rose for a third day in New York on shrinking stockpiles and signs of economic improvement in the U.S., the world’s largest consumer of crude.
West Texas Intermediate futures gained as much as 1.3 percent. Crude inventories fell 1.8 million barrels last week to 384.1 million barrels, the industry-funded American Petroleum Institute said yesterday. An Energy Department report today may show supplies slid by 500,000 barrels, according to a Bloomberg News survey. U.S. service-industry growth unexpectedly increased, and Australia’s economic expansion beat estimates.
“The U.S. recovery is a bright star in a dim firmament,” said Christopher Bellew, senior broker at Jefferies Bache Ltd. in London. “But there is no reason for prices to hold here, and the market may well turn lower again.”
Oil for July delivery climbed as much as $1.10 to $85.39 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $85.17 at 10:50 a.m. London time. The contract yesterday rose 0.4 percent to $84.29, the highest close since May 31.
click here
-
06.06.2012
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) filed today a request for U.S. Supreme Court review or summary reversal of the Ninth Circuit court decision to require National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for logging activity on forest roads.
The Ninth Circuit court’s decision overturned EPA’s 35-year approach to managing runoff from forest roads. The U.S. Solicitor General admitted that the Ninth Circuit’s decision was wrong. However, he also concluded that Supreme Court review is not necessary, because EPA intends to issue regulations to provide flexible approaches to managing forest road runoff.
“The fact that EPA may finalize regulations in the future is no reason to allow the Ninth Circuit’s decision to stand. In fact, leaving the decision in place will require EPA to develop a rule around what the U.S. agrees is wrongly-decided law,” said AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman. “Forest landowners and others in the supply chain still are faced with the reality that any administrative action by EPA will take months if not years to be put in place and will be open to court challenge."
“We believe that the best means of providing much-needed certainty to the situation is a favorable U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Without Supreme Court intervention, there will be considerable confusion as states and EPA attempt to sort out how to comply. This only perpetuates an atmosphere of uncertainty, which is harmful to our industry and its 900,000 employees that depend on a steady supply of fiber to make products essential for everyday life,” Harman concluded.
click here
-
06.06.2012
As many of you know, on Monday May 28th, there was a significant explosion and fire at the Sartell mill. As previously reported, a Verso employee was fatally injured in this tragic incident. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the family and all those impacted by this event.
For most of the past week, significant portions of the mill remained inaccessible to Verso officials as emergency response operations continued at the facility. In the last couple of days, assessment by Verso officials and external authorities has begun. We are hopeful that the preliminary analysis of this assessment will be concluded within the next week.
In the interim, our sales, customer service, planning, and logistics organization have been working to minimize potential disruption to your operations for the orders that we have in hand. With the utilization of our full system, all June Coated Groundwood orders originally planned for S3 paper machine have been accommodated with only modest impacts to delivery dates. Status of your orders will be communicated to you promptly as updates are available. We thank all of you who have provided flexibility with regards to your orders.
As more information is learned, we will keep you informed.
click here
-
06.06.2012
At Midland we know it’s important for your preferred papers to deliver top value and maximum performance, both on press and when drawing readers’ attention. So we are pleased to introduce Norbrite® 92, a new uncoated mechanical paper that offers higher yield, greater opacity, and a remarkable brightness for publications that stand out.
Get more for your money with Norbrite® 92. This high-brightness innovation from NORPAC offers all the printing and environmental performance you need with greater opacity and uniformity than alternatives. Norbrite® 92 delivers a yield advantage of 5-25 percent over uncoated free sheet (UCFS) products, offering superior opacity and equivalent caliper in a lower basis weight and price. That advantage ensures you — and your customers — enjoy greater value.
Contact your Midland Paper Sales professional for more information about this exciting new product from NORPAC.
click here
-
06.05.2012
Faced with volatility in the global supply chain and increases in the costs of certain raw materials, such as distillates, solvents and resins, Sun Chemical will raise prices in the United States and Canada on all heatset products and certain pressroom consumables on July 1, 2012.
The price increases will vary as different products have a different chemical composition, but the average cost increase will be approximately 10 percent for most products.
All heatset products will be affected by the price increase, inclusive of directory inks. Certain Rycoline® solvent-based washes will also be impacted.
click here
-
06.05.2012
Sun Chemical reinforced its commitment to customers in Montreal and the Province of Quebec with the opening of its new state-of-the-art ink manufacturing plant in Laval, a $3.1 million (CAD) investment designed to provide stronger customer service, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.
The 50,000 square foot facility consolidates four manufacturing plants located in Ottawa, Quebec City and two buildings located in the Montreal suburbs of Boucherville and Anjou, into one brand new manufacturing plant that will service the needs of customers primarily located in Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City areas.
Strategically located just off the highway in the north suburb of Montreal, the single location in Laval is better positioned for getting through Montreal’s traffic patterns and delivering product to customers across Quebec and Eastern Ontario. Additionally, consolidating the two plants in Montreal into one facility will make it easier for customers in the city find Sun Chemical.
click here
-
06.05.2012
Two Duluth printing companies announced last week that they have merged operations.
Pro Print Inc. and Christie Printing announced Friday that the new combined company will continue to operate under the Pro Print name. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The merger will benefit customers with expanded resources from the combined operations while giving Pro Print a strengthened position in the marketplace, the company said in its announcement.
Operations will be combined at the Pro Print facility in the Duluth Airpark, said Scott Cooke, co-owner of Pro Print.
click here
-
06.05.2012
On May 31, the Postal Regulatory Commission issued Order No. 1361 establishing Docket N2012-2 to provide a public hearing and issue an advisory opinion on the U.S. Postal Service’s Post Office Structure Plan (POStPlan). The primary focus of the proposal is to reduce costs by changing operating hours at approximately 17,700 of the 32,000 postal retail locations nationwide. The Service’s previous plan, the Retail Access Optimization Initiative, to close 3,700 post offices has been put on hold.
Vice Chairman Nanci E. Langley will serve as “Presiding Officer” for this docket. “This proceeding will provide all interested persons with a full opportunity to provide input,” said Vice Chairman Langley. “At the same time, the Postal Service has said it would like to be able to begin to implement its plan in September, and the Commission will conduct a timely review with this in mind.”
The Commission proceeding provides a transparent, on-the-record process to ensure that any nationwide changes in postal services are consistent with the Postal Service’s obligation to provide prompt, reliable, and efficient postal services to customers in all areas and to all communities. The public is encouraged to share their written views with the Commission. Comments may also be shared via the Commission’s online customer service form at www.prc.gov.
click here
-
06.05.2012
Dollar General Corp. on Monday reported a 36% jump in quarterly profit and raised its expectations for the year as its momentum continued.
Dollar General earned $213.4 million in the fiscal first quarter ended on May 4, up from $157.0 million a year earlier. Sales rose 13% to $3.9 billion. Same-store sales increased 6.7%.
Dollar General is starting off 2012 with strong performance in the first quarter due to excellent same-store sales growth of 6.7%, representing the fifth consecutive quarter of accelerating improvement,” said Rick Dreiling, chairman and CEO. “I believe we are positioned well to invest in the future of our business as we continue to redefine small-box retailing and reinforce Dollar General’s role as America’s general store.”
The company plans to open approximately 625 stores, including 40 Dollar General Market stores in 2012. In addition, it plans to remodel or relocate a total of approximately 550 stores.
click here
-
06.05.2012
Starbucks Coffee Co. is looking to expand its food business. The chain has entered into an agreement to acquire San Francisco-based Bay Bread and its La Boulange bakery brand, as well as to hire its well-known French baker, Pascal Rigo. The cash deal is valued at $100 million.
La Boulange, which also serves salads and sandwiches, has 19 locations in the Bay Area. In addition to serving the bakery’s pastries, breads and sandwiches under the La Boulange name in its U.S. stores, Starbucks also plans to accelerate the expansion of the company’s retail footprint over time in key U.S. cities.
“This is an investment in our core business. After more than 40 years, we will be able to say that we are bakers too,” said Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and CEO.
In recent years, Starbucks has made major enhancements to its food offerings based on customer feedback, including diversifying its portfolio to include smaller portion sizes. Food now accounts for $1.5 billion in revenues in U.S. company-operated stores and has grown by double digits in each of the last two fiscal years.
click here
-
06.05.2012
After all the fanfare surrounding the October 2011 and January 2012 test issues of HGTV--the joint venture between Hearst Magazines and the Scripps Networks-owned HGTV cable channel--the official launch of the magazine last week was quiet.
The reason was that the test issues' success made HM president (since June 2010) David Carey giving the go-ahead on March 19 a fait accompli. The June/July HGTV opens with a 450,000 rate base and 50 ad pages, with releases this year also scheduled for Sept., Oct./Nov., and Dec.
HGTV is following a similar pattern to the three-year-old Food Network, which is also HM-Scripps Network-partnered. HGTV, too, is showcasing stars from the cable network, with Sabrina Soto, Emily Henderson and Chip Wade among those in the launch issue.
click here
-
06.05.2012
Good—self-described as the magazine "for people who give a damn"—has laid off at least five editorial staffers, including executive editor Ann Friedman, the day after holding a launch party for its newest issue.
The cuts appear to have eliminated all but three edit staffers—co-founding creative director Casey Caplowe, education editor Liz Dwyer, and assistant editor Zak Stone. The magazine has not immediately returned a request for comment.
Others included are managing editor Megan Greenwell, senior editor Cord Jefferson, lifestyle editor Amanda Hess, business editor Tim Fernholz, and associate editor Nona Willis Aronowitz. Wylie Overstreet, a writer for Good, left voluntarily.
The Los Angeles-based magazine, which boasts a rate base of 65,000 and an audience of 4.5 million monthly unique online visitors, may be exploring a community-based publishing system to include content aggregation and social networking, according to Poynter's MediaWire.
click here
-
06.05.2012
Oil dropped on speculation Europe’s debt woes would curb energy demand after manufacturing in the continent contracted as global policy makers discuss the region’s crisis.
West Texas Intermediate futures fell, giving up earlier gains of as much as 1.1 percent. Euro-area services and manufacturing output contracted in May, adding to signs the economy is suffering from worsening debt. Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of Seven countries will hold a call today on the European debt crisis, according to Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.
“Emergency talks for the G7 are a little bit dangerous because they raise expectations,” Ole Hansen, senior manager of trading advisory at Saxo Bank A/S, said by phone from Copenhagen. “Europe can go from bad to worse and China is obviously slowing. These two areas have a significant impact for general demand of most commodities, including oil.”
Crude for July delivery fell as much as 42 cents to $83.56 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $83.92 at 10:25 a.m. London time. The contract yesterday rose for the first time in five days by 0.9 percent to $83.98.
click here
-
06.05.2012
The winning entries to Appleton Coated’s U360 Competition for 2012 have been announced. An online gallery of winners can be found at UtopiaPaper.com by clicking on the U360 section. This autumn, the 2012 Showbook will be available on request and distributed throughout North America.
“U360 celebrates design, content and printing excellence, and all that paper makes possible. The winning selections recognize the all-around, effective, creative role that print communication plays in the marketing mix,” says Ferkó X. Goldinger, advertising and promotion manager.
The U360 Competition was judged by members of the Appleton Coated Design Council. Entries were evaluated on overall communication, creative expression and execution, including environmental impact. Submissions must be printed all, or in part, on Utopia and/or Curious Collection, accompanied by a completed entry form, and produced in 2011.
click here
-
06.05.2012
Amazon.com, Inc. and Avalon Books today announced that Amazon Publishing has acquired the publication rights from Avalon Books to over 3,000 backlist titles predominantly in the Romance, Mystery and Western categories. Established in 1950 by Thomas Bouregy, Avalon Books has long been a home to writers specializing in wholesome entertainment across popular genres, such as Holly Jacobs, Carolyn Hughey and Carolyn Brown, whose book “The Ladies’ Room” is nominated for a 2012 RITA by the Romance Writers of America.
“I’ve been running Avalon Books--which was founded by my father--since 1995, and it is time for me to explore the next chapter of my life,” said Ellen Bouregy Mickelsen, Publisher of Avalon Books. “I chose Amazon Publishing because they care deeply about the writers, readers, and categories that have long mattered to our family business and they are uniquely positioned to assure that our titles make the leap forward into the digital future. I am pleased they have asked me to assist during a period of transition to provide continuity and support for our authors.”
Avalon books will be published under the West Coast imprints of Amazon Publishing, including Montlake Romance and Thomas & Mercer. These books will continue to be available in print for booksellers and libraries nationwide. Ms. Mickelsen will be assisting for several months to support a smooth transition for authors and to help secure eBook amendments for some of the older Avalon titles whose digital rights are not owned by Avalon, with the intention of bringing these books to a wider audience.
Avalon Books was advised on the transaction by Bill Barry who acted as exclusive broker on its behalf.
click here
-
06.05.2012
1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc., the world's leading florist and gift shop, today announced that it has made an equity investment in Flores Online, one of Brazil's leading floral and gift retailers. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has teamed with San Paolo, Brazil-based BR Opportunities, which has also taken an equity stake in Flores Online.
Jim McCann, Founder and CEO, said, "As the world's leading Florist and Gift Shop, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM is in the business of delivering smiles for our customers. We believe this mission transcends geographic and cultural borders and, increasingly, our customers expect us to help them with their social expressions both locally and around the world. That is why we are very excited to be partnering with Flores Online, one of Brazil's and, indeed South America's, leading floral and gift retailers. We are especially pleased to be working with Eduardo Casarini and his family, the founders of Flores Online, because they share both our family business culture and our passion for engaging directly with our customers to build deep and lasting relationships."
McCann added that, "This investment also offers us the opportunity to work with Carlos Miranda and his San Paolo, Brazil-based BR Opportunities private equity fund. Carlos is someone whose business acumen and style I have long admired. Together with Eduardo Casarini and his family, we have formed a team that, we believe, will be able to leverage our combined assets and expertise to build an even stronger and more prosperous Flores Online business in what is one of the most exciting economies in the world today."
click here
-
06.05.2012
Firefighters today transferred authority for most of the Verso Paper warehouse back to the company, one week after an explosion and fire left one worker dead and four people injured. The explosion area remains under the control of investigators.
Small fires continue to flare from paper rolls as they are exposed to oxygen during building demolition, but the flames can be handled by a demolition contractor, Sartell City Administrator Patti Gartland said.
Four rail boxes that had been in the warehouse area were taken to Maiers Transport in St. Cloud. Workers found smoldering paper when a rail box was opened, and St. Cloud Fire Department was called to the scene.
Eighty fire departments, 14 other agencies and 26 businesses have assisted at the Sartell fire during the past week. Sartell’s ladder truck remains at the site and is expected to stay there Tuesday with staffing by the Verso fire brigade.
click here
-
06.04.2012
Sappi's Printers of the Year awards are regarded as the world's most respected accolade in printed communications. Winners of the program showcase innovation and excellence, and demonstrate how print continues to be a vital and relevant medium.
Find out who won gold in 2012.
click here
-
06.04.2012
Charming Shoppes, Inc., a leading apparel retailer specializing in women's plus-size apparel, today reported sales and operating results for the three months ended April 28, 2012.
Commenting on the quarter, Anthony M. Romano, President and Chief Executive Officer of Charming Shoppes, Inc. said, "We are pleased to have delivered our sixth consecutive quarter of improved year over year Adjusted EBITDA results, with an increase of $1.3 million, or 3.1%, to $42.6 million for the first quarter. Although we generated healthy gross margins during the quarter, our gross margins continued to be impacted by increases in product costs compared to a year ago. We also executed deeper discounts to ensure seasonal unit sell-throughs as we experienced continuing challenging traffic trends. Nonetheless, we were able to fully offset the impacts to our gross margin through strong expense management at each of our brands in both SG&A and Occupancy and Buying expenses. At each of our brands, we produced improved conversion rates and higher Average Unit Retails. We maintained our disciplined inventory management to reduce overall inventory levels. Our consolidated comparable store inventories at cost at the end of the period were 7% lower than the prior year period, with units decreasing by 16%."
Net sales were $481.3 million for the first quarter ended April 28, 2012, a decrease of 4.6% compared to $504.4 million for the prior year period. The $23.1 million decrease includes the impact of operating 157 fewer stores than in the prior year period, partially offset by an increase of 18% in e-commerce sales. First quarter comparable store sales were flat compared to the prior year, including a 1% comparable store sales increase for Lane Bryant, a 5% comparable store sales increase for Catherines, and a 3% comparable store sales decrease for Fashion Bug. The inclusion of e-commerce sales with the bricks and mortar comparable store sales would result in a comparable sales increase of 2% for the quarter.
Gross profit was $261.7 million or 54.4% of sales in the quarter, compared to $285.3 million or 56.6% of sales in the same quarter last year.
click here
-
06.04.2012
After the sale of UPM’s packaging paper operations in its two mills in Pietarsaari (PM1) and Tervasaari (PM7), Finland, to the Swedish Billerud, UPM will continue producing one side coated (C1S) papers for packaging end-use in its Jämsä River Mills as before. Also all other existing paper grades for packaging end-use will remain available as before.
At the same time, UPM is renaming some of its packaging papers. The former UPM SwanCoat will be changed to UPM Unique coat. UPM’s newly launched barrier paper range, UPM SwanBarrier and UPM SwanBarrier light will be known in the future as UPM Unique barrier and UPM Unique barrier light.
“With the sale of our packaging operations in Pietarsaari and Tervasaari mills we needed to re-brand our remaining packaging paper offering. From now on, we will be using the UPM Unique name as an umbrella for our one side coated papers. UPM Unique is already a well-known brand and it is mainly sold to packaging end-uses. We can now concentrate on our C1S papers and build a portfolio under a well-known brand name. We have done a lot of development work on our C1S grades, and now it really starts to show,” says Jaakko Nikkilä, VP, UPM Converting sales.
click here
-
06.04.2012
John Sargent is well-known in publishing circles for doing things a little differently than most CEOs (see his stance in the Department of Justice lawsuit over the agency pricing model), and that also applies to his approach to Macmillan’s environmental efforts. More than two years ago, Sargent named industry veteran and now consultant Bill Barry to review all of Macmillan’s operations with the goal of determining the most efficient ways to lower the company’s carbon footprint. In a meeting at Macmillan’s headquarters in the Flatiron Building last month, the two men discussed how, after reviewing reams of information that sometimes produce conflicting recommendations, they set a goal of reducing the company’s carbon footprint by 65% by 2019 from a 2009 baseline.
Like other publishers, Macmillan is focused on cutting carbon emissions from its paper usage, but, unlike most other houses, it is not emphasizing greater use of recycled paper; rather, it is looking to source paper from mills that are the most energy efficient. “We’ve challenged our mills to become more efficient producers,” Barry said. Macmillan’s analysis of a mill’s CO2 emissions includes not only how and where it sources timber, but also how its fuels its operations and transport materials. At the beginning of 2012, Macmillan bought nearly 60% of its paper from mills that run largely on hydropower and/or other renewable sources. It will use recycled paper where its benefits can best be optimized. Other steps Macmillan has taken to cut emissions associated with manufacturing include lowering the basis weight of its paper and changing the process of making jackets and covers that, according to Sargent and Barry, reduces emissions by two-thirds. Smaller print runs (brought about to some degree, but not solely, by higher e-book sales) and an overhaul to its packaging process have also contributed to a reduction in emissions and is in keeping with what Sargent calls the “basic truth” of sustainability—“using less is better than using more.”
In another step to use less paper, Macmillan will phase out its use of paper catalogues by this winter season and, to reduce gasoline consumption, the company plans to complete the switch of its fleet of company cars to hybrid by the end of this year. The installation of more efficient lighting in its warehouses cut energy consumption associated with lighting by 50% last year. But not all Macmillan’s plans for its warehouses worked out. At one point, the company had considered putting solar panels on its Virginia warehouse, but a review determined that the cost (about $1.5 million), without meaningful subsidies, would have been prohibitive (the company is now reviewing the possibility of using geothermal power in the plant). “You have to examine everything issue by issue,” Barry noted.
click here
-
06.04.2012
Pulp producers are facing increasing pressure on prices as conditions shift more in favor of buyers.
The slowing of China demand that began in April has spread from one extent or another to other markets. Producers of various kinds of pulp acknowledged that June could be difficult both price- and volume-wise, and that the third quarter, which tends to be slow anyway during the Northern summer, is likely to follow the usual pattern.
Bleached hardwood kraft pulp (BHKP) markets remain stronger than those of bleached softwood kraft pulp (BSKP) markets around the world. But weakening BSKP prices, especially in China and to some extent in Europe, coupled with recent rising global BHKP prices, have brought the two sectors so close together in price that customers are shifting some demand to BSKP.
For the most part, the announced May bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEKP) price hikes did not go through fully during the May, and given current market conditions, it could be a struggle to achieve the remainder during June.
click here
-
06.04.2012
Nike Inc. is trimming its portfolio. The company announced it will sell its Cole Haan and Umbro brands to cut costs and focus on its core namesake brand.
Nike acquired Cole Haan, which specializes in casual and dress shoes, handbags and accessories, in 1988 for $80 million, plus the assumption of $15 million in debt. Cole Haan operates more than 180 stores throughout the United States, Canada, the Middle East and Asia.
Nike bought the soccer gear and apparel company Umbro in 2008 for $565 million.
In a statement, Nike said it will begin selling off the brands immediately. It expects to complete the sale by May 2013.
click here
-
06.04.2012
51% of consumers follow at least one retailer on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, a 12% dip from 58% a year ago, according to a new report by Shop.Org, the online retail division of the industry trade group National Retail Federation.
Concerns about privacy and sharing their personal information were the chief reasons respondents said they do not follow brands on social media, according to the survey, which examined consumer’s attitudes about social media. The survey, which polled 1,507 consumers, was conducted by web measurement firm comScore Inc., Shop.org and the Partnering Group consultancy.
The survey also found that consumers who do follow retailers on social media increasingly are doing so on visual-focused social network Pinterest, rather than Facebook and Twitter. Shoppers who follow brands on Pinterest follow 9.3 merchants, on average, compared to 8.5 on Twitter and 6.9 retailers on Facebook.
click here
-
06.04.2012
Canfor Pulp Products Inc. announces today that production at the Canfor Pulp Limited Partnership’s Northwood Pulp Mill has been curtailed to investigate a failure in one of its two recovery boilers. There were no injuries reported in the incident but the number one recovery boiler has been shutdown to determine the cause of the malfunction. As a result, only one of the two production lines in the mill is currently operating.
The cost of repair and the duration of curtailment cannot be reliably determined until a detailed inspection of the facility is completed. However, based on a preliminary review, it is estimated that the curtailment will be for at least a three week duration with an estimated reduction in production of NBSK pulp of approximately 25,000 tonnes.
To mitigate the impact of the incident, management intends to continue operation of the second production line at the mill and will advance certain mill maintenance activities previously scheduled to be performed during a planned mill shutdown in September. Production at the Partnership’s Intercontinental Pulp Mill and Prince George Pulp and Paper Mill is not affected by the curtailment at Northwood.
click here
-
06.04.2012
Oil fell for a fifth day in New York to the lowest price in almost eight months on signs of an economic slowdown in the U.S. and China. London-traded Brent crude dropped from the lowest close in more than a year.
Futures tumbled as much as 2.4 percent to the lowest intraday price since Oct. 6, extending last week’s 8.4 percent decline after U.S. unemployment rose and payrolls increased less than the most-pessimistic forecasts. China’s purchasing managers’ index for non-manufacturing industries fell to the lowest level in a year, the National Bureau of Statistics and China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said yesterday in Beijing. European leaders remain divided on solutions for the region’s debt crisis.
“We’re very, very negative on the outlook” for oil demand this year, Johannes Benigni, managing director of JBC Energy GmbH, a researcher in Vienna, said in an interview with Francine Lacqua on Bloomberg Television’s “On the Move.” Crude consumption will contract in advanced economies even as demand grows in Asia and the Middle East, he said. “Economic indicators are not looking great.”
Oil for July delivery lost as much as $2.02 to $81.21 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $81.79 at 11:16 a.m. in London.
click here