UnigraphicsUSA

In 2002, six suppliers joined forces to establish UnigraphicsUSA. Over time, the membership evolved and in 2008, the group changed its organizational structure, rebranded and formed the Strategic Print Alliance (SPA). Today, six member companies—with 10 plants coast-to-coast—remain aligned by friendship and the business philosophy, "Independent strength. United power."

A little change never hurt anyone. With that in mind, this year’s big show promises a change of pace, a change of scenery and a change in demand. The newly revamped PSDA (formerly DMIA) will host its annual Print Solutions Conference and Exposition on Oct. 23-25 at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore. This year’s featured general session keynote speaker will be Charlie Pesko, founder and president of InfoTrends, a leading market research and consulting firm in the digital imaging and document solutions industries. Technological advances and refined marketing strategies are just some of the issues gaining momentum in a slowing economy. To encourage print

St. Louis-based Unigraphics USA has successfully completed the transformation to Strategic Print Alliance. This change enhances the organizations ability to provide a coast-to-coast manufacturing solution to the trade. The Alliance is comprised of premier trade manufacturers of business documents, labels and commercial printed products. Initially, the group united in 2002 in an effort to realize the advantages of its collective size, diversity and geographic reach—without sacrificing the entrepreneurial leadership, instrumental to their individual success. “The mission of Strategic Print Alliance continues to be offering innovative business solutions for distributors requiring nationwide manufacturing excellence,” commented Bob Berardino, the Alliance’s newly appointed president. “Our business

DMIA’s annual Print Solutions conference and exposition will be held Oct. 3-5 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. The conference will provide three days of educational sessions, including a presentation by this year’s keynote speaker, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and co-author of “Contract with America.” Join Gingrich as he analyzes the current political climate in Washington, DC, and educates attendees on effective leadership. This year’s conference will feature equipment demonstrations, offering distributors better insight into how various applications are produced. In addition, exchange centers will be located on the show floor with more than 34 hours of

Phoenix-based UnigraphicsUSA, a strategic alliance of regional trade-only printers, announced the addition of Bradley Graphics Solutions, Bensalem, Pa., as a new member. Steven Gaynor, President of UnigraphicsUSA, invited Bradley to join the group to enhance the group’s service offering and expand its national footprint on the East Coast. Bob Bradley, president of Bradley Graphics Solutions said “We are pleased to be associated with the most well respected trade business document manufacturers in the country. Our company specializes in direct mail and business forms printing, and recently introduced a new line of integrated and affixed products which will enhance UnigraphicsUSA’s overall product offering.”

UnigraphicsUSA, Phoenix, recently appointed Lynn Brewton as executive vice president of business development. Brewton will be responsible for assisting established distribution channels in acquiring and servicing national accounts. Brewton joins UnigraphicsUSA with 30 years of experience in the printing industry. She most recently served as vice president of national accounts for Consolidated Graphics, Houston, president of Carpenter Reserve Printing, a Wallace company based in Cleveland, and vice president of Tecnicom Printing & Publishing Corp., Solon, Ohio.    "One of our primary goals is to utilize our members' printing assets to serve the national printing marketplace," said Steve Gaynor, president. "Lynn's experience in developing

Traditional and contemporary form designs are still driving business operations. Mark H. Clabaugh, vice president of sales and marketing for Atlanta-based PrintSouth, and Bob McAleavey, president of Specialized Printed Forms, Caledonia, N.Y., both agreed that forms products remain profitable for manufacturers and distributors alike. "Forms are still selling," said Clabaugh. "Just as we used to joke that checks were the fastest-growing dying business in the industry, end-users will continue to need printed forms for quite some time." "True, the pie is shrinking at a rate of 2 percent a year," noted McAleavey, "but it's a pretty big pie. Forms are a $3 billion-a-year industry.

Despite a tight year, future indications look hopeful for printed products. Transcontinental is no longer reporting its sales in the independent segment of the printed products industry. The company's departure cuts the Top 100 revenue figures almost in half. Removing Transcontinental's sales of $2 billion from last year's numbers shows a drop in Top 100 sales of three percent or $90 million to $2.78 billion. But, Transcontinental is not the only change in this year's Top 100 Manufacturers list. Calibrated Forms is now part of Ennis Business Forms, propelling Ennis to the top of the charts with sales of $240.8 million, just ahead

To no one's surprise, the makeup of the industry continues to change. Crabar bought GBF Graphics, Inc. Ennis bought Calibrated Forms. Large companies are acquiring large companies. And, this trend will probably continue, as large companies with cash to spend look for ways to keep growing. Large printed products manufacturers will continue to acquire companies with compatible product lines to improve economies of scale. They will also diversify into other fields. Another way to improve economies of scale is to band together into buying groups. UnigraphicsUSA (see accompanying article on page 8) consists of nine industry suppliers that want to improve bargaining power for raw