State of the Industry 2007

Strategic plans, acquisitions, growth opportunities, strengthening core businesses, increased capabilities and one-stop-shops are the catch phrases for an industry in the process of massive belt tightening and consolidation. On the heels of the surprising Cenveo buyout of heavy-hitting print manufacturer Printegra, it seems there is no discernible end in sight.

The print industry no longer looks even remotely similar to the print industry of years past. It is the slimmed down, bionic version that insists everything can, and will, be done under just a few roofs with a handful of decision makers at the helm. To put it in today’s pop culture terminology, this is an “Extreme Makeover.”

Strategic acquisitions by companies like Cenveo, Ennis and WorkflowOne continue to dramatically impact the landscape of the industry. Robert G. Burton, Sr., chairman and chief executive officer of Cenveo, explained the company’s acquisitions strategy in a recent statement: “Acquiring Rx Technology back in July 2006 added strength to, and supplemented, our label operations. Rx is a growing operation that complements our existing business while contributing to our various cross-selling initiatives. In February 2007, we completed the acquisition of Printegra, which was a highly strategic acquisition in the short-run printing marketplace... This acquisition creates the opportunity for Cenveo to better serve its customers and allows us to offer Printegra’s customers Cenveo’s extensive range of products and services. In December 2006, we entered into a definitive merger agreement with Cadmus Communications Corporation, which will form the third largest printing company in North America. Cadmus, with its highly regarded reputation for excellence and strategically niched product offering, is a perfect complement to broaden Cenveo’s product line. These accretive acquisitions position the company nicely for future growth.”

At one time, future growth occurred quite organically in the print industry with ease and pace. Today, growth appears to be driven by aggressive positioning within the marketplace, mass consolidation and heavy cost control. In this competitive and unforgiving environment, it will be interesting to see what she looks like once the transitional makeover is complete.