Printer News

Five years after introducing Saphira Aqueous Coatings to the market, Heidelberg recently began manufacturing the coatings locally at its new Hi-Tech Coatings plant, located in the Detroit suburb of Taylor, Mich. A ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening was held Aug. 30.

Presstek Inc.’s top three executives could be paid a total of $3.2 million in severance if the proposed sale of the printing equipment manufacturer to the American Industrial Partners private equity firm is completed, according to the preliminary version of a proxy that will eventually be sent to shareholders for their approval.

The 50-cent-a-share deal—with an equity value of $18.7 million—would mean the end of Presstek as a public company, but neither the merger agreement nor the proxy spells out what will happen to the workforce at the Greenwich, Connecticut-based company’s biggest facility in Hudson.

Canon, a world-leader in imaging solutions, announced the intention to launch, via its subsidiary Canon Europa N.V., a voluntary and conditional public takeover bid in cash for all shares, warrants and stock options of I.R.I.S. Group SA. The bid relates to all shares (including treasury shares) issued by I.R.I.S. Group SA, which are not held by Canon Europa N.V. The bid offers a price of EUR 44.50 per share, and the price for warrants and stock options have been determined in conformity with market practices.

Located in Mt. Laurel, N.J., OKI Data Americas, an industry leader in printing technologies, announced a strategic alliance with Mark Andy, Inc.

The National Association for Printing Leadership has announced several industry experts who will be presenting at this year's GRAPH EXPO, the largest and most dynamic graphic communications exhibition in the Americas in 2012.

Finlay Printing in Bloomfield is closing after more than 135 years in operation, according to employees who say they were told of the news late last week.

Barry E. D'Esopo, who worked 14 years as a project manager for Finlay, said in an email to The Courant: "The proud and dedicated people who caused those press cylinders to turn will no longer labor under the red, yellow and blue flag of the company. The whirr of the folders and stitchers has been silenced and the beep-beep-beep of the trucks backing into the docks has ceased."

3M, parent company to supplier 3M Promotional Markets, has stated that the company is still working with Avery Dennison Corp. on a purchase agreement, despite a report from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) claiming that the deal has been terminated.

InnerWorkings Inc., a leading global marketing supply chain company in Chicago, today announced an extension of their multi-year relationship with The PNC Financial Services Group Inc. to include Creative Services responsibilities.

Bankrupt photography pioneer Eastman Kodak Co. is losing more executives and plans to cut an additional 1,000 jobs by the end of the year as it shrinks into a commercial printing-focused company.

The latest job cuts follow the reduction of about 2,700 employees globally this year, the Rochester, New York-based company said today in a statement. Kodak is “making progress” in a restructuring that includes selling its consumer-film, photo-kiosk and commercial-scanner businesses and an extended effort to auction its digital-imaging patents.

Kodak also is shaking up its management structure and losing key executives.

McLean, Virginia-based Gannett Co., Inc. has entered into a partnership with Chicago-based InnerWorkings, Inc. to exclusively manage print procurement and print management for non-newspaper print products such as direct mail, marketing collateral, inserts and select publications, among other items.